Author: Paul

Author Paul R. Wonning considers himself an "Indiana Hound," because he likes to "sniff" out the interesting places and history of Indiana and then use his books to reveal them to his readers. He also enjoys gardening, American history and dabbles in writing fantasy and humorous fiction.
Podcast - Indiana Places and History, Road Trip Indiana Series

Podcast – Indiana’s Pivot Point

Greetings, Today I will discuss the Pivot, or Initial Point in Indiana.
What is the Pivot Point, you ask? Well, it is the initial point of all land surveys in Indiana. The point was established by a surveyor team led by Ebenezer Buckingham on September 1, 1805. I did visit the site in the summer of 2025, however I did not walk back to the actual stone marker, as it is on private land. An historical marker near the road is about 600 yards east of the stone pillar. Continue reading Podcast – Indiana’s Pivot Point

Podcast - United States History Timeline, Timeline of United States History

Podcast – Sebastián Vizcaíno Exploration in California

Five months out from the beginning of their voyage from Acapulco, Mexico the expedition headed up by Sebastián Vizcaíno reached a bay that an earlier explorer, Rodríquez Cabrillo, had called San Miguel. They entered the bay on November 10. The expedition of three ships entered the bay and anchored. Continue reading Podcast – Sebastián Vizcaíno Exploration in California

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Podcast – The Gristmill at Spring Mill State Park

Early pioneers in Indiana founded the village of Spring Mill in 1814. The copious amounts of water that flowed from local caves encouraged them to build a gristmill using the water to power the mill. In 1817 Hugh Hamer, the mill’s owner, built a bigger mill on the site. This gristmill was a three-story limestone structure and is the mill that exists in the Pioneer Village today. Continue reading Podcast – The Gristmill at Spring Mill State Park

Podcast - Stories of American History, Timeline of United States History

Juan de Oñate Expedition to the Great Plains

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado had explored large areas of what would become America’s Southwest in 1540 – 1542. Spain had never followed up on this great expedition. King Phillip II of Spain decided to end this neglect by charging explorer Juan de Oñate with the mission of exploring this region on September 21, 1595. Continue reading Juan de Oñate Expedition to the Great Plains

Blog, Wizards of the Golden Star Series

Kingdoms in Chaos

The Kingdoms in Chaos is the second book in the Wizards of the Golden Star Series. The Book I opens as the kingdom of Napoli falls. The creature Gwaum kills and eats the king while Queen Betsa and young Prince Ruther flee from the capital. Gwaum goes on to devastate the countryside The queen and her subjects that manage to escape the bedlam take refuge in a cave. Continue reading Kingdoms in Chaos

Podcast - Indiana Places and History, Road Trip Indiana Series

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife lovers should think about making a trip to Muscatatuck National Wildlife Area. The Refuge is on US 50 just east of Seymour, Indiana. The diversity of wildlife visible to even casual visitors to the Refuge is a delightful thing to see. The Refuge consists of 7,724 acres of which forestland covers about seventy percent. The remainder is wetlands managed by National Park Service personnel. The Refuge is in both Jennings and Jackson Counties, however the entrance is near Seymour, in Jackson County. Continue reading Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge

Blog, Wizards of the Golden Star Series

Quest of the Wizard

The first book in the Wizards of the Golden Star series, Quest of the Wizard – Book 1, opens with a scene in which a young boy named Arii is gathering red berries in a meadow near his parents’ home. Before his horrified eyes, the monster Gwaum emerges from the forest, destroys his home and consumes his parents and baby sister. Terrified, Arii flees into the forest. Continue reading Quest of the Wizard

Podcast - United States History Timeline, Timeline of United States History

New Podcast – Sir Walter Raleigh’s Roanoke Colony

The queen bestowed the award on Raleigh on March 25, 1584. About a month later Raleigh dispatched a scouting expedition to the region that would eventually become Virginia on April 27, 1584. The The expedition arrived in the region of Roanoke Island on July 4, 1584. The explorers nosed around the area, establishing relations with to Amerindian tribes and making notes about the customs of the local people as well as recording data about the geography of the area, after which they returned to England and reported to Raleigh what they found. Grenville took two native chiefs named Wanchese and Manteo with him to England. Continue reading New Podcast – Sir Walter Raleigh’s Roanoke Colony