Wildcat Creek history and attractions
Wildcat Creek is one of the most visited and beautiful scenery locations in the Kokomo area. This 84-mile-long creek constitutes a major tributary of the Wabash river, and it includes three main forks: North fork, South fork, and Middle fork, which flow in an east-west direction. The creek is of vital importance for the land use in its surroundings, which includes crops, pastures, developed areas, and forests. Its major tributaries are the Little Wildcat Creek and the Kokomo Creek.
This creek has a very notorious Native American history, with two major Indian tribes settling in the area: the Wee tribe and the Shawnee tribe. The latter were considered one of the most aggressive and fiercest Indian tribes in the State of Indiana, and are also best known for the Battle of Wild Cat Creek or "Spur's defeat", in which 16 soldiers were ambushed and killed in 1812. Once the war was over, the Shawnees sold their land to the U.S. Government and were relocated to the west side of the Mississippi river. The Wildcat Valley subsequently became part of the Big Reserve, which in turn was under the control of the Miami tribe, and also included a Wea reservation.
Wildcat Creek is a popular tourist destination for canoeing, with the North and South fork being the best places for this recreational activity. Another leisure activities include fishing, birdwatching, and general wildlife contemplation. Some of the commonest bird species that you can find at this location include herons, wood ducks, great horned owls, Baltimore orioles and turkey vultures. Regarding vegetation, there is an approximate 80% of the land used for agricultural purposes, while the rest is mostly forest. Some of the natural forest species that you can find in Wildcat Creek are silver maple, cottonwood, red oak, American elm, and walnuts.