Brookston, Indiana: Indian Muffler Man (Gone)
Towering fiberglass fellow greeted you proudly from atop the entrance to a YMCA camp. June 2021: Reported removed.
Camp Tecumseh YMCA
- Directions:
- Camp Tecumseh YMCA. Take Hwy 18 to S. Springboro Rd and turn north. Drive one mile and turn right onto W. Tecumseh Bend Rd. the statue is on the south side of W. Tecumseh Bend Rd a mile east of S. Springboro Rd at end of road into YMCA camp. Private children's camp; access may be restricted.
- Hours:
- June 2021: Reported removed.
- Status:
- Gone
-
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The camp director confirmed that the Indian brave was down and "discarded," but would not confirm if it had been destroyed or scrapped. This has been a standard response for two years.
[Dave Distler, 04/23/2024]I read the 6/8/21 tip about the camp taking down the Indian Muffler Man, so I called them to seek further info. I was told that it was decided to remove the statue due to cultural sensitivities (My interpretation, not necessarily the exact words used by the camp person I spoke to). She said that the statue was not sold or otherwise moved, rather it had been disassembled. I did not get any indication that they would entertain a potential buyer, but if there is interest, call them to get a fuller story on his fate. I'm grateful we were able to see him last summer!
[Ken Fitton, 06/23/2021]He is now gone. I don't know what Camp Tecumseh did with him, but they took him down.
[Jayne, 06/08/2021]Indian Muffler Man
The address works in the GPS but the cell reception was poor. There are plenty of signs to follow to the YMCA camp (which looks like a blast).
[Mallory Billings, 07/05/2016]Indian Muffler Man
I was able to have a nice chat recently with Kyle Linback of Camp Tecumseh, who shared with me a bit more of their Indian Muffler Man's history.
In the early 1970s, the Indian stood at a closed car dealership in Gary, Indiana. Joe Popp of Hobart spotted it and knew immediately that the Indian belonged at Camp Tecumseh. He contacted the owner who told him that the giant had just been sold for $500, but that didn't slow Joe down. He found the new owner and somehow convinced the man to sell it to him for the same price.
He then talked to his friends at Hobart YMCA Indian Guide Nation about his dream of getting the Indian to Camp Tecumseh, and raised all the money to pay for it in one afternoon. Joe then contacted the Marine Corps Reserve Engineer Battalion and they agreed to help transport the Indian to the camp. In May 1973 the Muffler Man was delivered by military trucks to its current location, and the Marine Unit won a National Community Service Award for its help in transportation and setting it up.
The Indian still stands at the camp today, 41 years later.
[Joel Baker, 05/15/2014]Page of 2 [Next 1 items]
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The director would have been wise not to throw away the old Muffler Man camp Indian. Those statues sell for thousands of dollars!