This is a popular rather than academic history, and contains many stories. The first part of the book, 330 pages, is a survey of Indiana history from French discovery of the territory until the 1870s. The second part consists of about 400 pages of county histories and biographical sketches. The indexes of portraits and biographies are found near the beginning of the book, before the table of contents. Chapter headings for Part 1 are:

-Miami Villages and French Settlements
-General Clarke’s Celebrated Expedition
-Clarke’s March against Vincennes
-Early Settlement and Land Grants
-Harmar, Scott and Wilkinson’s Expeditions
-St. Clair’s and Wayne’s Expeditions
-Organization of the Indiana Territory
-Governor Harrison and the Indians
-Statistics, Land Titles, Indian Affairs
-Harrison’s Campaign
-Civil Matters
-Review of Civil and Political Events
-Organization of the State
-[Successive chapters for several Governors’ administrations, 1816-60]
-Record in the War for the Union
-[Successive chapters for remaining Governors’ administrations 1860-73]
-Educational
-Benevolent Institutions
-Wealth and Progress
-Agricultural
-Manufacturing and Commerce
-The Mineral Wealth of Indiana
-Laws and Courts of Indiana
-Official Register of Indiana