Brown County Tornado, May 16, 2025

Update: July 8

From ITRA President Bill Crane

Well, today is the day, part of the Horseman Camp will re open for camping and day riding. There will be two parts open, the electric circle by the gate house (now referred to as “Gypsy Circle”) and primitive. Campsites 89-107 (with electric) and 119-204 in primitive. The rest of the campground is closed until March of 2026.

The DNR has done a good job of getting the trees cleared out of the campground and on part of Trail B. They are continuing to work on the stumps, grading, and replacing hitch rails. The electric will be upgraded to 30/50 amp at each site--not sure of the schedule at this point.

I feel the ITRA was a big part of this effort; we cleared enough trails so that when they did open the campground we had trails to ride. We worked closely with Scott Crossley, Park Manager and all of our sawyers to get as many trails as we could open. With that said, I have attached a map showing what trails we cleared. However, we have had another storm move through the park, so there may be some trees down on the trails marked as open. So please ride with caution, and please don’t ride on the closed trails. I can guarantee you that you can’t ride them. If we don’t follow the park rules and stay off the closed trails and out of the closed parts of the campground, they will just close all the campground and trails. The DNR is logging along some of the roads and part of Trail B, so that area will be closed. Again, please do not ride on the closed trails. After this weekend we will have a better understanding of the trail situation. Also remember we have had large equipment on some of the trails, so expect some damage on them.

We are excited that the DNR has decided to reopen some of the campground and day riding. Just remember it is the new Brown County, so expect the trails to look different! So, please, no negative comments on the way they look or the condition of them; we know there is still work to do on them.  Remember (one more time) to stay off the closed trails and as always stay safe.

Update: June 16 

From ITRA President Bill Crane

It was another fun weekend for the sawyers as we return to Brown County, starting on Thursday through the weekend. We have all sections of 13 open and we have most of 13 1/2 (that’s the trail between 13 and 14) almost open. We worked a day and a half just on 13 1/2 as it was in the middle of the tornado, the trees were piled everywhere. Yes, the saddle survived but the top of the tree did not. I will attach a map that shows which trails are open at Brown County. Please remember the park is still closed and we’re not allowed to ride on the trails.

For some reason it always has to rain when we’re cutting trees at Brown County. We started on Thursday with warm weather. Friday it got really humid after a few sprinkles. Saturday it was cloudy and humid; we were almost done for the day and we had a torrential downpour. Literally, there was not a dry stitch of clothing on anybody. It was a tough day as we threw a track off one skid loaders first thing in the morning and then we lost one right before we headed in from 14!

I want to thank Mark and Patty Davis for feeding us on Thursday night. The beans, ham, and the cornbread were excellent. And thanks to the Friends of Brown County Horseman Camp for feeding the crew pizza and breadsticks on Friday from Brizinni’s Pizza. My understanding is that Shawna Perry explained what they were for and they donated the pizza! Then we had fried chicken, mash taters, Mac and cheese, baked beans, and desserts. You are awesome, after working 10 to 12 hours cutting trees on the trails, the last thing we wanna do is come to camp and have to cook supper. You don’t know what it meant to come home and have hot meal ready. Also, thank you for all the sandwich fixings that we made sandwiches for lunch and all the water and Gatorade that you provided. You guys are the best! That’s the kind of support we are getting from everyone for this tornado damage restoration.

I cannot express my appreciation enough, and there are no words to describe what the sawyers have done in the last few weeks on the trails at Brown County. We worked 330 hours this weekend bringing the total hours for the tornado to 1,000 hours in three different work weekends. It’s been amazing. That does not count the 1,000 hours we worked on the first three storms.

One thing I failed to mention in all my updates is the support that we have had from Scott Crossley, Brown County Park manager. He has supported us in every way possible, and we appreciate that more than he knows. Also, all the DNR management who have supported this effort: we appreciate everything, from letting us come to the park early to start working on the trails to a place to camp. It’s been a long working relationship over the years we've had together, and it's been even closer during this disastrous tornado.

We have great news about the campground. State Representative Dave Hall and State Senator Eric Koch have written a letter to the budget committee asking them to reallocate the money left over from the $5 million allocated for the cleanup at McCormick Creek, which is $972,000, so it can be used to help support the clean up of Brown County Horseman’s Camp. Thank you gentlemen. We really appreciate your support. I will attach their letter below.

Another highlight from the weekend: Dale Ann Gramman, owner of The Queen Hat Co. in Nashville, joined us for chicken dinner on Saturday night along with her husband, David who provided and ran a skid loaded for us on Saturday, and then presented the ITRA a check for $2,585 from the shirt sale she did for us. Thank you Dale Ann and David; we really appreciate the donation!  You are the best!

The last thank you for this update is for the equipment donation and giving of his time by Matt Ray. He has been there almost everyday and provided his skid steer and expertise. He helped teach our sawyers how to safely cut some of these trees. And there were many danger trees he did for us.

This has been the most amazing group of people that I have had the honor to lead into battle in my many years of working!  Thank you is not enough, but it's all I can say.

90

Update: May 30 

From ITRA President Bill Crane

Well, it’s been a long week but a good one for getting trails open.  We’ve made incredible progress. We have had a lot of ITRA expert sawyers in this week and more coming this weekend. We have managed to open B Trails in Hidden Valley, so the B loop has been cut open, along with Trail C. We also opened Trail 15 from the snake/frog pond on B to the hitching rail at B, C and D. Today we had some great logger friends who came, and we were able to open A from the shelter house to Five Points. So that means the A trail is open, A 1 is open, and we assume that Trails 1, 2 ( we know there is a tree on this trail that was down before the storm), 3, 4, and 5 are open. When we are allowed to bring horses we will ride those trail to make sure there are no downed trees. Late Thursday afternoon we started working on B (starting at primitive end) down to middle B. Friday we were able to open B from primitive to B at the playground end of camp. The state crews are working on B from playground end to the picnic tables on B at the top of the hill. This is the worst hit trail in the park.  The trees are piled on top of each other about 3-4 feet deep, so thick you can’t see the ground! It is really bad.

The Facebook video here are taken on B trail, starting at B and 15 headed up to C. (We cut a 15-inch shell bark hickory off the picnic tables, so we will need two new ones!) On the east leg of B trail up you can look west and see the other leg on B loop on the next ridge.

So, as you can see, we are making great progress. To the great sawyers doing this incredible labor, all I can say is, thank you so much for your work and for being safe!

One last thing, please understand that even though we are cutting and opening the trails up, they are still closed.  Please do not ride on them.

You know that the recovery effort at Brown County would not be where it is today if not for ITRA.  The parks depend on us in these dire conditions, and ITRA volunteers deliver every time.  You can support the work ITRA is doing by joining us.  Learn more about ITRA at our website at https://www.intrailriders.org. And you can join right now with our online membership form at https://forms.gle/pgyAnn477GHE37gp8.

PS: I want to thank Amanda for all the posts she does for me (I call her my press secretary) and for the kind words about these posts. It is easy when you have so much support from a lot of great cowboys/cowgirls! 

Update: May 26

From ITRA President Bill Crane

I know our ITRA members and our Facebook followers are eager to know what has been happening at Brown County late last week and this weekend, so here’s an update as of Monday, May 26. Several ITRA sawyers and donated skid steers were working and have cleared a lot of trees during this period, with many, many danger trees. I have attached a few pictures of the trees and the kind of damage that we are finding. For those of you who know the park well, I note the specific trails where we have been making progress. We have cleared I where it starts on B, to the hitching rail, starting at the hitching rail on H to where it goes down to 10. We cleared B from E to the picnic table at the top of B.  We cleared B down to Hidden Valley. We have been working on both B trails that go down to B, C, and D at the hitching rail. 

We are returning this week starting tomorrow with fresh sawyers and a donated excavator and a skid steer. I’ll post more later who has donated equipment so far. I will be reaching out tonight to those who have offered more equipment. We are still not at a point where we need volunteers to saw, except for those who deal in trees as their expertise. So, if you are an experienced sawyer who deals with timber on a daily basis, please email me at billcraneihc@gmail.com and let me know what experience you have. Everyone else, please be patient. When we get to the numbered trails we will need lots of you to help move limbs and logs out of the way so we keep the sawyers moving. 

The state maintenance crews will be starting to clear trails tomorrow. They will be working on B trail (closest to the playground) and middle B to the top and proceeding on B toward the end B, and all headed to the picnic tables at the top on B. This will take quite a while, as you cannot even see the trail with trees are piled on each other in every direction. This is where the eye of the storm went through. 

I hope you Brown County regulars can follow what we have already completed and are continuing to work on. I trust that the rest of you will see that we are making slow but steady progress. 

When the campground is cleared and the Forest Department people are done clearing trails and it is safe to start what I will call final clean up, we are going to need all the volunteers we can get to finish this, so the campground can be reopened.  So again, be patient. Your time is coming. Thanks for your readiness to pitch in, and we will get these trails opened as soon as we can!

To our hundreds of new Facebook followers, please know that right now you are seeing the best of what ITRA is about—people giving their time and labor, sometimes under rough circumstances, to keep our Indiana horse trails safe and accessible. All the ITRA workers are volunteers; none of us is getting paid.  But that doesn’t mean there are not expenses in doing this work—to keep our equipment running, to purchase materials, to feed our workers, etc. The $30 annual ITRA membership fee helps make all this possible, so I’d ask you to please consider joining our group so that we can continue to do this work that you care about.  You can learn more about ITRA on our webpage at www.intrailriders.org.  If you’re ready to join right now, here is the link to our online membership form.

Update: May 23

From Larry Sidell, Chairman, ITRA Board of Directors 

This is a post is an effort to help defuse the anxiety over Brown County State Park. The ITRA and the DNR are working hand-in-hand to get this situation under control. But we’re not there yet. Right now, the DNR has professional sawyers on the ground from parks around the state, and the ITRA expert team is there as well.  But the situation in the park is not right for large teams of volunteers. It’s simply too dangerous.

Please understand that trees after a tornado can be a death wish. There's extreme pressure in these downed trees, and you don’t want to be the recipient of that pressure! So, while we appreciate everyone’s eagerness to help the park recover, we are asking for your patience and understanding.

And kindness. Please, think twice before you post something derogatory, negative, or ugly here on Facebook out of frustration. We’re all frustrated and chomping at the bit to help out, but the DNR and ITRA are doing everything that can be done safely right now. After the DNR and ITRA teams have completed their work, we’ll see what remains for volunteers to do. We will let you know when the situation is safe and we’re ready for volunteers. Watch for an announcement here on Facebook!

As is always the case, the ITRA and the DNR are working as a team to sort out this emergency. We help because we've been asked, and because we want to. We want to because we have kids and grandkids who will enjoy the fruits of our labor when they are older and have families of their own. (I know because I have a family that enjoys horses and grandkids who love Brown County, Versailles, Deam Lake, O’Bannon and Indiana’s other wonderful horse venues.) So, remember patience, understanding, and kindness before you post something that might be hurtful to people who are doing their best to help Brown County recover. And be ready when you hear the call to come help!

Update: May 21

The Brown County recovery effort will be needing some skid steers with grapple buckets and tracks.  If you have such equipment and are willing to use it in Brown County, please email ITRA President Bill Crane at billcraneihc@gmail.com describing your equipment and when it might be available for use after May 27. 

Update: May 21

DNR is cancelling horse camping reservations through the end of June and refunding fees.  The ITRA riding weekend event scheduled for June 13 - 15 is canceled.

Update: May 20

DNR has authorized ITRA to begin horse trail assessment and clean-up at Brown County. A small group of the most experienced ITRA trail workers will explore the trail situation this weekend and then plan for equipment needs and broader involvement of more volunteers in coming weeks. Watch for subsequent announcements.

Update: 10:15 a.m., May 17

Following storms at Brown County State Park, the Horsemen's Campground and all horse trails are closed for an undetermined amount of time. Please check back at the Brown County State Park Facebook page here for further updates. 

Update: 10 a.m., May 17

Brown County park manager Scott Crossley is asking that people not come to the park this weekend.  He will let us know when he and the DNR have a plan and what part ITRA will play in it. Please be patient with DNR and the park. This situation is not going to be fixed for weeks. Follow developments of the ITRA Facebook site here and the Brown County State Park Facebook page here.

A message from our ITRA president on Brown County tornado, Saturday Morning, May 17:

As you have probably heard by now Brown County Horseman’s Camp, took a direct hit by a tornado on Friday night. From the pictures that I have seen and people that I have talked to who have been at the park, their comments were, it’s devastated, there’s not a whole lot left of the campground.

I have talked to Scott Crossley, Park Manager. He stated that as of Friday night at 10:30 all the horses were safe, all the people were doing OK and they found places for some of the people to stay. He also stated there were no fatalities in the park, several people were injured, one horse that has died, along with several dogs. One horse is being cared for and headed to the vet this morning.

They are going to do an assessment first thing on Saturday morning. He is going to call me tomorrow after he has a plan put together on what help he needs, so at this point please do not go to the park until we have a plan on what we are going to do. In Scott’s opinion, it is not safe to be in the park at this point because of the hanging limbs and all the trees that are still falling. So again please do not come to the park at this time. His first priority is for no one else to be hurt.

When we have a plan together, we will let everybody know when and what we need to do to help clean up from this disaster. He appreciates all the offers for help and said we will need our help to clean up from this one more so than the other ones. Since we’re on storm number four, I guess we have had a lot of practice, so we should be getting pretty good at this.

Again thanks for all the offers to help. We just need to get organized and have a plan. Understand this will take several weeks, maybe even a month or more, to clean up, and we have not even looked at the trails. Unfortunately there are probably as bad as the campground.

Stay tuned for updates.

Bill Crane, President ITRA