Tourism Milestones.

• Author: Servaas, Adrianne
• Position: TOURISM

EACH YEAR THE INDIANA OFFICE of Tourism Development pays tribute to tourism attractions that have drawn visitors for more than 75 years. Among this year's recipients of the Milestone Awards:

French Lick Springs Resort, French Lick. In 1845, the French Lick Springs Hotel opened to immediate success, accommodating those drawn to the "curative" powers of its mineral springs. A fire destroyed the hotel in 1897 but a syndicate led by Indianapolis mayor Thomas Taggart bought the property and over two decades built a luxurious hotel and spa that grew in fame. The Monon Railroad delivered guests--ranging from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to movie star Greta Garbo--to the front door of the resort. Tomato juice was invented by the hotel's chef and served for the first time in 1917. Two championship golf courses were built, one designed by Donald Ross that hosted the 1924 PGA Championship won by Walter Hagen. Until 1949, gambling at area casinos was another attraction for hotel guests. That tradition will resume--this time legally--after the French Lick Springs Resort & Casino opens this November along with its sister property, The West Baden Springs Hotel...