| Gene
Stratton-Porter (1863-1924)
 Geneva
Grace Stratton was born on a farm in Wabash County,
Indiana, as the daughter of Mark and Mary (Shallenberger)
Stratton. She was the youngest of 12 children.
At an early age she roamed the countryside and developed
a lively interest in nature and wildlife. In 1874 the
family moved to the city of Wabash. She stayed in school
until she was almost twenty, but did not receive a
high school diploma. During her recovery from an accident
- she fell on an icy street and fractured her skull
- she met and later married Charles Darwin Porter,
a pharmacist from Geneva, Indiana.
The Porters built a large house on the edge of the
Limberlost Swamp, a natural preserve of virgin forest;
home to wild plants, moths, and birds. Gene began to
photograph birds, insects and animals of the swamp.
Her early photographs appeared in the magazines Recreation
and Outing. In 1901 she published her first piece of
fiction in Metropolitan magazine.
Gene’s observations of the Limberlost enriched
her fiction and non-fiction nature studies. Her early
interest in bird studies and her determination to learn
how to use camera equipment resulted in Gene Stratton-Porter
becoming a respected nature photographer and naturalist.
Known primarily as the author of A Girl of the Limberlost
and Freckles, Gene sold millions of copies of her popular
novels and was considered to be one of the wealthiest
female authors in America when she died in 1924. What
sets Gene Stratton-Porter apart from other authors
of her time was her extensive knowledge of nature.
Her deep love of the natural world and her ability
to interpret this love to others, combined with her
ability to tell a good story, struck a captivating
chord with her readers.
Limberlost Swamp, which inspired Gene’s works,
was eventually drained and the Porters sold their house.
They moved in 1913 to northern Indiana, where Gene
built "The Cabin at Wildflower Woods," on
the shores of Sylvan Lake at Rome City. Gene was sure
to include a dark room for her photography and expansive
windows to welcome the outdoors into her home.
She also had a passion for puddingstone, a conglomerate
rock with red and black flecks. Stonework inside and
outside “The Cabin” includes this colorful
rock.
During World War I Stratton-Porter moved to California
and in 1922 she founded the Gene Stratton Porter film
company to produce movies of her books.
American feminist, environmentalist, photographer,
Indiana's most famous female author, Gene Stratton
Porter shared her love of nature with millions of readers
and movie-goers. By the time of her death, her book
sales had topped ten million copies. Today she continues
to inspire, educate, and entertain generations of readers
interested in her career as a writer, naturalist and
nature photographer.
Of Limberlost Creek
“… nothing can convince me that any running water on the face of
earth is more interesting or more beautiful. It is born in the heart of swampy
woods and thicket, flows over a bed of muck or gravel, the banks are grass and
flower-lined, its waters cooled and shaded by sycamore, maple and willow. June
drapes it in misty white, and November spreads a blanket of scarlet and gold.” (From
Music of the Wild, Part II: Songs of the Fields, 1910)
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