Late Pioneer Land Founder Lives on in Bronze
Published: Friday, July 11, 2025
A plaque featuring a bronze likeness of the beloved late founder and head caretaker of Pioneer Land was unveiled Sunday during the LaPorte County Fair.
Dick Reel was a longtime Purdue Extension educator in LaPorte County before setting out to realize his dream of Pioneer Land, which started in 1995 with construction of a log cabin.
There are now more than a dozen buildings such as the blacksmith shop, general store and one room schoolhouse in the popular 1800's village on the northwest side of the fairgrounds.
Pioneer Land made possible from donations of money and labor comes to life with volunteers dressed from the period manning the buildings and grounds during the fair, school tours and early December for the holidays.
LaPorte County Farm Bureau President Mark Parkman said the plaque was a well-deserved and fitting tribute to Reel, who passed away in 2022.
Reel was 74.
"I'm not saying Dick is the only person that created Pioneer Land, but I do believe had it not been for Dick pushing like he did we wouldn't have the Pioneer Land that's out there right now," he said.
The unveiling of the plaque costing $8,500 occurred during the annual ham and bean dinner at Pioneer Land.
Proceeds from the dinner attended by an estimated 700 or more people go toward future maintenance of the structures.
His wife, Mary, was very impressed with how the plaque on the fireplace in the log cabin turned out.
"It looks just like Dick," she said.
Mrs. Reel said her late husband came up with the idea for Pioneer Land after spending years showcasing his wood crafting skills at an 1800's village during the Indiana State Fair.
She said he also contacted people who could help make construction of the first buildings a reality.
"He wanted something like that here," she said.
Mrs. Reel said not only was Pioneer Land her husband's passion but it represents a way of life he naturally gravitated to.
Even when Pioneer Land wasn't active, she said it seemed like he went there every day just to drive through the property or check to make sure the buildings were locked.
"I've always said he should have been born in 1840 instead of 1947. He was born 100 years too late," she said.
"This is where he felt most at home," said his daughter, Kristin Gerber.
She was a teenager and volunteer at Pioneer Land when the village first started taking shape.
Her appreciation for what's considered her father's legacy and the joy it's brought to others has grown much deeper over time.
"You don't realize the importance of everything until you grow up and see what it means to people," she said.
Her husband and their two sons, Evan, 15, and Grant, 10, are now volunteers doing things like making bowls in the wood shop from the same tools once used by her father.
She also recalled how her father and Evan would sit on the front porch of the log cabin during the fair and play the spoons together.
Mrs. Reel said her husband would be very happy and relieved knowing that what he started is being carried on for future generations.
"He would love it. He was always worried if something happened what was going to happen to Pioneer Land. So, this is wonderful," she said.
Reel was also highly regarded for treating even strangers as friends and his ability to make people laugh or simply brighten their day.
Farmer Steve Jensen, a volunteer server during the ham and bean dinner, said he first met Reel over a decade ago during a successful effort to save a historic barn just outside the city limits of LaPorte.
They hit it off and wound up taking several trips together.
Jensen said he thought so much of him that he kept a voice mail from Reel before his passing.
"Every now and then I'll play that back and just kind of smile. He was a really good guy," he said.
Return to Top of Page