Humans have inhabited this area continuously for 12,000 years. American Indians first hunted and camped here, then later settled in villages and cultivated native crops. Settlers followed, clearing and burning the land, and in 1899 Indiana led the nation in lumber production. By 1910 the hills of southern Indiana were largely bare of trees, and the remaining land was burned to clear brush. Population in south-central Indiana peaked in 1890, then declined as the marginal hill country failed to produce marketable crops and people moved away. By 1930, after 100 years of wear on land not suited for farming, the soil had been depleted of nutrients. During the Great Depression, many small farmers left, abandoning eroding farms and homes that were tax delinquent. In 1934 the Indiana State Legislature asked the U.S. Government to acquire land for a national forest. The Forest Service first worked to stabilize erosion, rehabilitate damaged land, plant trees, and control wildfires. More than 75 years later, the Hoosier National Forest had become productive land that people could enjoy.