Marker dedicated for W. Indiana's 'Little Syria' community

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - A new historical marker that honors Syrian immigrants who flocked to western Indiana in the early 1900s has been dedicated in Terre Haute.

More than 100 people attended this week's dedication of the "Little Syria on the Wabash" state marker that was commissioned by the Indiana Historical Bureau.

Arabic-speaking Christian Syrians migrated to the Terre Haute area in the early 20th Century and settled in neighborhoods that are now mostly part of the Indiana State University campus.

Third-generation Syrian-American Kal Ellis tells The Tribune-Star those early immigrants peddled small goods and worked hard to give their children the opportunity to pursue higher education.

The Terre Haute attorney says many of their descendants went on to become doctors, educators and attorneys.

Ellis says the U.S. remains "the land of opportunity."

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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com