HISTORY

History

The community of Santa Claus was established in 1849. The story of how it received the name of Santa Claus has roots both in fact and legend. In January 1856, the town applied for a post office of its own. They submitted their application under the name of Santa Fe. The application was turned down because another Indiana town had already chosen that name. The process of settling upon the name of Santa Claus has been lost to legend. There are many different versions of the story and there were other choices as well that the town did not settle upon. What is known is that in 1856, the name of Santa Claus was accepted by the Post Office Department.

Santa Claus, IN

Today, the town has the world's only post office to bear the name of Santa Claus. Because of this popular name, the post office receives thousands of letters to Santa from all over the world each year. A group of volunteers known as Santa's Elves ensures each child receives a reply from Santa Claus and this tradition has been in existence since at least 1914.

History

On August 3, 1946, retired Evansville industrialist Louis J. Koch opened Santa Claus Land. The park's name was changed to Holiday World in 1984. In 1993, it became Holiday World & Splashin' Safari when a water park named Splashin' Safari was added to the park. The park attracts more than one million visitors annually. Today, the joy of the Christmas season can be felt every day. In December 2011, the town was named one of the World’s Top Christmas Destinations by Forbes magazine.

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