As a result of the popularity of the Indiana State Park and the accompanying increased recreational use of the shoreline, more affluent Chicagoans and Hoosiers began to recognize the Dunes' potential as a retreat from city life. While the state park provided members of the working class with a place for temporary escape, private homes along the lakeshore served as refuges for the wealthy and an investment opportunity for real estate developers. Towns like Ogden Dunes, which was incorporated in 1925, grew slowly at first (by 1930, the town had fifty permanent residents). This 1939 newsletter, edited by Helen Reck, includes references to new residents as well as advertisements for land sales by Nelson Reck. In the 1950s, several of these residents, most notably Dorothy Buell, led the fight for Dunes preservation.

Creator: Ogden Dunes Sandpiper
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37459)