Why is it Called Diana’s Dune?

Why is it Called Diana’s Dune?. Diana of the Dunes Dare. Diana of the Dunes, born Alice Mabel Gray, shunned the 1900s conventional world, choosing instead to live in the remote coastal dunes of Indiana. Her free spirit and love for the region created a lasting impression in these sands. , Diana's Dune is named in honor of Alice, who came to be known as Diana of the Dunes, a beloved folklore legend who lived in the region from 1915-1925. Her unusual, free-spirited lifestyle fascinated local townspeople and newspaper readers here and across the country, bringing national attention to the Indiana Dunes at a critical time of early conservation efforts. , In Diana's Own Words , Alice Mabel Gray (Diana) spoke at an event in 1917 hosted by the Prairie Club, a group of Chicagoans who first suggested preserying this landscape. In the city she left behind two years earlier, Alice, argued against the senseless destruction of this alluring landscape in a speech entitled "Chicago's Kinland" , "Besides its nearness to Chicago and its beauty, its spiritual power there is between the Dune Country and the city a more than sentimental bond, a family tie. To see the Dunes destroyed would be sacrilegious sin which is not forgiven." , Clean Sands , These clean sands are ideal for glassmaking, industrial, and fill purposes. While Alice Mabel Gray (Diana) lived nearby, sand mining operations carried off whole dunes by railcar. The flat expanse before you is a result of this exploitation, but thanks to forward thinkers like Alice, there are still protected dunes left to appreciate today.