Portage Township near Gary in Porter County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Diana (Alice) in Duneland 1915-1925

Diana of the Dunes Dare

Photographed by Connor Olson, November 4, 2024

1. Diana (Alice) in Duneland 1915-1925 Marker

Inscription.

Diana (Alice) in Duneland 1915-1925. Diana of the Dunes Dare. Alice Mabel Gray, known as "Diana of the Dunes" of regional folklore, had a free spirit and love for the Indiana Dunes that propelled her to make the wild shoreline her home for nine years. , In the early 1900s, shanties rather than beach homes dotted Lake Michigan's Indiana coast. These outposts were home to fishermen on the fringe of society. Around them, white pines and cottonwoods beckoned to Alice as she shunned her city life in Chicago. She rode the rails from Chicago to Duneland on October 31, 1915 and set up her home in an abandoned shack. One of her makeshift homes was known as the "Wren's Nest" and was said to be located nearby. , "I had measured myself with the world-and the results were not encouraging. I came here to measure myself with nature." , Quote taken from Alice's diary as reprinted in the Chicago Herald Examiner, 1918. , In Diana's. Own Words , Alice Mabel Gray (Diana), a free spirit, supposedly bathed nude in Lake Michigan and drew attention from local fisherman. Gossip spread to Chicago newspapers, which dispatched relentless reporters to investigate this curious woman living on her own. One likened her to Diana, the Roman goddess. associated with wild animals and the hunt-and "Diana of the Dunes" was born. , "I wanted to live my own life- a free life. The life of a salary earner in the cities is slavery, a constant fight for the means of living. Here it is so different." - Quote taken from Alice's diary as reprinted in the Chicago Herald Examiner, 1918. , Supply Trips , Any trip for supplies was a hike, but Alice Mabel Gray (Diana) gladly trekked across miles of remote sandhills to the library or general store, returning with provisions and books in a gunnysack. Perhaps she even stopped along the way to visit with women she befriended in Baillytown. Lake Michigan, with its many-moods, vast expanses of dunes, rich and diverse plant life, and a brilliant sky, were all her captivating treasures.

Alice Mabel Gray, known as "Diana of the Dunes" of regional folklore, had a free spirit and love for the Indiana Dunes that propelled her to make the wild shoreline her home for nine years.

In the early 1900s, shanties rather than beach homes dotted Lake Michigan's Indiana coast. These outposts were home to fishermen on the fringe of society. Around them, white pines and cottonwoods beckoned to Alice as she shunned her city life in Chicago. She rode the rails from Chicago to Duneland on October 31, 1915 and set up her home in an abandoned shack. One of her makeshift homes was known as the "Wren's Nest" and was said to be located nearby.

"I had measured myself with the world-and the results were not encouraging. I came here to measure myself with nature." —Quote taken from Alice's diary as reprinted in the Chicago Herald Examiner, 1918.

In Diana's. Own Words

Alice Mabel Gray (Diana), a free spirit, supposedly bathed nude in Lake Michigan and drew attention from local fisherman. Gossip spread to Chicago newspapers, which dispatched relentless reporters to investigate this curious woman living on her own. One likened her to Diana, the Roman goddess. associated with wild animals and the hunt-and "Diana of the Dunes" was born.

"I wanted to live my own life- a free life.
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The life of a salary earner in the cities is slavery, a constant fight for the means of living. Here it is so different." - Quote taken from Alice's diary as reprinted in the Chicago Herald Examiner, 1918.

Supply Trips

Any trip for supplies was a hike, but Alice Mabel Gray (Diana) gladly trekked across miles of remote sandhills to the library or general store, returning with provisions and books in a gunnysack. Perhaps she even stopped along the way to visit with women she befriended in Baillytown. Lake Michigan, with its many-moods, vast expanses of dunes, rich and diverse plant life, and a brilliant sky, were all her captivating treasures.

Erected by National Park Service; Friends of Indiana Dunes.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.

Location. 41° 37.432′ N, 87° 12.248′ W. Marker is near Gary, Indiana, in Porter County. It is in Portage Township. It can be reached from West Beach. Located on the Dune Succession Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 376 North County Line Road, Gary IN 46403, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Indiana.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Why is it Called Diana’s Dune? (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Beach to Beeches

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(approx. ¼ mile away); Ogden Dunes Ski Jump (approx. 0.7 miles away); History of Marquette Park (approx. 2½ miles away); Southern Point of Lake Michigan (approx. 2.6 miles away); Willow Creek Confrontation (approx. 2.7 miles away); Shipwreck Archeology (approx. 2.7 miles away); Tuskegee Airmen Remembered (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gary.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 158 times since then and 19 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on November 21, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.