Portage Township near Gary in Porter County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Why is it Called Dianas Dune?
Diana of the Dunes Dare
Indiana Dunes National Park
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Connor Olson, November 4, 2024
1. Why is it Called Dianas Dune? Marker
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 bonda family tie. To see the Dunes destroyed wouldbe sacrilegious sin which is not forgiven."
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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.
Erected by National Park Service, Friends of Indiana Dunes, Indiana Dunes Tourism.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.
Location. 41° 37.352′ N, 87° 12.284′ W. Marker is near Gary, Indiana, in Porter County. It is in Portage Township. It can be reached from Dune Succession Trail Loop east of West Beach Trail Loop, on the right when traveling east. Located on the Dune Succession Trail in the West Beach unit of Indiana Dunes National Park. 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
Photographed by Connor Olson, November 4, 2024
2. Dianas Dune
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Diana (Alice) in Duneland: 1915-1925 (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Beach to Beeches (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ogden Dunes Ski Jump (approx. Ύ mile away); History of Marquette Park (approx. 2½ miles away); Southern Point of Lake Michigan (approx. 2.6 miles away); Willow Creek Confrontation (approx. 2.6 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.
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, July 22, 2026
3. Why is it Called Dianas Dune? Marker in context
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 47 times this year. Last updated on July 23, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 21, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 3. submitted on July 23, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
