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The Freightyard Battle
In 1967, after the National Lakeshore had been approved by Congress but before much parkland had been purchased, the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad, which runs through the park, approached the National Park Service with a proposal to build an 800-car freight yard on 26 acres within the park boundaries, between U. S. Highway 12 and South Shore tracks. Outrageous? We thought so, but without our intervention the freight yard would most likely be there.
Extensive meetings followed for nearly two years with the president of the railroad, Save the Dunes Council, and the National Park Service participating. The railroad contended the marshalling yard was vital to its freight business of hauling coal to neighboring industries. We countered that a freight yard was incompatible with a national park, and our engineering chairman offered alternate locations for the yard. These were rejected by the railroad.
The wrangle continued, finally culminating in the South Shore presenting the Park Service with a written contract for the park's approval of the freight yard. We insisted the matter first required the agreement of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Advisory Commission. Fortunately, Tom Dustin of the Izaak Walton League, a great conversationist, was the first chairman of that commission. At a momentous meeting of the commission at the Red Lantern Inn in Beverly Shores, all of the parties concerned were present, including the attorney for the Save the Dunes Council. The scene was set.
Our attorney read the contract aloud and proposed specific alternate wording to include environmental safeguards and protections for the park. He was backed by the commission. The railroad objected to the changes and withdrew the contract.
This was a rare victory with no compromises for the park. The importance of a citizen watchdog group to protect the park was affirmed.
-Sylvia Troy
Excerpted from The Indiana Dunes Story -How nature and people made a park
Copyright © Shirley Heinze Fund, 1984
Used by Permission
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