In the early 1900’s, a group of walkers based out of Chicago began making regular trips to the Indiana dunes to experience the breathtaking beauty of the southern shores of Lake Michigan. These “Saturday Afternoon Walking Trips” were organized by The Prairie Club who termed the phrase “Save the Dunes” in an effort to preserve the dunes within the protective boundaries of a National Park. Although their efforts were sidelined by WW1, the desire to “Save the Dunes” never died. 

In June of 1952, Dorothy Buell and a group of local women came together at Dorothy’s home in Ogden Dunes. Together, they formed the Save the Dunes Council in order to protect the remaining untouched dunes along the southern tip of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana from disappearing beneath harbors, steel mills, and unchecked development. Largely credited for establishing the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore–now recognized as a National Park–and increasing its size to over 15,000 acres over the decades through multiple expansion bills, Save the Dunes is one of Indiana’s oldest environmental groups. Today, Save the Dunes continues to protect and advocate for the Indiana dunes, Lake Michigan, and the surrounding natural areas for the health and vitality of the environment and the people who live, work, and recreate in Northwest Indiana.