The location of one of the most diverse national parks in the United States, Northwest Indiana's Calumet area is home to what was at one time widely known as the most polluted river in the entire country. Calumet's advantageous location at the southern tip of Lake Michigan encouraged broadscale conversion of Indiana wilderness into an industrial base that once included the world's largest steel mill, largest cement works, and largest oil refinery. Thousands of tons of hazardous waste were dumped in and around the rivers with no thought for how it would affect the region's water, land, and air. However, a remarkable change of attitude has resulted in the rejuvenation of an area once rich in natural diversity and the creation of a National Park that brings in more than two million visitors a year, contains beautiful greenways and blueways, and provides safe recreation for nearby residents. A community-wide effort, the cleanup of this area is nothing short of remarkable. In this Indiana bicentennial book, Ken Schoon introduces the reader to the Calumet area's unique history and the residents who banded together to save it.

AcknowledgementsList of Abbreviations Part I. Unrestricted Use of Resources1. Henry Chandler Cowles and the Birth of American Ecological Science2. Marquette and the Marquette Plan3. Natural Resources of the Calumet Area 4. Industrialization of the Lakefront5. Industrialization of the Grand Calumet River and the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal6. The Push for Parks and Duneland Development 1890-19297. Port vs. Park: Conflict in the '50s and '60sPart II. Returning to Sustainability8. Earth Consciousness in the '60s and '70s (and IDEM)9. The Road to Cleaner Air10. The Road to Cleaner Water11. Lake Michigan Health, Beach Closures, and Fishing12. Brownfields Restored to Usefulness 13. Solid Waste and Recycling14. Local Pioneering Heroes and Heroines15. Environmental Education Opportunities16. Preservation and Restoration of Natural AreasNotesBibliographyIndex