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Shifting Sands: The Restoration of the Calumet Area
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.
308 pages, Hardcover
Published October 10, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 27, 2022
Northwest Indiana historian Kenneth Schoon offers a sound history of the Region's natural history and the heavy industrialization that reshaped it.
Schoon offers a great overview of the Lake Michigan ecosystem, including one-of-a-kind "dune and swale" biomes that inspired biologist Henry Chandler Cowles to develop his theory of ecological succession, which suggests that ecosystems develop in consistent patterns over time after disturbances in a given landscape. The author also gets into the dirty stuff of the steel mills and meat-packing factories, outlining the bulldozing and dumping that reshaped the landscape and befouled the Calumet River systems.
Schoon is even-handed in sharing this history, noting that modern conceptions of pollution and conservation weren't present when the factories were spewing their waste into the Region's waterways. "Dilution was seen as the solution for pollution," he often reminds us. But it's hard to read about the carnage and remain unmoved, and so it's a welcome turn when conservation organizations begin to develop.
Schoon shares the history of these groups as well. He outlines their advances and setbacks protecting the lakeshore and remediating past damages, all while trying to maintain some balance with industry and the jobs they provide. The narrative can get bogged down in details in these sections of the book. Schoon offers lists of organizations and key members, some historic and some contemporary, and at times the text feels like it's veering into the footnotes
On the whole, though, Schoon offers an enlightening scope of the Region's natural history, development and restoration that should be of interest for anyone living in Northwest Indiana.
Schoon offers a great overview of the Lake Michigan ecosystem, including one-of-a-kind "dune and swale" biomes that inspired biologist Henry Chandler Cowles to develop his theory of ecological succession, which suggests that ecosystems develop in consistent patterns over time after disturbances in a given landscape. The author also gets into the dirty stuff of the steel mills and meat-packing factories, outlining the bulldozing and dumping that reshaped the landscape and befouled the Calumet River systems.
Schoon is even-handed in sharing this history, noting that modern conceptions of pollution and conservation weren't present when the factories were spewing their waste into the Region's waterways. "Dilution was seen as the solution for pollution," he often reminds us. But it's hard to read about the carnage and remain unmoved, and so it's a welcome turn when conservation organizations begin to develop.
Schoon shares the history of these groups as well. He outlines their advances and setbacks protecting the lakeshore and remediating past damages, all while trying to maintain some balance with industry and the jobs they provide. The narrative can get bogged down in details in these sections of the book. Schoon offers lists of organizations and key members, some historic and some contemporary, and at times the text feels like it's veering into the footnotes
On the whole, though, Schoon offers an enlightening scope of the Region's natural history, development and restoration that should be of interest for anyone living in Northwest Indiana.
March 4, 2017
Excellent history of the Indiana Dunes Area and up to date status of preservation and usuage with an homage to those individuals who tirelessly pursued the preservation and development of this area. Lots of great photos from the archives and recent photos too. Excellent scholarship in writing this book.
December 17, 2017
With Shifting Sands: The Restoration of the Calumet Area, author Ken Schoon provides a comprehensive overview of the development, degradation, and restoration of the dunes environment along the southern tip of Lake Michigan. This region embraces the northern halves of the Indiana counties of Lake, Porter, and LaPorte.
Shifting Sands is composed of 16 chapters broken into two parts. Part one covers the use of land and natural resources along the Lake Michigan shoreline, while part two details the various restoration organizations and activities that have taken place to restore those natural resources. Each chapter is well illustrated and includes endnotes.
While the book does not go into any great depth on the particular topics covered, which is not the book's objective, it does provide a very wide range of topics focused on the Indiana dunes environment that tie together quite well. The chapter endnotes and bibliography provide the reader with additional material, many of which go into great depth. Well written and researched, individuals will enjoy this book, especially those individuals that are familiar with Northwest Indiana.
Shifting Sands is composed of 16 chapters broken into two parts. Part one covers the use of land and natural resources along the Lake Michigan shoreline, while part two details the various restoration organizations and activities that have taken place to restore those natural resources. Each chapter is well illustrated and includes endnotes.
While the book does not go into any great depth on the particular topics covered, which is not the book's objective, it does provide a very wide range of topics focused on the Indiana dunes environment that tie together quite well. The chapter endnotes and bibliography provide the reader with additional material, many of which go into great depth. Well written and researched, individuals will enjoy this book, especially those individuals that are familiar with Northwest Indiana.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews