Sixties Sandstorm: The Fight over Establishment of a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 1961-1970

by Brian C. Kalt

In 1961, Senator Philip Hart of Michigan introduced legislation to add Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes and 77,000 surrounding acres to America's National Park system. The 1,600 people who lived in the proposed park area feared not only that the federal government would confiscate their homes, but that a wave of tourists would ensue and destroy their beloved and fragile lands. In response, they organized citizen action groups and fought a nine-year battle against the legislation.
     Sixties Sandstorm is not a book about dunes as much as it is a book about people and their government. It chronicles the public meetings, bills, protests, and congressional interactions that led to the signing of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes Act in 1970. The Dunes park fight is a case study of the politics, the legislative process, citizen response to the expanded role of government in the 1960s, and the rise of the environmental movement in America during that decade. Since Hart's legislation was made law, millions of Americans have traveled to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore. Few imagine what the area would look like today if not for the efforts of people like Senator Hart. On the other hand, few appreciate the sacrifice of the landowners who--not always willingly--gave up their property in this place where, as one resident put it, "stars are closer to the earth than anywhere else in the world."

Genres: Nonfiction, History

151 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

Reviews

[Stacie]

A valuable account of how the legislative side of the park's creation occurred. This is an important piece of the story for understanding what happened, how it was perceived by the public, and how it still shapes attitudes of many in the area today. Worth reading if you want to dig deeper into the facts, and consider what went wrong and what went well.

[Marieta Grissom]

An easy book to read if you don't get caught up in all of the political process. After reading this, it is easy to question how anything ever gets done in the U. S. Congress. The author does a nice job of presenting both sides of the controversy of making Sleeping Bear Dunes into a National Lakeshore.

[David Grissom]

A story of private ownership and un restrained development vs government wanting to develop/ preserve an area in a more natural stage. Who won that is still a question.

[Emma Jean Rooney]

If you’re not buying books about niche historical topics from the gift shops of our nation’s landmarks, then what are you doing with your life?

[Emily]

Summary of the creation of sleeping bear dunes.

[Jim]

An interesting and pretty balanced history of the decade long fight to designate the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Anyone who lived in Michigan in the 60's & 70's will recognize the names of the politicians involved. It's interesting to see how some of them changed their views over time and as the legislation evolved. There are also some lessons to be learned in leadership, building partnerships & conflict resolution.

[Samantha]

Pretty boring, but I mean let's be honest, a person who can make politics just super exciting needs a high five! Kalt did a great job though on explaining the background of the story, however fails to mention the crazy incident about the guy who wanted to build a theme park right near the Dunes.

[Marge]

In 1961, Senator Philip Hart introduced legislation to add Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes and 77,000 surrounding acres to America's National Park system. This book provides a balanced account of the nine-year legislative struggle to make sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore a reality.

[Brian]

This is a good read detailing the legislative process and opposition. the author did display a clear slant against the people who fought against the park, it took 45 pages before their arguments were presented and he displayed them as ignorant racists rather than what their arguments actually were

[Sara]

Useful source of facts, a good source for a student research paper. But it never grabbed my attention.

[Stephanie]

A concise take on the creation of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Though incredibly dry and repetitive in parts it reads much like a piece of legislation.