Haunted Indiana: Diana of the Dunes in Indiana Dunes National Park.
Alice Gray, By Chicago Tribune
Long before it became Indiana Dunes National Park, I had the chance to visit the then-Indiana Dunes State Park. Bolstered by two of my new coworkers, we made the journey from South Bend to Chesterton. I can remember lounging on the beach to read the latest Harry Potter book and wandering through the park to get a look at some of its top sites. Little did I know that years later I would find myself sitting down to write about the haunted park.
Indiana Dunes is easily one of the most gorgeous places in the Hoosier State. Roughly 47 miles from Chicago, it became popular with mobsters and police alike during Prohibition. Both the Miami and the Potawatomi tribes lived here. During the 18th century, it was home to a settlement called Petit Fort. Though some say it was a private residence, the National Park Service (NPS) states that it was a depot for fur traders. A historical marker now shows the location of the former fort and tells the story of the Battle of Petit Fort.
Also in the area was City West. Founded in 1838 by a group of four men and their families, it barely survived. Though Daniel Webster stopped through on the campaign trail, just four years later, City West was nearly empty. All 25 of the city's blocks burned down in a massive fire that swept through in 1854, just leaving behind a fishing pier that later came down.
Designated a National Lakeshore in 1966 and a U.S. National Landmark in 1974, Indiana Dunes became one of the state's most popular tourist spots. In 2019, the government voted to designate it as a national park, making it Indiana Dunes National Park. While you can swim, hike, fish, hit the dunes, or just relax on the beach like I did, you can also keep a lookout for the ghost known as Indiana of the Dunes.
Before becoming a park, the area was a vast wilderness people loved to explore. They came from Chicago and other nearby cities as well as across the country just to visit Porter County. Many of those who worked in the area had farms. They spent long days breaking their backs to earn enough to feed their families. Then, a rumor started spreading through the community. It seems there was a woman who loved the water so much that she often stripped off her clothing before diving in for a swim. Locals claimed she was as beautiful as Diana, the Greek Goddess, which led to her nickname, Diana of the Dunes.
Those of us in the modern era probably can't imagine hiding in the bushes to catch a glimpse of a naked woman, but that's exactly what the locals did. They had no way of knowing the legacy she would leave behind.
Born in 1881, Alice Marble Gray developed a love of all things nature from a young age. She attended the University of Chicago and studied multiple subjects before spending some time at the U.S. Naval Academy and then starting graduate school. Gray loved the beauty of the area so much that she made it a habit to visit as often as possible. Her visits amped up when she learned that U.S. Steel and other developers planned to encroach on the habitat.
Leaving most of her things behind, Gray moved into a small shack near Lake Michigan. The only times she left were when she visited the library in Gary or headed back to Chicago for a dose of culture and to catch up with her loved ones. Though some reports claimed she was a hermit who rarely spoke to anyone and preferred to be alone, she loved visitors and entertaining. Gray never seemed to mind those who sat on the beach in the hopes of seeing her skinny dipping either.
Gray later moved her boyfriend, Paul Wilson, into the shack she lovingly called Driftwood. When they outgrew the shack, they moved to another one called Wren's Nest. It was here, in 1922, when police suspected Wilson murdered a man after they found his body nearby. The couple survived the setback but didn't last much longer. Only three years later, Gray developed kidney failure and refused to seek treatment. Upon her death, Wilson buried her in Oak Lawn Cemetery under the name Alice Gray Wilson.
Today, many credit Gray's work with helping preserve the shores around Lake Michigan. She brought enough attention to the wilderness that she had a big role in helping it become a national park. Maybe that's why so many visitors believe she still haunts Indiana Dunes.
While I could spend even more time writing about Gray and her legacy, I know you just want to get to the good stuff, right?
According to many people in the area, Wilson was far from a nice man. He allegedly had a temper and would scream at Gray or hit her with his fists. His reputation made him the top suspect in the murder victim found near his shack. Some even claim he beat her so badly that she miscarried two of their children, though I didn't see any evidence she was ever pregnant. I also heard his attacks were what led to her eventual death and that she was buried in an unmarked grave.
There is some evidence that Wilson wasn't as nice as he seemed. Gray loved reading and writing and left behind several of the journals she kept during their time together. She wrote several passages about the bullying and beating she experienced at his hands. It's worth noting that some of the passages also contained similar details about her family, leading some historians to wonder if she meant what she wrote or if she was just “blowing off steam.”
Not long after her death, a visitor to Lake Michigan reported seeing a beautiful woman walking along the beach. He watched her for several moments before looking away. By the time he looked back, she was no longer there. When he told others of what he saw, they too wanted to see the gorgeous lady. Though they were lucky enough to see her multiple times, she always disappeared before they could contact her.
Another visitor heard something splashing in the water and took a peek outside. He was shocked to see a completely nude woman floating in the lake. Thinking she needed help, he tried to speak to her. As he got closer, he realized her outline was slowly fading away. Upon telling friends of his experience, they decided to sit near the lake and keep an eye out. The next night, all saw the same beautiful by mysterious specter.
Indiana Dunes National Park, NPS
Visitors still come out today in the hopes of either seeing the ghost of Gray walking the beach or swimming in Lake Michigan. Her story is so popular that it inspired the Diana Dunes Dare Challenge created by the NPS. Visit today to catch a glimpse of the haunted Indiana Dunes National Park for yourself.
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