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Then
Before settlers arrived, the Chippewa and the Pottawatomie Native Americans lived here. In 1839, the United States owned the land and sawmill that had been built in the area. Many of the mature trees were harvested and this caused the dune to be exposed to wind and erosion. In 1919, a millionaire named Dorr E. Felt bought some of the property. In 1925 he built a huge estate on the land. The mansion was owned by the family until 1949, when the St. Augustine Seminary, a Catholic prep school for young men, bought the house and the land. In 1959, the National Park Service said that the area could be a potential park site and in 1970, the Michigan DNR said the same thing. In 1971, the State Department of Corrections bought the land and also gained possession of the Felt Mansion. The property was a prison up until April 1991, when state budget cuts forced it to be closed. The State Department of Corrections controlled the land until Laketown Township bought the 40 acres and the mansion for one dollar, with the agreement that it be used for the public and never be sold. Now The state park is approximately 1,120 acres of public property used for all kinds of outdoor activities. These activities include disc golf, hiking, swimming, and biking. Several of the tourists that visit Saugatuck/Douglas in the summer go with their friends and family to the Saugatuck Dunes for a fun hike through the woods or a swim in Lake Michigan. This land is a great place for people of all ages to be exposed in nature and discover new things. There are so many fun opportunities for kids and even adults in these beautiful forest-covered dunes. |