Diana of the Dunes Read online

  DIANA

  of the

  DUNES

  DIANA

  of the

  DUNES

  T H E T R U E S T O R Y

  of Alice Gray

  JANET ZENKE EDWARDS

  Published by The History Press

  Charleston, SC 29403

  www.historypress.net

  Copyright © 2010 by Janet Zenke Edwards

  All rights reserved

  Front cover images: Map, Westchester Township History Museum; photo of Alice Gray, Chicago History Museum; and etching, Earl H. Reed’s Voices of the Dunes, Westchester Township History Museum.

  First published 2010

  e-book edition 2011

  ISBN 978.1.61423.046.5

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Edwards, Janet Zenke.

  Diana of the Dunes : the true story of Alice Gray / Janet Zenke Edwards.

  p. cm.

  Includes bibliographical references.

  print edition: ISBN 978-1-59629-977-1

  1. Gray, Alice, 1881-1925. 2. Gray, Alice, 1881-1925--Legends. 3. Gray, Alice,

  1881-1925--Relations with men. 4. Wilson, Paul, d. 1941. 5. Indiana Dunes State Park

  (Ind.)--History. 6. Indiana Dunes State Park (Ind.)--Biography. 7. Indiana Dunes State Park

  (Ind.)--History. 8. Women--Indiana--Indiana Dunes State Park--Biography. 9. Women

  hermits--Indiana--Indiana Dunes State Park--Biography. I. Title.

  F532.I5E34 2010

  977.2’98--dc22

  2010020421

  Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  With love to David, Sarah and Anna

  The next generation of Dunes storytellers

  Contents

  Foreword

  Acknowledgements

  Introduction

  Ghost Story: Diana of the Dunes

  Chicago Childhood

  Ambrose and Sallie Gray

  Phi Beta Kappa

  From the USNO to Germany

  Leaving Chicago

  Driftwood

  Surfacing in the Dunes

  Diana of the Dunes

  Fullerton Hall

  Paul Wilson: Caveman

  Murder in the Dunes

  A Case of Libel

  In the End

  Afterword

  Appendix A. Siblings

  Appendix B. Paul Wilson, After Alice

  Appendix C. Alice’s Diary—Excerpts

  Appendix D. Newspaper Article by Alice Gray

  Appendix E. “Chicago’s Kinland”—Essay by Alice Gray

  Notes

  About the Author

  Foreword

  Over the past thirty-five years, many would-be biographers of the legendary Diana of the Dunes have visited Westchester Public Library and the Westchester Township History Museum in Chesterton, Indiana, in search of clues to unlock the mystery of Alice Gray’s retreat to a secluded life in the Indiana dunes.

  Janet Edwards is the only one of all those writers who has been able to overcome the frustrations of the search for Diana. In so doing, she has breathed new life into the story of a woman born before her time; a woman we can identify with and yet still not fully understand.

  Janet’s book is the result of more than ten years of meticulous research. She has read hundreds of dusty, crumbling newspaper articles; interviewed those who remembered meeting Alice or hearing family stories about her; and unearthed a wealth of primary resources relating to Alice and her family.

  Sifting facts from the fiction, falsehood and legend that were Alice’s legacy, Janet has produced the first authoritative and fully documented biography of Alice Gray ever written. It answers questions about her life that have puzzled historians since her death and lays to rest misinformation that continues to circulate about her.

  It has been our privilege to open our archives to Janet Edwards. We have been impressed with the dedication she has brought to her search for the real woman behind the Diana of the Dunes myth and with her insights into the life of Alice Gray. We are indeed proud to have played a small part in the creation of this timely and important book and enthusiastically recommend it to the reading public.

  Eva Hopkins, researcher

  Jane Walsh-Brown, curator

  Westchester Township History Museum, an educational service of

  Westchester Public Library

  Chesterton, Indiana

  http://www.wpl.lib.in.us/museum

  Acknowledgements

  An amazing amount of collaboration and collective wisdom helped fill the pages of this book. In the ten years spent researching and writing it, I’ve met and worked with wonderful people who generously shared their knowledge, time and support. I cannot thank them enough, but I plan to keep at it.

  First and foremost, I remember my grandmother, the late Gertrude Mary Cox, who, along with her husband, the Reverend Clinton C. Cox, bought property on Porter Beach in Porter, Indiana, in the heart of dunes country. That was during the 1950s, when they lived in Chicago. Because Grandma Cox fell in love with the dunes, I’ve been privileged to spend my summers in a cottage filled with family and friends, standing on the beach and marveling at the same glorious horizon as Alice Gray, traipsing through the woods and cherishing both the beauty and power of Lake Michigan. It is an extraordinary and wonderful legacy that Grandma Cox left to my family.

  Much love and thanks to my parents for their participation in this project. The book idea would not have achieved traction without significant help from Beverly Zenke, my mother. The research effort was kept afloat by her endless encouragement, expertise in the world of genealogy and incredible tenacity. Many times, when I thought we’d hit the proverbial “brick wall” of documentation, she charged right through it. We supplanted e-mails about family news with e-mails about Alice and her family (my favorite subject header: “GUESS WHAT!!”). When my mother e-mailed late one night to tell me she had goose bumps from the day’s excitement of holding documents with original Gray-family handwriting, I knew our hearts were traveling together in the same (long-ago) place.

  Ronald Zenke, my father, is also to be commended—for his constant love and encouragement, no matter what I endeavor, but especially for chauffeuring his wife back and forth to the National Archives and other library facilities rich with research about Alice and about our own family.

  Eva Hopkins, historian and researcher extraordinaire at the Westchester Township History Museum, is a veritable font of local knowledge—not to mention an excellent sleuth. Whether it’s people, photographs, maps, locations, dates, websites or little-known, yet valuable, historical resources, Eva connects the dots in a way that no one else can. She is patient, willing to go off on research tangents for the fun of it, eager to help and seemingly available twenty-four–seven. Toward the end of this project, our after-hours e-mail exchanges kept me writing and digging for yet another vein of truth.

  Likewise, Jane Walsh-Brown, curator of the Westchester Township History Museum, has been a great research help and fine editor. Eva and Jane, with fellow museum staff members Joan Costello (another excellent editor) and LuAnne DePriest, are, in fact, an Olympic history team. I urge you to visit the museum; they curate wonderful exhibits on a wide range of regional history topics, in between answering questions from a
steady stream of researchers.

  Steve McShane, archivist and curator for the Calumet Regional Archives at Indiana University Northwest Library, has provided much-needed insight about researching and has supplied valuable resources over the years.

  The reference sections of various libraries were always helpful, and I regret that I did not collect the names of those I’d wish to thank personally. I am especially fond of the following Indiana libraries: Westchester Public Library in Chesterton, Lake County Public Library in Merrillville, Michigan City Public Library in Michigan City and Valparaiso Public Library in Valparaiso. In Chicago, I’ve enjoyed getting lost in research at the Harold Washington Library Center, the Joseph Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago and the Chicago History Museum (formerly the Chicago Historical Society). For those of you who worked the reference desks at the aforementioned libraries sometime between 2000 and now, I am indebted to your help in learning how to work microfiche machines, tracking down research sources and asking direct questions. The information you provided via e-mail, telephone and in person is greatly appreciated.

  I only recently discovered the published diary excerpts of Alice Gray while researching at the Herman B. Wells Library at Indiana University in Bloomington. I was grateful for the weekend hours and the surprising availability of newspaper archives from Chicago. (I wish more libraries crossed such intimate state borders.)

  From the beginning, Peter Youngman, historian of Ogden Dunes, Diana of the Dunes and many other interesting subjects, has generously shared his views and research. Author Dave Dempsey also kindly shared his research.

  Merri Sue Carter, astronomer with the United States Naval Observatory (USNO), author and historian, provided wonderful information about Alice’s time spent working as a “computer” in government employ. Gregory Shelton of the USNO library was also gracious in his assistance.

  Catherine Rankovic, an inspired writer and poet, provided excellent writing lessons and meticulous editing.

  Thanks also to Joe Gartrell, commissioning editor of The History Press, whose enthusiasm for this book was essential and delightful.

  Marion LaRocco, Alice Gray’s great-niece, was kind enough to share family stories and open old family photo albums. I greatly appreciate her willingness to share such gems.

  The late Dorothy Furness Dunn was a relative of Alice Gray’s by marriage and nearly a lifelong resident of Furnessville. Alice’s sister was Leonora Gray, who married Ernest Dunn, the grandfather of Dorothy’s husband, Robert Dunn. While she came to Alice’s story knowing little about her, Dorothy was always willing to help make introductions and pass along research leads. She was supremely proud of her family connection and would have enjoyed sharing Alice’s “true” story with others. I regret that she did not have the opportunity.

  The late Irene Nelson, who was born in Baillytown in 1909 and was a lifelong resident of what is now Chesterton, is the only person I’ve met who actually “knew” Alice Gray. Irene was ninety-two years old at the time we spoke. During our visits, she told her stories carefully and with great respect for the people of her past. I will always be grateful for the anecdotes she shared; such treasures are so rare in this case.

  I’m also thankful for my telephone conversations with Dr. Richard Whitney, who, as a young boy with a vivid imagination, spent summers in the Indiana sand hills during the time of Diana of the Dunes. His childhood perspective of her myth adds a soft and playful element that contrasts charmingly with the loud and often insensitive newspaper stories about her.

  One numbingly cold, windy, steel gray day in February several years ago, I tromped around Oak Hill Cemetery in Gary, Indiana, with my longtime friend, Sarah Wortman, looking for the grave of Alice Gray. We arrived toward dusk, so we were short on daylight; the temperature continued to drop. Quickly, we became frozen and frustrated. Just as we decided to call off the search and start back toward the car, I stepped on Alice’s gravestone. For all that I was thinking and feeling in that moment, it was richer because Sarah was with me. She has shared many important moments in my life, and I thank her for sticking close.

  For their endless encouragement, genuine interest in Alice’s story and eloquent defense of my long years of research as time well spent, I owe a special gratitude to my wonderful friends Deborah Peterson, Terri Walters and Holly Phelan Johnson. My family and friends in the Indiana dunes have heard me talk about Diana of the Dunes for years. For them, especially, I’m pleased that this book is finally in print; maybe now I’ll talk about other things, too. Many thanks for listening to my siblings, Sheri, Eric and Chip Zenke; my cousins, Kim and Randy Pavlock, Hilary Frey and Meredith Glick; and to my niece, Cadie Culp, and my nephew, Cameron Culp. Also, I am much obliged to Carrie Curran and her wonderfully large group of sisters, daughters, menfolk and neighbors; Craig Berg; Donna Brown; Alex Struk, Vera Struk and Myra Struk; and the Stager clan.

  Jamie Hogan is a Porter Beach resident and local history devotee. Perhaps serendipitously we became friends just in time for her to provide eleventhhour encouragement, insight and refreshment. I’m grateful for her help in getting to the finish line and for introducing me to so many wonderful people of the dunes.

  I’d also like to thank the Friday Night Club, especially Tracy Webb and Geri Lynn Dowdy; Tracy, for her plan to organize me and for her tremendous encouragement, and Geri Lynn, for her great listening skills and for checking on my well-being—especially in the final few months.

  Others who have kept inspired me along the way include members of Book Club, Dyan Ortbal-Avalos and my good friends at Maryville University.

  I have also enjoyed discussing Alice’s story with the friends of my children, most notably Jenny Balzer, Katie Dowdy, Liz Peterson, Natalie Ballsrud, Handley Phelan and Allison Walter. Your questions and interest were always appreciated.

  And finally, much love to my husband, Bill, and to our children, David, Sarah and Anna. Years ago, they accepted that I would leave St. Louis for long weekends—often with little warning—to conduct research in the Indiana dunes and Chicago areas; and that while they were sailing Lake Michigan, crinoid hunting and painting stones, I would disappear in search of another library. I’m shamelessly proud of my children’s independence, and on some secret level, I give Alice Gray a lot of credit for that. In any case, without my family’s tremendous love and support this book would still be scattered in library file cabinets. I greatly appreciate their interest in the story of Alice Gray; that they cheered even minor research successes along the way was a wonderful gift and so fun.

  If more photographs and local stories about Alice Gray—Diana of the Dunes—surface because of this book; if the next generation continues to tell her story; and if greater appreciation for the Indiana dunes region is fostered, then all the knowledge, collaboration and encouragement I’ve received from the wonderful folks mentioned here is made even more valuable.

  Introduction

  The country is of immeasurable value to botanists, ornithologists, and

  investigators in other fields of natural science.1

  —Earl H. Reed

  As befits any place of natural wonder and historic stature, the Indiana dunes region has a favorite folktale that serves to enrich and preserve its past, reveal local mystery and explore universal kinships. In this case, the story is that of Alice Mabel Gray, more popularly known as Diana of the Dunes.

  For the past ninety-five years, the legend of Diana of the Dunes has grown as wild as the environs in which she lived. Beginning at Lake Michigan’s southern rim and moving inland, long, open stretches of sand hills are bound by a backcountry of tall dunes, dense forest and civilization. Although nearby towns are now sprawling, more easily accessible and much busier, they were once small enclaves of farms and homesteads, connected despite their distance by commerce and family ties. Before 1900, most people considered the dunes largely uninhabitable; the press often referred to it as “trackless wasteland,” unexplored and loosely claimed, with vestiges of the
early French fur trade and Pottawatomie Indians still traceable along pathways and through first-generation storytelling.

  By the turn of the century, however, the steel industry had moved into the area. At the same time, neighboring Chicagoans—led in large part by University of Chicago academics and Chicago Renaissance icons—began in earnest to study, appreciate and celebrate its unusual diversity of botanical life and terrain. The unspoiled beaches attracted growing numbers of recreation seekers. Inevitably, these groups clashed over how best to utilize dunes resources.

  Unrelated, yet caught in the same net, the sensational story of Alice Gray rose amid the crashing waves of controversy. She proved a timely metaphor for the struggle to preserve the area’s natural heritage amid the unfolding progress of civilization.

  Tales about Diana of the Dunes are still told throughout Indiana—especially in the Calumet region. The story usually begins in late fall of 1915, when Alice Mabel Gray stepped onto an old path in the dunes and followed it to the edge of Lake Michigan. She found permanent shelter in an abandoned shack near a sandy ridge, turning her back on Chicago and all the incumbent responsibilities of living and working in the city. Local townspeople were aghast; but just the same, the mystery of her presence was a thrilling interlude that would fuel local gossip for decades to come.

  Alice, intelligent and free-spirited, had responded drastically to society’s rigid conventions: she excused herself completely from its rules and routine. At age thirty-four, this Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Chicago traded her single, working woman’s life for a rougher, yet more thoughtful, existence in the untamed dunes of Indiana, some forty-five miles southeast of the city. From the doorway of the shack she claimed as her own, Alice fearlessly guarded her privacy and her right to live in the sand hills—alone. Her audacity bewitched and befuddled enough eager reporters that Alice quickly became an enigma, a prime target for front-page news in an era of sensational headlines; she grew legendary in her own time. Even so, you will not find many today who recognize the name Alice Gray. Mention Diana of the Dunes, however, and it becomes quite another story.