The landscape of the Calumet, an area that sits astride the Indiana Illinois state line at the southern end of Lake Michigan was shaped by the glaciers that withdrew toward the end of the last ice age about 45,000 years ago. In the years since, many natural forces, including wind, running water, and the waves of Lake Michigan, have continued to shape the land. The lake's modern and ancient shorelines have served as Indian trails, stagecoach routes, highways, and sites that have evolved into many of the cities, towns, and villages of the Calumet area. People have also left their mark on the landscape: Indians built mounds; farmers filled in wetlands; governments commissioned ditches and canals to drain marshes and change the direction of rivers; sand was hauled from where it was plentiful to where it was needed for urban and industrial growth. These thousands of years of weather and movements of peoples have given the Calumet region its distinct climate and appeal."

The towering sand dunes along Lake Michigan, not far from Chicago, are one of the most unexpected natural features of Indiana. The second edition of Dreams of Duneland beautifully illustrates the dunes region, from the past to the present. Since the first edition, the Indiana Dunes area has become an official national park. With more than 400 stunning images, many of them new, Dreams of Duneland showcases the breathtaking sand dunes, as well as the rest of this newly minted park, which includes savanna, wetland, prairie, and forest and is home to a wide variety of plant and animal species. Kenneth J. Schoon reveals how the preserved area of the Indiana Dunes National Park—which sits by residential communities, businesses, and cultural attractions—has a long history of competition among farmers, fur traders, industrialists, and conservationists. Featuring a new foreword and afterword and many updates throughout, this gorgeous new edition will have you planning a trip to the extraordinary Indiana Dunes.