Indiana widow's 20-year legal battle helped protect Lake Michigan dunes land

Drusilla Carr, an uneducated widow from Indiana, spent over two decades defending her ownership of 120 acres of Lake Michigan shoreline. As the city of Gary grew and the lakeshore gained commercial value, she faced multiple legal challenges from those seeking to take her land. Carr continued fighting these battles until her death, never surrendering her claim. Years later, a portion of her former property was included in a 212-acre land donation. That land eventually became part of the protected Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.