Image credit: Rowboats on Fox Lake, Angola, Indiana, 1952. Indiana Album, Carla Jeskewich Collection.

On holiday weekends like the 4th of July, many people take the opportunity to vacation. In the years of Jim Crow, however, many vacation spots and resorts banned Black people or were unsafe for Black people to visit. 

Instead, the Black community and allies created their own spaces to relax: private beaches and resorts which welcomed them and provided a much-needed refuge. The only such place established in Indiana was Fox Lake Resort, which regularly attracted visitors from Detroit, Chicago, and other large cities. 

Desegregation in the 1960s resulted in the decline or disappearance of many Black resorts, as Black people’s right to equality was recognized and they began to visit places that previously excluded them. However, Fox Lake Resort (despite Ku Klux Klan activity in the area and throughout the state) overcame all challenges and today remains a strong Black community.