The late J. Kirby Risk II called himself "a small-town businessman from the banks of the Wabash." He was much more. The fastidious, dapper man from Lafayette, Indiana, exuded philanthropy and free enterprise. Like a sheepdog, he tended the flock, rounded up strays, darted to key places to close up stragglers, and nudged everyone toward a common goal. Sometimes his stubborn persistence caused clashes. His demanding behavior was for good, no matter...

Miller Beach became a popular tourist destination in the early 1900s thanks to its windswept sand dunes and Lake Michigan shoreline. Early aviator and Chicagoan Octave Chanute glided his aircraft over the dunes; botanist Henry Chandler Cowles studied plant succession in Miller Woods. Miller Beach's architecture is diverse, with historic park buildings designed by George W. Maher: the Marquette Park Pavilion and the Gary Bathing Beach Bathhouse. Miller...