A lot of Hoosiers think they know Indiana and her history, but many of them don’t realize that they’ve forgotten about a would-have-been sprawling city that used to exist in what’s now a part of Indiana Dunes State Park.

Officially known today as Waverly Beach, the area that used to be known as City West once had a population of around 200 people.
MalitoDesign/Flickr
The would-be city was established in 1836 by Jacob Bigelow, William Morse, Jacob Hobart and Leverett Bradley.
Plans for a sprawling urban paradise were drawn up and the founders had high hopes for the future.
Jacob Bigelow/Wikimedia
However, by October 1839, City West would already be abandoned, one of many victims of the 1837 financial panic.
During its short life, City West was home to around 20 households, a sawmill, and a sizeable hotel.
Indiana Dunes National Park/Flickr
Planners expected that the city, once finished, would stretch up to 25 blocks. Unfortunately, this was a pipe dream that ended with the financial crisis.

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Many of the abandoned homes were swallowed up by dunes and high winds.
niawag/Flickr
Others were eventually disassembled and carted elsewhere for their valuable lumber. What then remained of City West burned to the ground in 1854, leaving only the pier extending into the lake behind.
The pier survived until somewhere around the 1870s before it eventually crumbled and collapsed into the waters of Lake Michigan.
Riffle99/Wikimedia
The only trace of anything remaining at the site of what used to be City West is an old bath house, which was built in the 1930s. Porter County, Indiana, keeps the area quite protected as it's now a part of the beautiful Indiana Dunes State Park.
The would-have-been city sat right on the shore of Lake Michigan, with a view of Chicago just over the pond.
Thomas/Flickr
Nowadays, visitors come and go without any idea that the beach on which they're playing once was destined for something great.
Days come and go here, but the memory of City West still lingers among local history buffs and curious tourists alike.
Tom Gill/Flickr

Although long-gone now, the city offers us a chance to reflect about things in our own lives that come and go, much like the wind, and much like City West. It was here, and then it wasn’t- gone just as quickly as it sprang up.

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