The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Extended Occupancy Rights Group Records contain the paperwork and photos accumulated by Paul and JoAnne Wheaton dating from the mid 1960's to 2015. Included are records of membership in the Extended Rights Group, legal files pertaining to court cases and legislation, and media coverage of the issue. Numerous photographs of properties destroyed by the National Park Service are present in the collection.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is located in the northwest of the lower peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau and Benzie counties, on the coast of Lake Michigan and near Empire. Famous for its stunning vistas and historic farmland, its designation as a national lakeshore sparked a controversy between the residents of the lakeshore and the National Park Service. The national lakeshore was first proposed by Senator Philip Hart of Michigan in 1961 and the bill creating it was passed in 1970. Under the bill, any property built prior to 1964 was permitted to remain on the park grounds and expand as desired. Properties erected between 1964 and 1970, however, were condemned and their owners to be given monetary settlements.
Facing eviction, many property owners formed a group called Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Extended Occupancy Rights Group (SBDNL) with the goal of acquiring either life leases on their homes or extensions on their leaseback period. The group included Ron Eckert as president, and Paul and JoAnne Wheaton as vice-president and secretary, respectively. As secretary, JoAnne collected much of the paper material generated and used by the group from its founding. Around ninety residents signed commitment forms to the group.
Prior to the 1970 bill, it had been the precedent to extend occupancy rights to ninety nine years for lease holders whose property fell within a newly-formed national park. The Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore residents were given a leaseback period of five years before their property would be destroyed. Many homeowners whose property satisfied the pre-1964 cutoff opted to leave despite their exemption, and many of these homes form the historic farmlands of the park.
The SBDNL Extended Occupancy Rights group sought the advice and legal representation of Grand Rapids lawyers, appealed to Senator Hart and other legislatures, and made their case publically known through local media outlets. By taking their case to court, many residents, including the Wheatons, were able to extend their lease by thirty five years, ending in 2005. After this period, most of the structures were bulldozed in an attempt to preserve the natural condition of the area.
