In 1917, John and Carrie Klock deeded a half mile of lake Michigan frontage to the
    City of Benton Harbor Michigan in memory of their deceased daughter Jean. Their
    gift consisted of 90 acres of globally rare natural resources that included Great Lakes
    Dunes, a Great Lakes Marsh and interdunal wetlands. The donated land was named
    Jean Klock Park and was dedicated "FOR THE CHILDREN" - "in perpetuity" -
    "FOREVER."

    Through the years the park has been threatened with development proposals and
    survived but in 2003 came the beginning of a new, and at the time, unforeseen
    threat. The city announced an interest in selling a portion of the park’s property for a
    lake front residential development. A lawsuit took place that was settled out of court
    allowing the development in exchange for permanent protections of the remaining 73
    acres of the park. Within a matter of months it was discovered that there was a
    secret and far bigger interest in developing the park. That interest and ultimate threat
    to the park was of the Whirlpool Corporation’s desire for a Jack Nicklaus
    Signature golf course and a glitzy second home community that would become the
    “Harbor Shores Golf and Beach Club."


















    Two members of the Friends of Jean Klock Park are considering challenging the
    Michigan Court decisions to allow three holes of a privately owned golf course to be
    constructed inside JKP. They continue to allege that the City of Benton Harbor
    Michigan has entered into an illegal lease agreement with Harbor Shores for the
    Whirlpool driven Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Club. By entering into this agreement
    the City has violated not only the terms of the 1917 Klock deed, but also a 2004
    Consent Judgment that was intended to protect this public park from further
    privately owned development. These atrocious rulings set a disastrous precedent that
    threatens every deed restricted public land in the country!

    In addition, the park had further development restrictions due to a federal Land and
    Water Conservation Fund grant the city received for improvements to JKP. With the
    help of Michigan's Governor Granholm and Congressman Fred Upton, every layer
    of state and federal protection that was placed on Jean Klock Park was politically
    undermined.  

    Please help us to SAVE JEAN KLOCK PARK from private development by
    supporting our efforts and making a Donation to this extremely important cause
    now!

    THANK YOU!
Save Jean Klock Park

Friends of Jean Klock Park | PO Box 8988 | Benton Harbor, MI 49023
info@savejeanklockpark.org | www.savejeanklockpark.org
© 2009 Friends of Jean Klock Park. All Rights Reserved.
A separate and equally
important Federal Court
lawsuit regarding violations
of environmental law is
ongoing as well.  For more
information about the
contaminated land that's
being used to replace
pristine sand dunes please
visit www.protectjkp.com.