SSACgnp.TN950.TMR1.1
Dunes, Boxcars, and Ball Jars:
Mining the Great Lakes Shores
Something is missing at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Take a
trip back in time to see what once was and estimate what was lost.
Core Quantitative Literacy Topics
Estimation
Supporting Quantitative Literacy Topics
Volume
Conversions
Scientific notation
Geometry
August 5th, 1929
Core Geoscience Subject
Coastal Dunes
Mining
Tiffany M. Roberts
Department of Geology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620
© 2010 University of South Florida Libraries. All rights reserved.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number NSF DUE-0836566.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
the views of the National Science Foundation.
1
Getting started
After completing this module, you
should be able to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Distinguish between a precise
answer and an estimate.
Know how to convert units.
Explain the classification of dunes.
Know the “parts” of a dune, and
how to identify the predominant
wind direction.
Identify various uses of silica.
Know how to calculate volume,
mass, and density.
Indiana
And you should know
where Indiana Dunes
National Lakeshore is.
2
The setting – Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Lake Michigan formed around 11,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, when the continental ice sheet
(nearly one-mile thick) retreated. Since then, lake levels have been dropping, resulting in successive
shorelines, with beaches, sand dunes, and inter-dune wetlands. The glacier itself left poorly sorted sediment
in the form of glacial moraines. In places along the shoreline, the moraine has been exposed by erosion
from waves and currents (image A).
Today, multiple major dune complexes can be identified. The dunes closest to the shoreline are the
youngest, associated with the current lake level. Inland are three earlier generations (Tolleson [B], Calumet,
and Glenwood). In succession from more recent to oldest , they occur at progressively higher levels and are
more vegetated. Beaches, grass-covered dune ridges, interdune swales, dunes with woody shrub
vegetation, pine- and oak-forested dunes, oak savannas, and prairies with a total of more than 1,100
flowering plant species (e.g., image C)—all can be found at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It is a
welcome island within a sea of urban and industrial buildup (D).
Visit the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Web site to learn more about the geologic processes that shaped
the Great Lakes and the National Lakeshore. Be sure to visit the geology field notes.
A
B
C
D
3
“To protect and preserve”
Beginning in the late 1880’s, the need to establish a park along Lake Michigan’s southern
shores became an issue because sand-mining companies were removing large quantities of
dune sands to use in Chicago landfills, building projects, and manufacturing. After years of
battle between public and industrial interests, Indiana Dunes State Park was established in
1926. Forty years later, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established as a national park
unit of 8,330 acres of land and water adjoining the state park. With continued expansion, the
national lakeshore now covers 15,000 acres. Both the state and national parks serve to protect
the dunes and lakeshore’s other natural resources.
Above left is an oblique aerial photo of the Indiana Dunes Lakeshore in 1926, showing several
successions of dunes. Above right is what remains after the dune sands were mined.
4
“Extra-extra, read-all-about-it”
Valparaiso Porter County Vidette, Thursday, 7 June, 1883
Six of the college boys went over to Michigan City Saturday. They now tell what a sight the
state's prison is, and what fun it is to climb those sand-hills.
Lafayette Morning Journal, Monday, 18 May, 1891
"HOOSIER SLIDE."
AN INDIANA LANDMARK GOING TO CHICAGO.
An Interesting Letter from the Lake--The Fate of "Hoosier Slide"-- . . .
[Special Correspondence.]
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind., May 16.--Your readers may be surprised to learn that "Hoosier Slide" is disappearing, but such
is the fact. It stood for ages, perhaps, looking out over the blue waters of Lake Michigan and though fashioned out of
"shifting sand,“ little change was noted in its lofty appearance. The east line of its summit was the highest point and a
scrubby tree used to stand up there. Such might have been the case to-day had not a CHICAGO man come along and
purchased that pile of sand. Chicago men never do something for nothing. This genius bought the "slide" at wholesale
and immediately began to sell it at retail. The sale continues and this accounts for the disappearance of the famous
mound. A force of men are at work six days in the week shoveling the sand on to flat cars for railway uses, and as they
burrow into it at the foot, it rolls down from the top. It is a mountain of sand yet and will be for years to come--even
should the shoveling process go on. But even now the east line is no longer the highest point. The scrub tree is gone,
the shape of the whole top has changed and what is now the chief outlook was a year ago a secondary point.
"Once Indiana's most famous landmark, Hoosier Slide was a huge sand dune bordering the west side of Trail Creek where it entered Lake
Michigan. At one time it was nearly 200 feet tall, mantled with trees. Cow paths marked its slopes and people picnicked upon its crest. With
the development of Michigan City, the timber was cut for building construction and the sand began to blow, sometimes blanketing the main
business district of the town on Front Street, which nestled near its base.
Climbing Hoosier Slide was very popular in the late 1800's with the excursionist crowds who arrived in town by boat and train from Chicago
and other cities. The summit, where weddings were sometimes held, afforded an excellent view of the vast lumberyards which then
covered the Washington Park area. When it was discovered that the clean sands of Hoosier Slide were useful for glassmaking, the huge
dune began to be mined away. " - Courtesy of Portable LaPorte County , Copyright 1978 Michigan City Public Library-
For more newspaper clippings from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, see the endnotes on
Slide 18.
5
The problem
Hoosier Slide, once the largest sand dune on Indiana's lakeshore, stood 200 feet high. Based
on historical photos provided by the National Park Service, the circumference was
approximately 2 miles*. However, after just 20 years of mining, the tallest dune along the
Indiana shore was gone by the 1920’s.
Question 1: What was the
approximate volume of Hoosier Slide?
Return to Slide 8
Before the dunes were protected, the silica sand was hauled away in boxcars. The postcard
above (left) is a view of Hoosier slide from the south and illustrates the railroad that was used to
carry the mined sand away for the manufacture of glass canning jars. The above right photo
shows Hoosier Slide as viewed from the north.
Question 2: How many boxcar loads did it take to carry away Hoosier Slide?
6
What is a dune?
After transport by glaciers, rivers, and longshore processes, sand-sized grains are
deposited on beaches by tides and waves. Once the grains are above water and dry, they may
be transported by wind (aeolian transport). The wind blows the sand into piles (dunes). Dunes
are very dynamic and mobile, migrating according to the predominant wind direction.
Vegetation (roots) can anchor the older dunes in place.
The cross-sectional morphology (A) of most sand dunes consists of a gently sloping stoss
(or windward) side and a steeper lee (or slipface) side. Dunes vary in their stoss and lee
slopes. In general, the slope of the slipface is the angle of repose, of the given grain size.
There are also various planform shapes of dunes (B), including transverse, akle, barchan,
dome, parabolic, and longitudinal dunes. The types are classified by the shape and
predominant wind direction, as indicated by arrows in B.
A
web.ncf.ca
Indiana Dunes’ Mount Baldy has a gently sloping stoss slope and a
steeper lee slope! Also, the areas with vegetation tend to be more
stable then the “bald” spots.
B
Collison , J.D. and D.B. Thompson. Sedimentary
Structures. London: Allen & Unwin Inc., 1982: Fig 6.45.
7
Taking a look at Hoosier Slide
Take another look at the postcard on Slide 6, illustrating Hoosier Slide
dune. Based on the different characterizations of dunes illustrated on
the previous slide, how would you classify Hoosier Slide?
As illustrated below, the shape of Hoosier Slide was very similar to that of a dome,
and so we can classify it as a “dome-shaped dune”. By recognizing the shape as
approximately a dome, we can use geometric formulas to calculate a volume for the
mined-away dune. The calculated result will be an estimate, because we are
approximating its actual shape with a generalized idealization.
 If you follow the red-shaded outline of
both figures, you can see that they can be
estimated by the shape of a dome!
8
Estimation
Question 1 (Slide 6) asks you to estimate the volume of the Hoosier Slide dune. We have
identified the dune as a dome-shaped dune, and so you are going to use a geometric formula
for the volume of an idealized dome. Because you are making an estimate and assuming an
idealized geometry, we can use round numbers (i.e., 200 ft for height and 2 mi for
circumference). Similarly for Question 2, the volume of a boxcar can be approximated by using
an idealized shape—a rectangular prism. Using typical boxcar dimensions (given in a later
slide), you can convert the volume of sand mined from Hoosier Slide to an equivalent number
of sand-filled boxcars to complete this estimation problem.
Identified as a dome-shaped dune
Approximated as the
idealized shape of a dome
Real-world shape of Hoosier Slide
Real-world shape of boxcars
Approximated as the idealized shape of a
rectangular prism
9
sphere
Volume calculation
The radius, R, of a sphere is the length from the center of the sphere
to the outer surface of the sphere. The radius is used to determine
the volume of the sphere (VS):
R
hemisphere
A hemisphere (or half of a sphere) is also determined by the radius.
The volume of a hemisphere (VH) is half of the volume of a sphere:
R
A circular dome is the geometric form you get when you slice off a
portion of the sphere (i.e., you intersect a plane and sphere and select
the smaller portion). It is called a circular dome because the base is a
circle (we call its radius, r). The other important dimension is h, the
shortest length from the center of the circular base to the surface of
the dome. A circular dome is a hemisphere if h = r (in which case r =
R) If h < r, the formula for its volume (VD) is:
dome
h
r
VD
Return to Slide 12
 You can test the equation for dome volume by setting h equal to r.
Why is this a test? Does the equation pass the test?
10
Starting question 1.
Recall, you were given: Hoosier Slide dune height is 200 ft and dune
circumference is about 2 mi. Let’s assume that the circumference
given is for the circular base (or intersecting spherical plane).
Question 1 asks you to estimate the volume of
Hoosier Slide dune. Click on the spreadsheet
icon to retrieve the spreadsheet for this module
and save it immediately to your computer. Start
with the tab labeled "Nested SSs for Slides 11-13."
The first part of answering the question is to
convert miles and feet to meters, as shown below.
Hint: For three significant
figures we can use
1 mile = 1.61 km
1 m = 3.28 ft
h
Note, we will show three significant figures
through the calculation and round off to
two at the end. (Actually one would be
appropriate for an estimate.)
circumference
11
Finishing question 1.
Now calculate the dune volume using the formulas
given in Slide 10 for the volume of a dome. First, you
will need to find the radius of the dome from the given
circumference. Recreate the spreadsheet below to
estimate the volume of the Hoosier Slide “dome”.
Hint:
Circumference :
C  2 r
r
Therefore, radius :
C
2
r
Total volume of the dome-shaped dune
12
Starting and finishing question 2.
Assume the boxcars
are 40 ft long, 5 ft
wide, and 10 ft high.
Expand your
spreadsheet to find
the number of boxcars
it would take to equal
the volume of Hoosier
Slide dune. First
calculate the volume
of one boxcar.
Hint (Cell A15):
4.5E+05 is Excel’s
formatting for
scientific notation:
4.5×105. In normal
notation, the quantity
is 450,000.
Return to Slide 17
Hint (Cell F15):
Volume of a Rectangular Boxcar = Length × Height × Width
13
Mining the sand
The sands of Hoosier Slide were hauled away predominantly by two companies, Pittsburgh Plate Glass and
Ball Brothers. The silica sands were used for the manufacturing of glass canning jars. In fact, Ball Brothers
produced and controlled the supply of blue glass jars, called “Ball blue” for years starting in the late 1890’s.
This special blue of the glass was caused by the amount of oxygen used in the furnaces when melting the
glass and the minerals in the sand they used in their glass. These minerals came from the shores of Lake
Michigan. Ball Brothers finally discontinued the use of their famous “Ball blue” glass in 1937. Visit the Ball
Brothers' Web site to learn more about the use of silica and other minerals in the manufacturing of glass.
Why do you suppose they discontinued the manufacturing of the “Ball blue” glass in 1937?
14
Mining the sand
Can you estimate how many Ball jars were made from the sand of Hoosier Slide?
Return to Slide 17
Recall that density is mass per (divided by) volume. Figure that a Ball jar has a mass of 440 g.
Assume that the Ball jars are made of pure quartz, which has a density of 2.67 g/cm3. Assume
that the sand has a porosity of 25%, meaning that a cubic meter of sand contains 0.75 m 3 of
solid grains and 0.25 m3 of air between the grains. Use the volume of sand you estimated in
Slide 12 for the Hoosier Slide dune.
Go to it! (Be careful with the units.) Use the spreadsheet (“Slide 15” tab) on Student Worksheet
you saved to your computer from Slide 11.
15
Dunes, boxcars, and ball jars
Indiana Dune’s park mission is "to preserve for the educational, inspirational, and recreational
use of the public certain portions of the Indiana Dunes and other areas of scenic, scientific, and
historic interest and recreational value in the State of Indiana.“ However, before the park was
established in 1966, one of the region’s most treasured resources, Hoosier Slide dune, was
removed by the boxcar-load for manufacturing glass jars and for other commercial uses.
Imagine what the Lake Michigan shoreline would look like today if ALL of the dunes were still
lining its shores! Or imagine if NO dunes lined the shores! It is important to preserve and
protect our nation’s treasures for our future generations. Although you can no longer visit
Hoosier Slide dune, you can still visit Mount Baldy, thanks to the establishment of the National
Park System.
Visit http://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/mt-baldy.htm for more information on one the Great
Lakes’ largest remaining coastal dunes.
16
End-of-module assignment
1. Hand in your spreadsheet from Slides 11 through 13.
2. Use a spreadsheet to answer the question from Slide 15 about the number of glass jars.
3. How many quart-sized baggies full of sand would it take to equal the volume of Hoosier
Slide? Conversion: 1 qt(US dry) = 0.0011 m³ (Use spreadsheet in Student Worksheet.)
4. It took only 20 years for Hoosier Slide to be carried away in boxcars. If every visitor took
one quart-sized baggy full of sand, how many years would it take to “haul” away Hoosier
Slide? Use the 2007 annual visitor statistics from the park web site. (Use spreadsheet in
Student Worksheet.)
5. Use the spreadsheet from Slides 11-13 to calculate the volume of Hoosier Slide, if the
circumference was 2.27 mi and the height was 204 ft. How many boxcars did it take to haul
away all of the sand, given the dimensions of 40.01 ft in long, 10.30 ft high, and 5.25 ft wide?
6. What is the percentage difference [(estimate-actual)/actual)*100%] in the volume of Hoosier
Slide and the number of boxcars from your answer to Question 5 and the answer from Slide
13? What does this suggest to you about ESTIMATION?
7. a) What is the “general” recipe for the glass used to create the Ball Jars?
b) Explain the importance of the various minerals and metallic oxides used in the
manufacturing of the Ball Jars.
c) What colors are derived from the addition of the following elements (note: the following
are elemental prior to oxidation, which occurs from the addition of oxygen under high
temperatures during the melting process): cobalt (Co), sulfur (S), gold (Au) or copper (Cu),
iron (Fe) and carbon (C), nickel (Ni), and tin (Sn) or zinc (Zn)?
17
Endnotes
*Based on information provided by the National Park Service that Hoosier Slide dune was located at the
modern NIPSCO site, the circumference was estimated from orthorectified georeferenced 1939 aerial photos.
Return to Slide 6.
Slope is defined as the “inclination or degree of slant”.
http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/slope%5B3%5D
The slope of a plane can be described as a slope-intercept (y=mx+b) or
the “rise” (vertical distance) over the “run” (horizontal distance).
See image to the right
Return to Slide 7.
www.mathwarehouse.com
Angle of Repose is defined as the maximum slope or angle at which
loose material remains stable (or does not fall or slide).
See image to the right 
www.tc.umn.edu/~smith213/Glossary%20A%20F.htm
Return to Slide 7.
http://earthsci.org/flood/J_Flood04/masswa/drysand.gif
Michigan City Evening News, Wednesday, 2 September, 1903
TO SEE SAND HILL.
AN INDIANAPOLIS BOY STEALS MOTHER'S PURSE.
And Accompanied By a Boy Friend He Came to This City--Both Lads Taken Into Custody.
A desire to view Hoosier slide caused Orpha Miller, 10-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Miller of Oak Hill, Indianapolis, to steal his mother's purse, which
contained $11 in money, Tuesday morning and to purchase with the stolen coin two tickets to this city via the Lake Erie and Western road the same to be
used by himself and a boy friend, Harry Lemmon, aged 11 years, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lemmon. The youngsters arrived here on the evening train and
though hungry and tired after their long ride they did not wait to procure supper or rest but went immediately to the sand hill that has a worldwide reputation
and spent nearly an hour climbing up its steep sides and sliding down again. About 10 o'clock the fellows appeared on north Franklin street where they were
taken into custody by Patrolman Fred Teidt. When first locked up the youngsters told various tales of how they had procured tickets to this city. The Miller
boy first said that he had earned the money by running errands, but later admitted having stolen it. Superintendent Bowlin telegraphed the parents of the
boys today and it is expected that one of the fathers will arrive here this afternoon to take the boys back to Indianapolis.
Back to Slide 5.
18