Genevieve Gillette

In the early nineteen hundreds, as Michigan state parks welcomed the newly mobile drivers of automobiles, Genevieve Gillette made it her life’s work to preserve precious natural settings and make them available to the traveling public. In 1920 she began her landscape architecture career in Chicago working with noted landscape designer Jens Jensen, whose naturalistic designs included the Edsel Ford estate at Haven Hill. Over the decades, her career supported enduring volunteer efforts to raise awareness of Michigan’s natural wonders and their value to society. She established important conservation groups, gained funding for Michigan state parks, and advised President Lyndon Johnson on recreation and nature. She was honored in 1976 by the opening of the Genevieve Gillett Nature Center in P.J. Hoffmaster State Park near Muskegon. Her legacy included Highland State Recreation Area, Michigan Natural Areas Council, Haven Hill Natural Area, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness Area, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Ludington State Park, Michigan Wildflower Association, Wilderness State Park, Hartwick Pines State Park, Michigan Parks Association, Thompson's Harbor State Park, Huron-Clinton Metropark Authority, Michigan Horticultural Society, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and P.J. Hoffmaster State Park.

Michigan · United States