In 13,000 BC the shoreline of Lake Michigan lay several miles south at what is now Ridge Road, then over the centuries receded north to this location. In 1675 Jesuit explorer Father Marquette wrote in one of his last journal entries that this was the most beautiful spot he had ever seen, rich in animal and plant life and natural beauty. In 1906 U.S. Steel, then the largest corporation in the world, established Gary Works, the largest steel mill in existence, just west of here, and Superintendent William P. Gleason wanted a nearby park for workers. The Town of Miller and the City of Gary also sought a park on a three-mile stretch of water-logged land along the lake, but control of the area was disputed by Gary, Miller, U.S. Steel, and Lake Street Beach landowner Drusilla Carr, who fought to keep her property. After a decade of stalled efforts, Gary annexed Miller and U.S. Steel bought 116 acres to donate to Gary in 1919, opening the way for the first phase of Lake Front Park. The Gary Bathhouse opened in June 1922, the Marquette Park Pavilion followed two years later, Lake Front Park was renamed Marquette Park in 1923, a statue of Father Marquette was erected in June 1932, and the remaining acreage including Lake Street Beach was added in 1940, ten years after Drusilla Carr's death.