This is Bob Myers from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment. For well over a century, Americans of all ages have enjoyed resorts. Resorts, however, did not always welcome all Americans. They offered swimming, fishing, horseback riding, games, boating, great food and and fun cottages, but not to everyone. Even in the north, resorts were segregated. Advertising for those playgrounds was specific. No colored and no Hebrews appeared right on the brochures. African American families and Jewish families knew that those resorts were off limits to them. As a result, resorts sprang up to cater specifically to those ostracized groups. One of them was Duke's Happy Holiday Resort, located in White Cloud near Big Rapids. Rufus and Constance Dukes of Chicago opened the resort in 1960. They wanted to raise their children in a small town, not in the Windy City, and offer a getaway opportunity for African American families. Clifford Dukes, one of their children, recalled that most of the families who stayed with us were from the city and had never had a chance to see farm animals up close. The kids loved horseback riding, petting the pigs and playing with the chickens. One of the children who enjoyed staying at the White Cloud Resort was Michelle Robinson. Her parents raised Michelle and her brother Craig on Chicago's south side and liked to stay in a rustic cabin at the resort. Michelle went on to graduate from Harvard Law School and marry a fellow Harvard Law School graduate. His name Barack Obama. Michelle loved the Duke's Resort. She recalled years later. Some of my fondest memories as a young girl were at a place called Duke's Happy Holiday Resort in Michigan. For a city girl, it was full of open spaces to run and play games and an outdoor pool to jump and splash and practice my flutter kicks well. The Civil Rights act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Resorts could no longer ban groups of people, so the need for African American resorts declined. Moreover, resorts in general lost popularity as public taste changed. Many resorts closed. Among those was the Duke's Happy Holiday Resort, which closed its doors in 1995. This Michigan history moment has been brought to you by michiganhistorymagazine.org.