Genevieve Gillette, photo courtesy Archives of Michigan

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Archives of Michigan is highlighting conservationist Genevieve Gillette, one of the prime movers in the creation of Michigan’s State Park system. Gillette was born in 1898 and in 1920 she became the first woman to earn a degree in Landscape Architecture from the Michigan Agricultural College. Over the course of her lifetime, the number of Michigan state parks increased from one to ninety-six.

She was instrumental in creating P.J. Hoffmaster State Park near Muskegon, and the park includes the E. Genevieve Gillette Nature Center (Michigan’s Sand Dune Interpretive Center). Gillette was one of the inaugural inductees of the Michigan Walk of Fame in 2006 and is also in the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. Also see Emma Genevieve Gillette in Wikipedia.