Renee Zita was born and raised in Chicago. In this interview, she recounts spending several weeks of every summer in the family cottage on Park Street in Saugatuck. As her own family grew, Renee remembers bringing her own children to the family home…

Photograph of a young couple smiling at the camera and wearing sunglasses with their arms around one another. The handwriting on the front of the picture says "Mem. Day, May '68." The handwriting on the back of the photograph says: "Saugatuck…

Photograph of a group of five young adults with their arms arround one another and smiling at the camera. They are sitting in the sand on the side of a dune with beachgrass in the background. The handwriting on the top of the photograph says: Mem.…

Photograph of a beach full of people watching a man climb a wooden pole in the distance.

Photograph of a crowded beach with clusters of people on the sand and exploring the dunes.

Photograph of a crowded beach next to a large dune covered in beachgrass. The handwriting on the photograph mentions it's Memorial Day.

Photograph of a group of young people surrounding a man as he climbs a wooden pole that appears to be a tree trunk. They are gathered in excitement among the dunes and there are drifting clouds in the distance.

Photograph of a blond young man at Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. He is wearing sunglasses and striped swim trunks while lying down on a beach towel amongst other beachgoers. In the photo he is looking toward the camera with a half-smile.

Three young women sitting on the trunk of a car parked at Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. Two women are wearing large sunglasses, while the woman with her hair in pigtails has hers perched on her forehead. They are smiling at the camera and the…

Photograph of a large crowd standing on the beach and gathering in anticipation at Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. There are clouds in the sky and the sun is shining bright for a day at the beach. The handwriting at the top of the picture says…

Photograph of two young woman sitting on the beach and surrounded by sunbathers at Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan.

Photograph of a young woman sunbathing at Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. She is wearing a mutli-colored bathing suite and smiling at the camera. Other beachgoers can be seen sunbathing in the background among the dunegrass.