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During the Jim Crow era, Idlewild was known as the Black Eden.  It was one of only a few resorts in the country where Black people were allowed to vacation and purchase property before discrimination became illegal in 1964. During the Jim Crow era, Idlewild was listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book as a safe haven for Black travelers.  From 1912 through the mid-1960s, Idlewild was an active year-round community and was visited by well-known entertainers and professionals from throughout the country like Della Reese, Sammy Davis Jr., Jackie Wilson, Louis Armstrong, The Four Tops, and Joe Louis. Property owners were W.E.B. Dubois, Madam C.J. Walker, Charles Chesnutt, and Dr. Daniel Hale Williams.  It was the most popular resort in the Midwest and as many as 25,000 would come to Idlewild in the summer to enjoy camping, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, roller skating and night-time entertainment. When the 1964 Civil Rights Act opened up other resorts to African-Americans, Idlewild's boomtown period subsided, but the community continues to be an important place for vacationers, retirees, and folks wanting to get back to their cultural roots.  Having said that, OUR MISSION is all about community revitalization by increasing tourism.