 The owners built lodges and cabins on the larger lakes, and the area became an exclusive resort for a small number of affluent and influential guests.Ownership changed hands over the years, and finally the entire area was purchased by the United States Forest Service in 1967, which promptly removed all buildings and began managing it as a special recreation area.In 1987, it was designated as a federal wilderness when the Michigan Wilderness Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by Ronald Reagan.