 At its peak, it was one of the most popular resorts in the Midwest and as many as 25,000 would come to Idlewild in the height of the summer season 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 in many states to African-Americans, Idlewild's boomtown period subsided.Though not quite a "ghost town" as claimed in the book "Ghost Towns of Michigan", Chapter 7, the population was under 1,000 in 2019, and numerous buildings were vacant.