These woods were virtually unknown even to those living nearby until 1975, when an MNA member reported that Blue-eyed Mary grew there.

MNA made an appeal in 1981 for $110,000 to purchase the woods, and the campaign was completed in one year.

[1] In February 2009, MNA purchased adjacent acreage to expand Dowagiac Woods to 384 acres (155 ha).

A top attraction in Dowagiac Woods is the abundance of blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia verna.

Dowagiac Woods is also home to many animals, including at least 49 different kinds of birds like the yellow warbler and ruffed grouse.