Welcome to Grosse Ile, Michigan
Deeded July 6, 1776
Grosse Ile is home to about 11,000 people who feel very
fortunate to live on these beautiful and unique islands situated in the
Detroit River south of Detroit. Grosse Ile is the name of the main island,
but other smaller islands are also inhabited: Elba, Upper Hickory (Meso),
Hickory, and Swan. The fact is that Grosse Ile's main island, is actually
two islands created by the Thorofare Canal, which runs on a diagonal course
from east to west. In all, more than a dozen islands comprise Grosse Ile
Township, providing superior habitats for humans, birds, mammals, and
fish. The inhabited area is often called simply "The Island."
The uninhabited islands comprise a include Calf, Celeron (Tawas), Sugar,
Round, Dynamite (Powder House), Fox and Stony. Together they are known
as the "conservation cresent." Stony and Celeron are owned by
the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The other islands are privately
owned.
Grosse Ile historians trace island history back to July
6, 1776, when the original owners, Potawatomi Indians, deeded the land
to prominent Detroit merchants, William and Alexander Macomb. A monument
commemorating the day the tribal chiefs and elders signed the deed is
located on the river at the foot of Gray's Drive. The original deed is
in the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library.
Three flags have flown over Grosse Ile—French, British,
and American. The early French explorers identified the island as la
grosse ile (the large island). The British, whose influence around
Detroit became established in 1763, Anglicized the Spelling to Grosse
Isle. This form persisted until early this century when local residents
persisted in an effort to re-establish the historical name. (Residents
have been spelling and explaining the name Grosse Ile to out-of-town relatives
and visitors ever since.)
Grosse Ile residents and visitors can travel to the island
by land, air, and sea. Those who drive over must cross one of two bridges.
The north end bridge is the privately owned Grosse Ile Toll Bridge which
opened in 1913 to traffic which included sheep and horse drawn wagons
as well as early versions of the automobile. The Wayne County bridge (a.k.a.
"free bridge") opened in the 1930's to accommodate the rapidly
expanding island population.
If visitors come by air, they land at the Grosse Ile
Municipal Airport at the south end of the main island. During the 1920's,
this small airport was the scene of early aviation activities. Curtis
Wright operated a flying school, and the first all-metal dirigible, the
ZMC 2, was built for the Navy in an enormous hangar. In 1927, work started
on a Navy seaplane base, and several years later the Navy acquired a majority
of the property. The site developed into a vital center for military flight
training during World War II. In 1942, it was designated the U.S. Naval
Air Station and expanded considerably to accommodate large numbers of
American and British fliers who trained on the island. (President George
Bush was stationed at the base about for two month shortly before the
end of WWII.) Naval operations continued until the base was closed officially
in 1969. The following year, it was deeded to the township and converted
to civilian use.
Boats have been the favored mode of transportation to
Grosse Ile's shores since the first humans plied the waters of the Detroit
River. In the late 1800s, Sugar Island was an amusement park, dance pavilion,
and excellent bathing beach. People traveled down the river from Detroit
and other points on steam powered paddle wheelers to enjoy a day at the
park. (Some continued the river journey all the way to Toledo and back.)
During the first half of this century, all the ships
using the waterway between Grosse Ile and the Canadian shore, were guided
by a series of lights including the Grosse Ile Lighthouse. Established
in 1894 at the north end of the island, the structure was rebuilt in 1906.
Although the light was turned off in the 1940s, the lighthouse stands
today as a sentinel of the river and landmark for small boaters. An old
kerosene lamp used before electrification—back in the days when the
lighthouse keeper lived on Grosse Ile and kept the fire burning—is
on display in the Grosse Ile Museum.
For about fifty years, visitors to Grosse Ile were able
to come by train. From 1873 to about 1883, the Canada Southern Railroad
carried both passengers and cargo from the mainland, over the railroad
bridge (now the county bridge), across Grosse Ile (now Grosse Ile Parkway),
and over a small bridge span which led to Stony Island. At that point,
the cars were transferred to a ferryboat and taken to Gordon, Ontario,
where they were put back on track to continue the journey to Buffalo.
The old U.S. Customs House, which served the international route, now
stands behind the museum and houses antique furniture and artifacts.
The Canada Southern went into receivership in the early
1800s and the Michigan Central Railroad took over. In 1904, the railroad
built a new depot (our Museum). The route to Canada was discontinued,
butmany residents used the commuter service to Detroit where they worked
or attended school. Vacationers came to Grosse Ile by train to enjoy summer
cottages, camping, or a stay at the popular Island House Resort Hotel.
The trains continued until the mid-1920s when the automobile became the
preferred mode of travel.
Residents and visitors alike appreciate the architectural
diversity of Grosse Ile. Although recent years have been characterized
by ongoing new housing construction, there are many older homes located
throughout the islands. Five homes, built 1840s to 1860s, are in the National
Historic District on East River at Parkway. A dozen 1920s era homes, in
an area known as Jewell colony, are listed on the Michigan Register of
Historic Places. They were built "to provide country living for professionals,"
and comprised the first planned subdivision on Grosse Ile. An 1867 Episcopal
church, built in part with funds provided by a freed slave, is on the
National Register of Historic Places. A magnificent Tiffany window can
be seen in St. James Chapel.
Several of Detroit's automotive pioneers had summer homes
on Grosse Ile early this century. R.E. Olds (Oldsmobile) built a magnificent
summer estate on Elba Island in 1916. His home has been converted to apartment
living, but three other houses on his estate are now private residences.
Charles and William Fisher (Fisher Body) built mansion-type summer homes
at the north end of Parke Lane. One remains today. General William S.
Knudsen (General Motors) spent summers at an old remodeled farm home near
the county bridge. It later became the clubhouse for Water's Edge Country
Club, owned and operated by the Township.In the 1920's Henry Ford and
his wife bought a substantial piece of land between West River Road and
the Thorofare Canal . Although they never built a home, they did sell
pieces of their property to Ford employees. One unique structure on the
water, known as the "Pagoda House," was built in 1939 by Ford's
personnel director, Harry Bennett.
Michigan Historic Site markers at the roadside point
out several historic sites and homes on the island. One such marker on
West River Road south of Church designates the home of descendants of
the Macomb brothers who purchased Grosse Ile in 1776. The adjoining acreage,
Westcroft Gardens, is a Michigan Centennial Farm. Operated by Macomb descendants,
Westcroft comprises a botanical gardens and nursery known for hybridizing
and growing Azaleas and Rhododendrons. Grosse Ile's other historic Centennial
Farm, no longer in operation, is now owned by the citizens and is a center
for family recreation.
Nancy G. Karmazin 4/5/99
For further information on Grosse Ile's history,
and to purchase publications, postcards, and notepaper, please visit the
Grosse Ile Museum at the corner of East River and Parkway. The Museum
is open Sundays noon to 4p.m. and Thursdays 10a.m. to noon except holidays
and during the winter months—(January, February).. Tours can be arranged
by appointment. Please write: Grosse Ile Historical Society, P.O. Box
131, Grosse Ile, MI 48138 or call 734 - 675 - 1250.
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Related Items:
Grosse Ile History
Grosse Ile Historical Society
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