Grosse Ile Township is a civil township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township is situated on several islands in the Detroit River, but the largest island is also referred to as simply Grosse Ile. The name comes from French, meaning Big Island . The population was 10,894 at the 2000 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 18.3 square miles (47.5 km²), of which 9.6 square miles (24.9 km²) of it (52.6%) is land and 8.7 square miles (22.6 km²) of it (47.4%) is water.
Grosse Ile is the largest island on the Detroit River. Grosse Ile is actually composed of twelve islands although the community is most often identified with the "main island" (which residents simply refer to as "The Island"). Grosse Ile's "main island" is technically composed of two islands.
The tip of the "main island's" northern section is named Hennepen Point in honor of the 17th Century French explorer Father Louis Hennepin. It is uninhabited and separated from the remainder of the northern section by an unnamed canal that cannot be navigated in a power boat.
The southern section of the "main island" is separated from the northern section by the Thorofare Canal which runs on a diagonal course from east to west connecting the main channel of the Detroit River with the Trenton Channel of the river. The southern section of the "main island" is connected by bridges to Elba Island, Upper Hickory Island (also known as Meso), Hickory Island, and Swan Island which are all inhabited.
In addition, not far from the shoreline of the "main island" in the river lie Calf Island, Celeron Island (charted as Tawas Island), Dynamite (also known as Powder House Island), Fox Island, Stony Island, and Sugar Island which are all uninhabited. Stony and Celeron are owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Calf Island is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. The other islands are privately owned.
Two bridges connect the "main island" to the mainland of Michigan. The bridge on the north end of the island is called the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge (off-white color). The bridge on the south end of the island is officially named the Wayne County Bridge (light green in color), but is commonly called the "Free Bridge" by locals.
The Wayne County Bridge was closed for major renovation between May 2 , 2007 and December 21 , 2007 . While the county bridge was closed, all traffic traveled over the Toll Bridge.
Although Grosse Ile is technically located "downriver," it is markedly different than surrounding communities.
History
Founding and early times
Grosse Ile historians consider the beginning of ownership and governance of the community by residents of European heritage to have begun on July 6 , 1776 when the Potawatomi Indians deeded the island to prominent Detroit merchants, brothers William and Alexander Macomb. Although the Potawatomi Indians, like most Native Americans, did not believe in the European legal concept of land ownership, they did consider the island to be part of their ancestral lands. The Potawatomi Indians called the island Kitcheminishen.
Historians assume that the Macomb brothers believed that by purchasing this deed through the transfer of items of value, they had in fact obtained full ownership rights. In any case, the Macomb brothers are considered to be the founders, and first legal owners, of Grosse Ile because the Potawatomis, and later the United States government, respected the Macombs' perceived rights to take possession of the island.
Today, recognition of the Macomb brothers' historical importance is found in numerous places in the community. The central business district of Grosse Ile is located along Macomb Street which was named in their honor. A monument commemorating the day that the tribal chiefs and elders signed the deed to the Macomb brothers is located near the shoreline of the Detroit River at the foot of Gray's Drive. The original deed, which was written on parchment, is currently stored in the Burton Historical Collection within the Detroit Public Library.
There are at least two homes still standing on the island that were built during the 19th century by a descendant or relative of the Macomb brothers. The Rucker-Stanton House on West River Road was built in 1848 by the great-grandson of William Macomb. The Wendell House on East River Road was built in the late 1860s by the John Wendell whom married the granddaughter of William Macomb.
Westcroft Gardens, a Michigan Centennial Farm located on West River Road, is operated to this day by descendants of the Macombs. Westcroft, which is open to the public, features a nursery well-known for growing and selling hybrid azaleas and rhododendrons.During the Halloween season they have haunted hay rides in the back of the farm called "Phantom Forest." In the winter and around the Christmas season they have Christmas hayrides which take you through the woods full of lights. Westcroft is one of the oldest farms in Michigan still owned by the same family. Most of the original buildings at Westcroft Gardens are still standing to this day and well preserved.
The flags of three nations - France, England, and the United States -- have flown over Grosse Ile since the first Europeans, French explorers, visited the island during the late 17th Century. The early French explorers named the island as la grosse ile -- the "big island" in French. The British, whose control of Michigan was established in 1763 after their victory in the French and Indian War, anglicized the spelling to Grosse Isle . This form was commonly used until early during the 20th Century when local residents succeeded in an effort to re-establish the French version as the official name of the community. To the dismay of historic preservationists and long-time residents, it is still common for the uninformed to mispronounce the name of the community.
Catholic priest and missionary Father Louis Hennepin accompanied fellow French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle on the ship Le Griffon in exploring the Great Lakes in 1679. The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Grosse Ile maintains that Father Hennepin came ashore and said mass at a location on the east shore of the island near the present site of St. Anne's Chapel. While there apparently is not written proof of this specific event, Father Hennepin did write in his journals about the fruit orchards and wild animals on Grosse Ile, so historians assume that, at the very least, he explored the island first-hand. The north end of Grosse Ile is named Hennepin Point in his honor.
Grosse Ile played a minor role in the founding of the City of Detroit by the French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. Cadillac and his convoy of 25 canoes sailed down the Detroit River and camped on the shore of Grosse Ile during the evening of July 23 , 1701 . On the morning of July 24 , Cadillac returned upriver and reached a spot on the shore near the present intersection of West Jefferson and Shelby streets in Detroit where he claimed French possession of the territory under the authority of King Louis XIV.
Although Grosse Ile maintained its own name and identity as a community beginning in the 1700s, it did not obtain status as an independent unit of government until October 27 , 1914 when the Wayne County Board of Supervisors agreed to separate the island from Monguagon Township. The first supervisor of Grosse Ile Township was Leonard H. Wilton.
Trenton Channel and boating
As an island, boating has been both a means of transportation and recreation since the first residents lived in thee community. Native Americans used canoes, to travel between Grosse Ile's islands and the mainland in Michigan and Canada. Early residents of European heritage primarily used sail powered vessels to travel to and from the islands. By the late 1800s Grosse Ile was known as a popular destination for recreational boaters. During this time period Sugar Island, which is one of the twelve islands commonly considered to comprise Grosse Ile, featured an amusement park, dance pavilion and bathing beach. Paddle steamers regularly carried people seeking recreation from Detroit and other points along the Michigan side of the Detroit River to Sugar Island.
During this era and into the early 20th Century, a number of wealthy residents from Detroit and other nearby towns built summer homes along the shoreline (mainly on the southern end) of Grosse Ile in order to enjoy views of the Detroit River or Lake Erie. The interior section of the island was sparsely populated as most of the land was undeveloped woodlands or part of farms. The residential population of Grosse Ile only totaled 802 during the 1920 U.S. Census. The majority of homes were located around the perimeter of the island and a number of main roads that crossed the community in either a north-south or east-west direction.
In 1894, the federal government funded and
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