Beautiful Belle Isle: Detroit’s Unique Urban Park
New Michigan Sea Grant book offers a self-guided tour of 22 Belle Isle locations, their stories and history.
October 3, 2018 - Author: Mary Bohling, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University Extension
Belle Isle Park is a beautiful island park in the Detroit River – and one of my favorite places. The island is owned by the City of Detroit and managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a state park. The island also has a lot of history and interesting stories to tell:
- Did you know that the island was once known as Pig or Hog Island, as early settlers used to bring their hogs out to the island for the summer?
- Did you know that Belle Isle Aquarium is the oldest public aquarium in North America?
- Did you know that the Art Deco lighthouse on the island was designed by well-known Detroit architect Albert Kahn and has been lit since it began operating in 1930?
A book is born
For several years I gave tours around the island using information gleaned from a variety of sources. Those tours included colorful stories of rumored Speakeasies and prominent Detroiters, architectural roots of various buildings and habitat restoration projects I have assisted with. I soon realized that I either needed to make giving tours a full-time job or find a different way to share this information! I decided I couldn’t give up my day job as a Michigan State University Extension educator with Michigan Sea Grant -- thus came this book, “Beautiful Belle Isle: Detroit’s Unique Urban Park.”
Guidebook features 22 sites
This self-guided tour book features 22 sites of historical, cultural and ecological significance on the island. Readers can learn history and stories about this beautiful 982-acre park located between the United States and Canada. The guidebook reveals the unique aspects of how the island has evolved over time, from early English settlement to the connection to New York’s Central Park and today as Michigan’s 102nd State Park.
Many people contributed photos, content, editing, design and much more to make this guidebook a reality. Printing of the book was funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The book will be available to use with bike and kayak rentals at the island and is printed on water resistant paper. It is also available for purchase on the Michigan Sea Grant website for $12. Hopefully by using this guidebook, visitors will come to love the history, stories and the island as much as I do.
Michigan Sea Grant helps to foster economic growth and protect Michigan’s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research and outreach. A collaborative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University and its MSU Extension, Michigan Sea Grant is part of the NOAA-National Sea Grant network of 33 university-based programs.
Finance assistance for this project was provided, in part, by the US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, through a grant from the under the Department of the Interior (DOI). The Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number is G13AC00085.
