Belle Isle in Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
History of the Canals
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, September 15, 2022
1. History of the Canals Marker
The City of Detroit purchased Belle lsle in 1879, with the intention of turning the former livestock range and private estate into a park. Frederick Low Olmstead, the landscape architect best known for designing New York's Central Park, was hired to develop an initial plan for the island. Construction of the canal system began in 1883. Lake Takoma and Lake Okonoka were created a little over five years later. The canal system was finished with the completion of the Sylvan Canal in 1910.
Map Locations:
1. Lagoon
2. Lake Takoma
3. Lake Muscoday
4. Blue Heron Lagoon
5. Lake Okonoka
6. Loop Canal
7. Sylvan Canal
8. Nashuo Canal
Blue Heron Logoon was completed in 1930 as part of an eastward expansion of the island. The lagoon's connection to the Detroit River was restored in 2014 by The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Project.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 42° 20.151′ N, 82° 59.076′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in Belle Isle. It is on Inselruhe Avenue north of The Strand, on the right when traveling south
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald (about 400 feet away); War of 1812 Cannons (about 400 feet away); Perry's Victory (about 400 feet away); Japanese Stone Lantern (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald (about 500 feet away); Flag Pole (about 500 feet away); S.S. William Clay Ford / U.S.S. Yantic (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Detroit.
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, September 15, 2022
2. Canals
Looking west toward Lake Tacoma
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, September 15, 2022
3. History of the Canals Marker
Photographed by James Notman, 1893
4. Frederick Law Olmsted
Olmsted designed the canal system on Belle Isle in Detroit as well as Central Park in Manhattan.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 11, 2022, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 3,047 times since then and 183 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 11, 2022, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
