September 7, 2023
Detroit and Toledo
We are leaving Grass Lake for good today as we head home to Louisville, KY. After loading up our bikes and gear, we head out on another cloudy day towards Detroit but this time taking the I96 freeway instead of the I94 that we took yesterday.
Later in the day it would later rain so we really got lucky over the last 12 days with the weather.
Once reaching Detroit, we drove part way over the Detroit River on the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle, an island in the middle of the Detroit River. Driving to the north end, we unloaded our bikes and rode the short distance to the William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse.
William Livingstone started a shipping business in 1865 and founded the Michigan Navigational Company in 1880. In April 1900, he became president of Dime Savings Bank, a position he held until October 17, 1925, when he died in his office at the bank building. From 1902 he held the position of president of the Lake Carriers’ Association. In this role, he accomplished a number of major upgrades to shipping on the Great Lakes.
As a tribute to William Livingstone, a memorial lighthouse was built at the east end of Belle Isle Park and dedicated October 13, 1930.
Belle Isle Lighthouse
A lighthouse was built on Belle Isle in 1881 and placed in operation for the first time on May 15, 1882.
The light was automated in 1930 and the Detroit superintendent of the Lighthouse Service lived in the lighthouse until 1940, when the dwelling was abandoned.
In 1935, Belle Isle Light was transferred from the lighthouse to a nearby combined flagpole and light mast as trees were starting to obscure the light.
The lighthouse was demolished in 1941 to make room for a Coast Guard station. In 1943, the light was transferred to the Coast Guard station’s new brick lookout tower.
After riding back to our parked car, we drove to the other end of the island to visit the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, which housed an interesting collection of Detroit's maritime history. With the Detroit Harbor being the busiest on the Great Lakes, there were a number of great exhibits including the S.S. William Clay Ford Pilot House and the restored Gothic Room from the S.S. City of Detroit III.
A fascinating piece of history is the Ford Motor Company had a fleet of huge bulk carriers that carried iron ore from Ford mines in Michigan and Minnesota to the Ford steel mills at the Rouge River in Dearborn where the ore was transformed into steel with heat supplied by coal from Ford mines in Kentucky.
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After our visit to the museum we drove back into Detroit along the waterfront where I found the old Detroit Lighthouse Depot.
Detroit Lighthouse Depot
Lighthouse depots where used in the 19th century to store and then distribute oil, coal, wicks, lamps, buoys, and other supplies that were needed to maintain lighthouses in the surrounding area.
Construction of the Detroit depot started in 1871 and was completed 3 years later.
It was part of the U.S. Coast Guard Detroit Headquarters until recently, when the U.S. Government transferred ownership to the City of Detroit. Its future use remains unknown.
Leaving Detroit, we drove south on I75 until we reached the River Raisin National Battlefield Park. We took in a riveting video regarding the battle. Rather a solemn story that eventually forced the native tribes of the area off their land.
Driving through Toledo I wanted to find 2 lighthouses I had missed while on a cycling trip I had in Toledo.
See my journal
The Manhattan Range Lighthouses.
Our last visit of the day was Fallen Timbers Battlefield National Monument which consists of three areas, Fallen Timbers Battlefield, Fallen Timbers Monument and Fort Miamis.
The Battle of Fallen Timbers, in August 20, 1794. The victory by the Legion of the United States over a confederacy of Indian tribes opened the Northwest Territory.
The Fallen Timbers Battlefield had a interpretive walkway but the visitors center was not open, however we did find a NPS stamp in a box.
The Fallen Timbers Monument area had a monument listing the American solders but only listed the Indian tribes involved.
We also drove over to Fort Miamis but it was closed. This British fort played a part in both the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the war of 1812.
As the weather had really packed in for a wet night we caved in and abandoned our idea of camping at a State Park. We hit the freeway and managed to get as far as Lima and found a hotel.
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