place

Sugar Island (Detroit River)

Islands of Wayne County, MichiganIslands of the Detroit RiverRiver islands of MichiganSoutheast Michigan geography stubsUninhabited islands of Michigan
NASA Worldwind, USGS imagery map, Sugar Island, Michigan
NASA Worldwind, USGS imagery map, Sugar Island, Michigan

Sugar Island is a small island in the Detroit River between Grosse Ile and Boblo Island. Sugar Island is part of Grosse Ile Township, Wayne County, Michigan, United States, and lies about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) west of the border with Canada. Currently the island is uninhabited and was recently converted to a wildlife refuge by the US Fish and Wildlife service (see below). The majority of the island is wooded and it is known for its white sandy beaches and easy access by boat. In the early part of the 20th century (c. 1900-1940), Sugar Island was the site of a resort park and large dance pavilion. Access to the island was by steam ferry, including the SS Tashmoo. Tashmoo met her fate on the night of June 18, 1936 while departing Sugar Island she struck a rock. She was able to land her passengers in Amherstburg, Ontario before sinking.For many years Sugar island was held in private ownership with plans to build a bridge and residential housing on the island. There were objections to this plan, mainly by environmental groups, as the island is a resting point for many species of migratory birds. The island was recently purchased by the US Fish and Wildlife service for $434,100 and will be made into a wildlife refuge.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Sugar Island (Detroit River) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Sugar Island (Detroit River)

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Sugar Island (Detroit River)Continue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 42.091388888889 ° E -83.144166666667 °
placeShow on map

Address

Grosse Ile Township


48138
Michigan, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

NASA Worldwind, USGS imagery map, Sugar Island, Michigan
NASA Worldwind, USGS imagery map, Sugar Island, Michigan
Share experience

Nearby Places

Powder House Island
Powder House Island

Powder House Island (also known as Dynamite Island) is an artificial island on the lower Detroit River in southeast Michigan, directly adjacent to the Canada–United States border. It was constructed in the late 1880s by the Dunbar & Sullivan Company to store explosives during their dredging of the Livingstone Channel. It was constructed in a successful attempt to circumvent an 1880 court order forbidding the company to store explosives on nearby Fox Island. Powder House Island was the location of dynamite storage sheds, as well as a dynamite factory and several ice houses. During this time, it was the site of a series of accidents, including fires in 1895 and 1919 (which both burned the island "to the water's edge"). Twenty short tons (18,000 kg) of the island's dynamite exploded in 1906 after two men "had been shooting with a revolver" near it; while there were no deaths (and only minor injuries to the two men), windows were shattered 3 mi (4.8 km) away and the explosion was clearly audible from 85 mi (137 km) away. After the completion of the Livingstone Channel in 1912, the island continued to be used for storing explosives, including during later projects to deepen the channel in the 1930s. By the 1980s it was completely unused, and by 2015 the island was owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, managed by its Wildlife Division as part of the Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, and accessible to the public for hunting.