  Edpritch Member Username: Edpritch Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2007 |
There is a shallow area in the Detroit River between DYC and the Mayor's house called Scott's Middle Ground. Does anyone know how it came to be named as such? | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 127 Registered: 07-2005 |
Yes there is. This is from a 1907 Navigation Map: http://txqa.com/img/belleisle. jpg I do not know how it got its name. | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 3692 Registered: 10-2003 |
COuld it be becuase it sits between Belle Isle and the Mainland? Aside from that I dont know where the Scott part would come from unless it has ties to James Scott who has a fountain on the island... | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 128 Registered: 07-2005 |
From the Army Corps of Engineers: The Detroit River is about 32 miles long from its head at the Windmill Point Light to its mouth at the Detroit River Light in Lake Erie. The fall in water level from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie, about three feet. The river is characterized by two distinct reaches. The upper reach extends downstream from Lake St. Clair to the head of Fighting Island, about 13 miles. As water flows out of Lake St. Clair, it divides as it passes Peach (Peche) Island. The channels on both sides of this island are relatively deep, but the main navigation channel from Lake St. Clair lies north of this island. Just below Peach Island lies Belle Isle. The main river channel, the Fleming Channel, runs to the south of this island. The channel north of Belle Isle is divided by the Scott Middle Ground, over which depths vary from 1 to 6 feet. The channels on either side of the Scott Middle Ground are quite deep (19 to 30 feet), but are only used by small craft. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 3495 Registered: 08-2004 |
Wow, interesting to see how the island has changed in the last century. The shape hardly looks the same. Talk about a lot of infill! If the island has 987 acres today, it must only have had about 600 acres back then. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1369 Registered: 04-2005 |
Belle Isle is where the dirt from the freeway construction went. There is a lot of old city hall and other building dumped as fill. | ||
Harsensis Member Username: Harsensis Post Number: 140 Registered: 07-2005 |
The old city hall was dumped in Lake St Clair off of 11 mile road. I have some newspaper clippings from the Detroit News that talk about the removal of City Hall. I often think about that when ever I hear about a church being found in the lake off St Clair Shores. | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 460 Registered: 05-2006 |
Not to threadjack, but Harsenis or anyone else, any info on a cemetary underwater around 11 Mile and Jefferson? I had a friend once who told me that when the lake was low a few years back, you could see the grave stones above water. Any info? | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 499 Registered: 12-2005 |
Detroitej72 & Harsenis, Here is a Lake St. Clair forum thread from 2004 about the submerged St. Felicity church and cemetery which also includes a scan of a Macomb Daily article on the subject. | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 462 Registered: 05-2006 |
Thanks Mikeg, I should have known DY would help unlock the search! | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1271 Registered: 12-2004 |
Wait...so, there is ground 1 ft below the water in the river on Scott's middle ground? So, I could go stand on that ground and be 4 feet 8 inches above water, if only I could with stand the current and presently bone chilling cold of the river? | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 334 Registered: 10-2006 |
Doubt that the current would sweep you under in one foot deep water. Someone needs to try this out in the spring. You would think that if parts of it were only a foot deep that that would show up in aerial photos versus the parts that are much deeper. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 335 Registered: 10-2006 |
Meant to put these in the last post. Anyway, apparently not all of the old city hall made it into our rivers and shores... http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216114039/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216096188/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216096183/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216096180/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216096186/ I think that I like the last one the best because it looks like ancient ruins in a tropical rainforest or something... | ||
Dds Member Username: Dds Post Number: 113 Registered: 10-2006 |
I would have to assume that it's named after James Scott. | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1274 Registered: 12-2004 |
Charlottepaul, Have you considered contacting the historical museum again, now that the city has sort of disowned it? It seems more responsive now. Anyways, these are certainly the types of treasures they should maintain. 1953 | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 341 Registered: 10-2006 |
To be quite honest I hadn't. I actually just found those pics on flickr.com when searching for pics of Detroit. I am actually sort of surprised that there is really any pieces of the bldg left. What might be the best way to notify them? On the web pages where the photographer posted his photos, he said that they are on the grounds of Fort Wayne, so my guess would be that the City and/or the Historical Museum would have to already know that they are there. Perhaps there could be a way to encourage them to do something more with them, maybe? | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 3506 Registered: 08-2004 |
Thanks for all the info folks! What is kinda funny.... is how little of Belle Isle was actually landscape designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead (also designed Central Park). At most, probably 50-60% (and who knows how much of the island design of the late 1800's survives). One thing appears certain... Central Ave. and Inselruhe Ave. ("island tranquility or calm" in German) are of his design. | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 3704 Registered: 10-2003 |
You can see the high ground if you look at Belle Isle on Google Earth... That's concrete evidence that it actually was once connected to the mainland centuries ago... | ||
Edpritch Member Username: Edpritch Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2007 |
My understanding is that James Scott and the fountain brewhaha was from 1910 to 1913 and the navigational charts reflecting Scotts Middle Ground in 1907 would preclude naming for this apparently early Detroit ner-do-well. It would also shoot down the theory that a bootlegger named Scott ran aground there during prohibition, but that might make a good story line. Anyone recall any Scotts involved with the Navy or shipping from Civil War to 1900's? | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 516 Registered: 12-2005 |
Prior to the Civil War, there was a State Militia company organized in Detroit that was named the "Scott Guards". The Detroit Scott Guards were first organized by, J. V. Ruehle, Jr., in 1840, who became its first Captain. During the Civil War, the Detroit Scott Guards were reorganized and became Company A, Michigan 2nd Infantry. Because Michigan was on the Canadian border, it was continually threatened with invasion by rebels who had found refuge in Canada and were encouraged by the Confederate government to raid the northern states. During the time of these threatened raids, Michigan relied on the following forces to defend its borders against any hostile demonstration: six companies of the Second Regiment Veteran Reserve Corps, three companies of the State Troops, the Scott Guard, Detroit Light Guard, and Lyon Guard, with a section of light artillery. [source] Col. August Goebel was the most prominent member of the Scott Guards. Old-timers will remember him as the founder of Goebel Brewery, which satisfied thirsty Detroiters and Michiganians from 1873 until 1964 (except for the Prohibition years). Col. Frederick Schneider, who was educated in Detroit, was another officer in the Detroit Scott Guards who became a successful businessman in Lansing after the Civil War. |
