Fighting Island is a 1,500-acre [[6.1 km2)
island in the Detroit River— the largest Canadian island in the river. It is part of the town of
LaSalle,
Ontario,
Canada, opposite
Wyandotte, Michigan and downriver from
Detroit, Michigan and
Windsor, Ontario.
Originally populated by
Native Americans, it was settled by the
French during the 18th century, and has had numerous owners since then. Native Americans named it
Fighting Island in the late 1700s, because they used it to attack passing
Britishprize fights were often held off the island. A number of attempts were later made to build a resort on the island, but all were unsuccessful. In 1918, the land was bought by John B. Ford of the
Michigan Alkali Company to treat the effluent produced by the company. Michigan Alkali Company became
Wyandotte Chemicals Corporation, which was subsequently bought by
BASF. Today, Fighting Island is privately owned by
BASF Corporation. A program is run on the island that is used by many area secondary and elementary schools to teach students about biology and ecology.
ships. In the late 19th century,