The Amazing, Compelling, Stupendous Story of Lucky Place
You take I-94 through Detroit's east side much, you've probably noticed a road on an overpass called Lucky Place. It's a short road - a cul de sac and the overpass, connecting to another road inside the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly. Given the dreariness of that particular section of the east side, it always struck me as unintentional gallows humor.
So, why is it called Lucky Place?
Legend has it that the street got its name after a bunch of people bought lottery tickets from the nearby Chene-Trombley Market at some point and hit the jackpot. Occasionally the story deviates a bit, but that's basically what gets passed along.
It's cute, and I wanted to believe it, but after a little research, the story turns out to be improbable.
The area in question was platted, I quickly discovered, in 1901. It was a portion of Maurice Moran's old farm [[the Morans owned quite a bit of property in that area) and was subdivided by the Goodrichs as a "present" to the public, although I'm foggy as to how all that actually worked out. But that's not so important - notice instead, if you will, the street Lucky Place, placed smack dab in the middle of the map!: http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/platmaps...SUBINDEX=11147 .
So there's proof that the name Lucky Place goes back to at least 1901. At that time, lotteries and even gambling were illegal in the area, and would be for decades. Not that a few laws ever stopped people from betting money in the underground, but that basically rules out the winning lotto ticket myth.
Also, I'm pretty sure Chene-Trombley Market didn't exist then, either. Though I haven't been able to figure out when it opened, a government paper on Poletown published in 1981 dated the market as "over 50" years old, which suggests a '20s genesis for the store. Which would make sense, since that's when most of the development in Poletown happened.
So, it would appear that Lucky Place is, in fact, a mystery. Maybe the Goodrichs thought it was clever. Hell, if I know, and I doubt anyone ever will.
