Ryan Road - How Named?

**Sunny5** · June-07-09, 09:08 AM

Does anyone out there know the origin of the name for Ryan Road, north of Detroit?

While we're at it, how about Hayes Road?

Thanks,
Larry

**dtowncitylover** · June-07-09, 10:10 AM

As for Hayes, perhaps because of Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes. Not sure about Ryan, though.

Bearinabox · June-07-09, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Sunny5

Does anyone out there know the origin of the name for Ryan Road, north of Detroit?

I'd imagine it's the same as the origin for Ryan Road in Detroit.

**EMG** · June-07-09, 11:22 AM

You mean it wasn't named after Irene Ryan, aka the Granny of the Beverly Hillbillies?

Just kidding.

While attempting to research this, I did come across a link which doesn't answer the question but which provides a lot of other interesting information nonetheless:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_Road_System_[[Detroit)

**FlyingJ** · June-07-09, 01:04 PM

I do know it's named for the ancestor of a formerly active DetroitYesser, if he can find his log-in info I'll have him post the genealogy

diver1369 · June-07-09, 01:09 PM

Along the same idea, what is the origin of the name Orion, for the township and the lake, but is pronounced differently from the constellation of the mythical Greek hunter?

**gazhekwe** · June-07-09, 01:42 PM

It is the Greek hunter, but here we have this tradition of pronouncing things like that.

Myo for Mio, Mikaydo for Mikado, Armayda for Armada, Neervayna for Nirvana. Those are all towns in Michigan with their local pronunciation.

I remembered some more: Cl eye o, for Clio, Nayma for Nahma.

**Ray1936** · June-07-09, 01:48 PM

Ryan road used to be a private road before the city tried to acquire it. There was a lot of sentiment into keeping it a privately-maintained road, and a grass-roots movement took place to prevent the road from becoming public.

They called it "Saving Private Ryan".

**Ed Golick** · June-07-09, 02:21 PM

Named for Count Scary himself, Tom Ryan.

diver1369 · June-07-09, 05:21 PM

thaynks gayzheykwey, thayt clayrifieyd it.

**cloud_wall** · June-07-09, 07:30 PM

Don't forget Mylan [[Milan).

I was hoping this site would help, but no luck on either of those roads:

http://www.geocities.com/histmich/streetname.html

**MrJones** · June-07-09, 07:38 PM

In checking this out in an 1878 atlas, I spotted a J. Ryan, 20 acre landowner along the road north of where Ryan runs into Conant.

Attachment 1603

The street labelled "Boulevard" is Davison.

**DetroitPlanner** · June-07-09, 09:16 PM

Dammit Ed you stole my answer!

**Sunny5** · June-07-09, 09:29 PM

Mr. Jones may be on the right track.

I know that this holds true for Schoenherr and Saal Road in Sterling Heights. But the J Ryan in that Atlas has only a minor plot of land. Does that Atlas tell anything more about him?

I have an 1875 Atlas of Macomb County that show members of the Conant family owning land on both sides of Ryan from 8 Mile all the way up to 12 Mile Road, so there has to be more to it than that.

**jtf1972** · June-07-09, 11:05 PM

Interesting mystery!

**MrJones** · June-07-09, 11:38 PM

Who knows? It could have been named Teffenbach Rd...

**Detroitnerd** · June-08-09, 09:45 AM

Maybe Ryan was one of the children of the original owner of the larger section? Anyway, Conant marks the end of the 10,000-acre tract [[1810s) and the beginning of the federally imposed grid, and prominent landowners, formally or informally, seemed to often endow main roads adjoining their farms with their family names [[think Brush Street). Good theory, Mr. Jones.

**Gingellgirl** · June-08-09, 03:19 PM

Love to hear the traffic reports on XM radio pronounce CAN-ton and Sa-SHAW-ba road.

**FlyingJ** · June-08-09, 11:05 PM

Okay, the DetroitYessir is a descendant of the guy who built & named Ryan Road, James Ryan. The potential DetroitWiki entry he came up with "He came from Ireland. He was the head engineer on the road and it was the longest wooden plank road ever built. To this day, they still pull up wood planks under the concrete when repairing it." I think that does lend creedence to being a private road, I meant to ask, but in his family all this talk of private, public & gov't involvement in Detroit are dirty words lately

**Detroitnerd** · June-09-09, 07:51 AM

Something seems a bit off there. I doubt Ryan was the longest plank road ever. Michigan Avenue was a famous plank road, and it ran all the way to Chicago, didn't it?

Anyway, until the 1910s, few roads were paved, especially county or state roads. Advocates of "good roads" would often build a mile or two of road just to show it could be done, but, as I understand it, few individuals had the resources to actually build roads. They were just trying to goad the government to get involved. So I wouldn't draw too many libertarian lessons from it.