The Canals-what happened?

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Anyone have any pics of what the Canals look like now?

[sumas]

I am pretty sure the yacht shown was that of the Dodge brothers. Thank you for the correction, the store was on Korte. Lots of good historical info on this area in the old thread Paradise Lost and the original Garwood thread.

Here is a little something I wrote about the area history.

The General Aeroplane Company

The General Aeroplane Company was incorporated in February, 1915, creating Detroit first commercial airplane builder. It was the brainchild of 18 year old Corwin Van Husen who was backed by his guardian W. Howe Muir. Other major investors in this enterprise were Fred and Russell Alger, who also backed the Wright Brothers, Wm. Hendrie, Frank Book, Jerome H. Remick and likely William Scripps.

In November, 1915, G.A.C. hired Alfred Verville, an experienced airplane designer. The first bi-plane was built then tested in the spring of 1916 and advertised for sale that fall. The U.S. Navy purchased this design for use as a trainer plane making this the first Detroit built production plane to be sold for profit. With U.S. involvement in World War One eminent, Verville designed a military plane. The proto type crashed [[a total loss) when tested and had to be modified. A second plane designed, Verville and Van Husen took their plans to Washington. Van Husen claimed that they received an order for four planes. There is no record however that these planes were ever built much less delivered. Verville left G.A.C. to become an executive engineer for Fischer Body overseeing the construction of 100’s of Havilland DH-4 airplanes for the war effort. In 1918, General Aeroplane Company quietly closed it’s doors.

By 1907, the current configuration of the canals were almost complete. William C. Klenk applied the final touches creating two islands, now called Klenk and Harbour Island. With the 100 acres of property he bought from Hock, Klenk proceeded to subdivide, platt and sold house lots near the river with many on canals. Improvements were made to the canals by widening and dredging them, in part with public monies because at the time of platting the property, Klenk dedicated the canals to public use.

“Issue over public access to the canals and Fox Creek came to the fore in 1914, in the State of Michigan Supreme Court case of Lapire v. Klenk. This case pitted John B. Lapire, a resident of the community and recreational boater, against William C. Klenk…In the case, Lapire appealed to the court to have Klenk restrained from blocking the canals after Klenk sank a barge in either canal or Fox Creek to keep people from boating by.”
The court sided with Lapire. This opinion was later affirmed by John D. O’Hair, legal council to Detroit City Council in 1959 when residents petitioned the Common Council to maintain the canals as public thoroughfares. It is likely that Klenk was responsible, prior to the suit, for the landfill of a canal that ran east and west connecting Fox Creek to Connor Creek.

[sumas]

Several years ago, I and a historic organization I belong to, petitioned the City of Detroit to make the riverfront parks desiginated as historic. They lost the petition! They somehow found it again in early 2009 and it is supposedly is in the system somewhere now. If folks are interested, I could break up the info, into segments since it is too lengthy to post in its entirety.

[Eastside]

Anyone have any pics of what the Canals look like now?

Go to post #62 in this thread and check out the photos in the blog.

[RickBeall]

I visited the canals around Scripts, Harbor Island St, and Klenk on Saturday. I forgot my camera though. I had never seen the area before. It's pretty interesting. It looks like a couple blocks of residentail housing platted out in the 1930's, where they have canals instead of alleys.

There is some falling down housing in nearby areas, there is also some beautiful old housing still holding its own, just being nibbled at by decay in the neighborhood. There are also new gated communities surrounded by fences. I also visited some beautiful riverfront parks that the city cannot care for properly, and the people who use them treat like a garbage dump.

Ford Park is huge and you could tell it was beautiful and stately at one time. I really liked Maheras Park, especially the fishing pond with the natural stone steps leading down to the water and the island with the two walking bridges leading to it. The fish pond area is architected beautifully, but the people who use it throw trash everywhere. The city pretty much is keeping it mowed except for the island. Beautiful spot, right on the Detroit River.

South of that area, between Fox creek and Windmill Pointe Lighthouse, there is an abandoned subdivision. I did not actually see it on my trip, but I see it on google maps. It looks like old foundations and the remains of roads. Does anyone know the story of that area? Or is that the old Trailer park area?

The Scripts/Klenk area is not exactly Venice, but it seems like it could be the set for a movie. I bet the area is more more interesting from the water side, as opposed to the street side that I visited.

[nat]

Rick, that subdivision I believe you are talking about is the row of lots on Lenox, down the road from the Lawrence P. Fisher Mansion, and across from Grayhaven Island. It was a developer's collapse from what I have been told. They went in, cut all the trees down, cleared the land, laid down the foundations and then went bankrupt, so there they sit. I am currently taking "Learn to Row" classes given by the Detroit Womens Rowing Association which keeps its boats in the boathouse at the Fisher Mansion [[now called the Bhaktivedanta Cultural Center and owned by thee Hare Kirishna Movement). It's pretty cool going gown there a couple of times a week.

[EASTSIDE CAT 67-83]

When I was a teenager back in the mid 70's I would hunt for and dig up old bottles along the banks of the canal from Angel park facing Harbor Island, these bottles were from the very early 1900's up through the 50's. There was also an extensive amount of broken mason jars, carnival glass, and mixed pottery dinnerware. if you look at aerial shots of the park from the 40's etc you can see that there were boat slips that went around the banks on all 3 sides [[Lakewood, Harbor is and Klenk is), this was changed sometime in the late sixties and all the boat slips were removed. My guess is that the park was land filled during the original construction of the canal network explaining the variation of type and age of the bottles and pottery I found. I still have the collection of bottles I found some 35 years ago that I lugged home from the park when I lived on Chalmers. To this day if you walk the banks of Alter park facing Harbor Is you can still find old bottles poking up from the mud.

[black gold man]

I looked through this thread and the pic dates maybe 1916.
And i add this http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=219
BGM

[p69rrh51]

I looked through this thread and the pic dates maybe 1916.
And i add this http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=219
BGM

The picture of Windmill Pointe Park is from 1922 or 1923 the home in the background is most likely 529 Lakpointe built in 1922 the homes that surround 529 were built in 1930 or after, plus the homes along Windmill Pointe Drive started popping up around 1924.

[j to the jeremy]

Hey, if you can't criticize the content of what someone says, go after the grammer.

And, if you can't criticize the grammar, go after the content!

[xdet]

I am pretty sure the yacht shown was that of the Dodge brothers. Thank you for the correction, the store was on Korte. Lots of good historical info on this area in the old thread Paradise Lost and the original Garwood thread.

Here is a little something I wrote about the area history.

The General Aeroplane Company

The General Aeroplane Company was incorporated in February, 1915, creating Detroit first commercial airplane builder. It was the brainchild of 18 year old Corwin Van Husen who was backed by his guardian W. Howe Muir. Other major investors in this enterprise were Fred and Russell Alger, who also backed the Wright Brothers, Wm. Hendrie, Frank Book, Jerome H. Remick and likely William Scripps.

In November, 1915, G.A.C. hired Alfred Verville, an experienced airplane designer. The first bi-plane was built then tested in the spring of 1916 and advertised for sale that fall. The U.S. Navy purchased this design for use as a trainer plane making this the first Detroit built production plane to be sold for profit. With U.S. involvement in World War One eminent, Verville designed a military plane. The proto type crashed [[a total loss) when tested and had to be modified. A second plane designed, Verville and Van Husen took their plans to Washington. Van Husen claimed that they received an order for four planes. There is no record however that these planes were ever built much less delivered. Verville left G.A.C. to become an executive engineer for Fischer Body overseeing the construction of 100’s of Havilland DH-4 airplanes for the war effort. In 1918, General Aeroplane Company quietly closed it’s doors.

By 1907, the current configuration of the canals were almost complete. William C. Klenk applied the final touches creating two islands, now called Klenk and Harbour Island. With the 100 acres of property he bought from Hock, Klenk proceeded to subdivide, platt and sold house lots near the river with many on canals. Improvements were made to the canals by widening and dredging them, in part with public monies because at the time of platting the property, Klenk dedicated the canals to public use.

“Issue over public access to the canals and Fox Creek came to the fore in 1914, in the State of Michigan Supreme Court case of Lapire v. Klenk. This case pitted John B. Lapire, a resident of the community and recreational boater, against William C. Klenk…In the case, Lapire appealed to the court to have Klenk restrained from blocking the canals after Klenk sank a barge in either canal or Fox Creek to keep people from boating by.”
The court sided with Lapire. This opinion was later affirmed by John D. O’Hair, legal council to Detroit City Council in 1959 when residents petitioned the Common Council to maintain the canals as public thoroughfares. It is likely that Klenk was responsible, prior to the suit, for the landfill of a canal that ran east and west connecting Fox Creek to Connor Creek.

Wow, going way back but just found this! My grandfather worked on some of General Aeroplane Company seaplanes. I have two pictures of them.

The first one shows it clearly to be Windmill Point, a crop of that one.

[xdet]

Here is the photo in the sequence I mentioned in an earlier post today. Descripton of the photo reads, "Michigan; Windmill Pointe; Aerial View Old Detroit Motorboat Club." Well, neither the DMBC nor is Windmill Point in view, but it is part of a sequence of photos that preceded the three shown above.

I have to assume it is along the shoreline either just down river from Windmill Point.

Anybody know about the aircraft? Been wondering about it since I first saw this photo in 2005.

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...ND-3%5D43731_3

Would you be referring to the General Aeroplane Company? My grandfather worked on the first seaplanes built there [[and in Detroit period). Sorry to be ten years late but...

[Metro25]

Wow this thread is old.

I was about to comment on how there's plenty of great areas and homes around the canals but then I saw the date.

[pjbear05]

Hey, if you can't criticize the content of what someone says, go after the grammer.

Hey, my grammer was a nice lady, keep her out of this.

[RaumVogel]

I can't find a search feature for this site.So I'll post this link here.
I couldn't find the Gar wood thread. https://www.freep.com/story/entertai...rock/16656413/

[Honky Tonk]

I can't find a search feature for this site.So I'll post this link here.
I couldn't find the Gar wood thread. https://www.freep.com/story/entertai...rock/16656413/

RV, the Garwood thread is under the "Connections" heading. You might want to paste it there too. I'm sure they'll get a kick out of it.

[Jimaz]

I can't find a search feature for this site.So I'll post this link here.
I couldn't find the Gar wood thread. https://www.freep.com/story/entertai...rock/16656413/

There's a [[rather confusing) search engine at the bottom of the page here:
DETROITYES NAVIGATION » Search Forums

I'm guessing you were looking for this thread:
DetroitYES Forums » Detroit Connections » Garwood Mansion

[RaumVogel]

RV, the Garwood thread is under the "Connections" heading. You might want to paste it there too. I'm sure they'll get a kick out of it.

Thanks,will do.

[RaumVogel]

Thanks,Jimaz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-HXAT5OwuQ

[ParisianLesion]

Hey, my grammer was a nice lady, keep her out of this.

Yeah, but she couldn't spell worth beens.