How Belle Isle Looked in the Early 1900s

There have been numerous articles written about Belle Isle, and the amenities found there.....so to avoid repeating what has already been scribed, I’ll just give you a quick nutshell of its past...

The island was settled by the French in the 1700s, who dubbed it “Île aux Cochons”, translated as Hog Island. Why such an unsavory name? Because they used the island for their livestock – no pens, no fences – just allowed to roam free, wherever they wanted.

Another interesting note is the incarceration of U.S. prisoners of war during the Revolutionary War during the early 1780s.

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During the Fourth of July celebration in 1845, a public picnic was held on the island, where the people attending chose "Belle Isle" (beautiful island) as the new name of the island, named after Isabelle Cass, daughter of Governor Lewis Cass.

The City of Detroit purchased the island in 1879 and made it open to the public. Currently, Belle Isle is the largest city island park in the United States, covering 982 acres, putting New York’s Central Park to shame.

Okay, that’s it in a nutshell. The whole point of this article is to show you some old images of Belle Isle, from 1900 to 1935. Scroll down and have a look!