Belle is a French word and means beautiful. One of its former names was Pig or Hog Island or Aux Cochon {French}. This is because the Ottawas and Ojibwa Indians {Native Americans} stored chickens and pigs on the island to keep them from coyotes and wolves, that lived on the mainland.
During Chief Pontiac the Ottawa, siege of Detroit from the British, many Native America culture sites where destroyed during the battles starting in 1763- 1765.
In 1768 King George III of England gave his general George McDougall permission to buy the isle, and kick of all residents off the isle and make it his private estate!
For about the next 80 years many people and families would own and live on the isle as their private land.
Around 1845 the park slowly started becoming a public place, with the friends of the families visiting the isle.
It wasn't until around the 1880s the park would become a public park again. Fredrick Law Olmsted, a park designer, began designing Belle Isle to becoming the park we know of today!
Albert Kahn later design other attractions on the isle.
During World War II, the U.S. military used Belle Isle as a staging {practice} for the invasion of Iwo Jima island in the South Pacific.
Belle Isle is the largest island within a cities limits in the United States. It is 982 acres, and is Detroit first city park!
Today many residents use the park for recreational use, swimming, fishing and bird watching. It is also very popular to young lovers whom walk holding hands along many of the isle water ways, canals and the Detroit river!
Love Detroit, she needs you!
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