Belle Isle (Michigan)
| Belle Isle Park | |
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James Scott Memorial Fountain, with the Belle Isle Casino in the background
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| Type | State park |
| Location |
Detroit, Michigan United States
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| Coordinates | 42°20′25″N 82°59′12″W / 42.34028°N 82.98667°WCoordinates: 42°20′25″N 82°59′12″W / 42.34028°N 82.98667°W |
| Area | 982 acres (397 ha) |
| Created | 1845 (2014 as a state park) |
| Operated by | State of Michigan |
| Website | Official website |
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Belle Isle
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| Location | Detroit River |
| Architect | Frederick Law Olmsted |
| NRHP Reference # | 74000999 |
| Added to NRHP | February 25, 1974 |
Belle Isle, officially Belle Isle Park, is a 982-acre (1.534 sq mi; 397 ha) island park in the Detroit River, between the United States mainland and Canada. Owned by the City of Detroit, it is managed as a state park by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources through a 30-year lease initiated in 2013. Belle Isle is the largest city-owned island park in the United States and is the third largest island in the Detroit River after Grosse Ile and Fighting Island. It is connected to mainland Detroit by the MacArthur Bridge.
The island is home to the Belle Isle Aquarium, the Belle Isle Conservatory, the Belle Isle Nature Zoo, the Detroit Yacht Club on an adjacent island, the James Scott Memorial Fountain, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, a Coast Guard station, a municipal golf course and numerous monuments. It also previously housed a Nature Center where visitors were able to traverse wooded trails and view wildlife natural habitats, a former Belle Isle Zoo, riding stables and the Detroit Boat Club. The island includes a half-mile (800 m) swimming beach.
The island was settled by French colonists in the 18th century, who named it Île aux Cochons (Hog Island). The Island was once the estate of General Alexander Macomb, Jr., whose monument stands in the Washington Boulevard Historic District in downtown Detroit. On July 4, 1845, a historic picnic party was held on the island to change the name to “Belle Isle” in honor of Miss Isabelle Cass, the daughter of then Governor (General) Lewis Cass. Belle Isle literally means "beautiful island" in French. It is misspelled according to contemporary French rules, however, and should be Belle Île.
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Wikipedia