Ecorse Township, Michigan

Ecorse Township is a defunct civil township in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan.

The township consisted of 54 mi² (140 km²), which included two small islands in the Detroit River. It was bordered to the north by Springwells Township with the boundary being the River Rouge. To the west it was bordered by Dearborn and Taylor Townships, with the primary boundary being Pelham Road. To the south it was bordered by Monguagon Township, and a small part of Brownstown Township, with the primary boundary being Pennsylvania Road. Finally, to the east, it was bordered by the Detroit River.

Organized in 1827, the entire township has since been incorporated, and includes the cities of Melvindale, Allen Park, Lincoln Park, River Rouge, Ecorse, Southgate, Wyandotte, and the Boynton and Oakwood Heights neighborhoods of Detroit.

Although French explorers, missionaries, and traders frequented the area, the first existing record of a white settler owning land dates to 1776, when the Pottawatomi ceded a large tract of land to Pierre St. Cosme. One boundary of the ceded land came to be known as "St. Cosme Line" and later became part of the route of Southfield Road. In the late 18th century, many land grants in the area were awarded by the French crown.

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