The Chronicle
Algonac-Clay Township Historical Society
Summer 1996 - Volume 1 - Issue 2

THE CHRONICLE is a new project being undertaken by the Algonac-Clay Township Historical Society. Our plans are to distribute each issue free to the general public, through the local merchants, every three months; probably in March, June, September and December. The main article in each issue will be a historical or local interest topic. We hope you find it interesting, enjoyable and will look forward to it as new issues are distributed. We plan, at this time, to distribute 2000 copies of each issue; therefore, we ask that you loan your copy of The Chronicle to relatives and friends so a greater number of people will have the opportunity to read it.

HARSENS ISLAND AND THE FLATS

The Harsens Island, St. Clair Flats, Algonac and Mainland Clay Township area is considered one of the largest fresh water deltas in the world. This delta also extends into Canada to the southeast. It is a unique area in that it is comprised of several major waterways. The St. Clair River, the North, South, Middle and Sni Bora Channels. There are numerous smaller channels , cuts , bays and water highways called the Big and Little Muscamoot, Goose, Baltimore, Fisher, Maybury, etc., and natural and dredged canals and ditches. Some waterways are navigable and some are not. The largest islands in the American portion of this delta are Harsens Island and Dickinson Island (formerly known as Laughton, then Stromness). There are several strings of small islands that extend from the large islands. This area is known as the St. Clair Flats. For years the delta has been called the Venice of America.

Early missionaries and explorers called the lower St. Clair River area The Great Green Meadows. The land through which the river flows is level, so level that a traveler wrote over 100 years ago, “another barrel of water would overflow the fields.”

An unusual natural feature is that the delta was formed by the St. Clair River. One would think that the silt would be deposited by Lake St. Clair, since the river is its outlet. However, geological investigation proves that the deposit of fine sand and clay is derived by the action of waves on the shores of Lake Huron and river tributaries and from the St. Clair River itself, instead of Lake St. Clair, as would be expected.

The earliest settlers in the area were, as far as known, the aboriginal Indians.

The earliest industry on the delta, the Harsens Island, St. Clair Flats area, was fur trading between the French and Indians. As early as 1615 Frenchmen had come to the shores of the St. Clair River, then known as the River Huron, to trade for the fine furs

 

trapped by the Indian tribes.

Harsens Island later became British territory. The dividing line ran along the North Channel, but a later survey moved the line to the South Channel and gave it to the United States. This area has been under the control of France, Great Britain and the United States.

Harsens Island , the largest island on the delta, was named after Jacob Harsen, a gunsmith, who arrived there about 1778. He purchased the island from the Indians (the story of the payments and the 990 year term will be covered in a future issue). Isaac Gravereat, Harsen’s son in law, came with him. Gravereat died shortly after arriving, leaving his wife and four children with Harsen’s family of 5 sons, Bernard, James, Francis, William and Jacob II and 2 daughters, Mary and Sarah. These families were the first white settlers between Detroit and Mackinac.

Tragedy struck the Harsens a short time after their arrival on the island. Jacob Harsen was Lutheran and would not permit hunting on the Sabbath. His oldest son, Bernard, could not resist the impulse to shoot some ducks that came one Sunday morning and settled on the shore near the house. He aimed and fired, but the powder flashed in the pan of the flintlock gun and did not go off. He turned and ran into the house to prime it and the butt of the gun struck the door and discharged. Bernard’s seven year old niece, Mary Gravereat, received a blast in her arm and although she was taken to a doctor in Detroit, the arm had to be amputated. In 1814, Mary became the second wife of Harvey Stewart and they had four children, Garrit, Albert, Jane and Sarah.

The worst tragedy occurred on August 3, 1802, while Moravian missionaries Denke and Schnall were at the home of Mrs. Harsen, whose husband, Jacob, died two or three years before. Denke had come to the island to confer with the Chippewa Indians about founding a mission among them. Schnall arrived from the Moravian village on the Thames on August 2nd. Mrs. Harsen, on the night of August 3rd, prepared beds for them on the floor. Near by, stood Bernard Harsen and his sister, the widow Gravereat. In the empty fireplace was a keg of gunpowder from which several pounds had been weighed out; probably some had spilled on the hearth. A spark from Denke’s pipe or a candle set fire to it. The resulting explosion injured Bernard and Mrs. Gravereat so severely that they later died. The rest of the occupants of the house were not seriously harmed and recovered from their injuries.

It was about 10 years later that another Harsen met a violent death. James Harsen had gone to trade with the Indians at Big Bear Creek (now the Sydenham). James was about to enter a cabin occupied by a man named John Riley, from Riley Township, St. Clair County. Riley had a belligerent disposition when under the influence of alcohol, which was often. James stooped to enter the doorway and Riley fired his rifle, the ball entering his eye. James lived for nearly six months before dying at his home on the island.

A survey of the island was made after the deaths of Bernard and Mrs. Gravereat. The survey divided the island into five parts, approximately 640 acres each, a part for each of Jacob Harsen’s surviving children. The four parts were sold off in various acreage sizes through the years including parts of the homestead acreage. A map in the 1876 St. Clair County Atlas indicates the following families owned property on Harsens Island: W. Ames, Blauvelt & Stromlee, J. Brown, T. Brusaw, A. Buck, M. Burgess, T. Desmond, J. East, G. Fish, J. Fish, T. Fish, G.W. Fox, A. Gaulton, A.W. Harsen, J.P. Harsen, R. LaCroix, Wm. LaCroix, N. Little, D. McQueen, C.N. & M.C. Stewart, G.G. Stewart, J.H. Stewart, S.E. Stewart, W.W. Stewart, G. Snook, G. Stromlee, R. Styles, and E. Yax. The balance of Harsens Island is shown as Unimproved Marsh and Low Prairie. S.C. Roby owned property on Dickinson Island and G.J.P. Clark owned Russell Island.

Harvey Stewart was the pioneer of the family of Stewarts who settled on the island early in the 1800s. Mary Gravereat was Stewart’s second wife. He managed a distillery at that time. It was one of the first distilleries in Michigan, and at one time during the War of 1812 served as a British fort. The families living on the island moved to Detroit for a period during the War of 1812, but returned after a short time. The whiskey produced at the distillery was used for trade with the Indians who brought furs and wild meat to Stewart’s settlement. Stewart was also Clay Township’s first supervisor, serving from 1828 to 1833 and again in 1842. Mary, through this marriage, became the step-mother of the first Aura P. Stewart and mother of Captain Albert Stewart and Garrit G. Stewart and grandmother of Captain Harvey Stewart.

In 1818, Aura P. Stewart persuaded John K. Smith to teach at the first school on the island, which was the first school in St. Clair County. While there were only three families on the island, pupils from across the channel brought enrollment to twelve. In addition to the Harsens and Stewarts, the principal families in the area were the Chortiers, Minnies, Basneys and the Hills. Very likely, the Chartier, Shorkey and Basney families are descendants. In 1819, Smith taught school and traded with the Indians with David Laughton from Laughton’s (or Stromness and later Dickinson) Island across the Middle Channel.

During this era, the North Channel was the main shipping channel, because it had the water depth for the ships of that time. There was a problem with a sand bar out in the bay at the outlet of the North Channel. The ships upon arriving at the bar would have to drop anchor. There were smaller boats that would be used to unload some of the cargo to reduce the ship’s draft. The ships would then continue past the bar to deeper water with the smaller boats following. Upon reaching the deeper water, the cargo would be reloaded onto the ships and they would proceed. That is how Anchor Bay got it’s name.

From 1821 to the end of the century, the area was primarily used for agriculture on the higher, drier lands of Harsens and Dickinson Islands. However, there were periods when other enterprises contributed to the area. Beginning in 1840 and continuing until the Civil War, shipbuilding was a prominent activity on Harsens Island. The schooner Island City was built there in 1859, as well as a number of other ships, including several of the Newberry Fleet based in Detroit. Also, prior to construction of the St. Clair Flats Ship Canal along the South Channel in 1856, many people were employed to transfer cargo across the bar to and from ships anchored in Anchor Bay, as previously described.

Dredging of the 6000 foot long ship canal on the South Channel initially took place in 1856, and the channel was widened and further deepened in 1857, 1872 and 1886. This opened the door to the resort era in the area by allowing steam ferries to service the route between Detroit and Port Huron. A number of resort hotels quickly developed along the South Channel, including the famous Joe Bedore’s Hotel. At first, the White Star Steamship Line served the area, making no less than 13 stops in The Flats itself. Round trip fare between Detroit and Port Huron was 50 cents. The most famous steamship on this route was the Tashmoo, which was fondly referred to as the Glass Hack. From her launching in 1899 until the end of her service in 1936, the Tashmoo was the undisputed queen of the St. Clair Flats run.

There was no government mail service on Harsens Island until the White Star Line started service about 1898 and terminated by the government in 1913. It was called the RFD Steamboat Route via the St. Clair River between Detroit and Algonac. The mail was carried by the Arundel, City of Toledo, Greyhound, Idlewild, Owana, Tashmoo and Wauketa. The mail carrier occupied a stateroom with a placard over the door that said U.S. Mail. The mail carrier accepted and processed mail along the route. The mail was posted with a round stamp. In an arc at the top of the stamp was printed “Detroit & Algonac”; in a reverse arc at the bottom was printed “Steamboat”; in the center was printed “Rural Free Delivery”, with “the posted date and hour” and “Service N. or S;” the N representing North or upstream and the S representing South or downstream. The Tashmoo or one of the other passenger boats would handle the mail with stops at the Old Club, Mervue, Rushmere, Star Island, Marshland, Riverside, Forster’s, Joe Bedore’s, Muir’s, Tashmoo Park, Sans Souci, Grande Pointe and Russell Island.

The resort era overlapped the Prohibition era, and the island became very popular because of being on the Canadian border. Nearly everyone in the area was a Rumrunner of sorts in those days. It was almost impossible to catch anyone in the marsh and canals because there were so many places to hide. A combination of events brought the Island’s resort area to an end. The sinking of the Tashmoo, the end of prohibition, the automobile and the succession of costly hotel fires were among them. The only hotel surviving today is the Idle Hour, now a private club, the Idle Hour Yacht Club. In addition, The Old Club, organized in 1872 as the private Lake St. Clair Fishing and Shooting Club, is still in existence.

In 1921, a few men who had a vision of the future, ventured to lease a large acreage of marsh below Harsens Island for right of way for a road. Nearly one hundred acres were given to the County so the State could build this road which was a necessity. Several suits were started in the Supreme Court to decide the lessee rights to lease from the State and these cases were decided in the residents favor. In March 1926, a group of residents met and formed the Green Drive Committee. The first committee consisted of Jules W. Bern, Chairman, Wm. H. Green, Jr., Louis W. Lindeman, Otto Helm, Wm. J. Windisch, Secretary, Jas. Clay, Wm Beyster and Jas. Bell. It was the efforts of these individuals and those who followed on the committee that resulted in the existence of Green Drive.

We realize in these few pages we have only scratched the surface of topics relative to Harsens Island and The Flats. Therefore, other island subjects will be covered in more detail in future issues of The Chronicle. The hotels, excursion boats, The Old Club, Tashmoo Park, ferryboats and the colorful individuals such as Joe Bedore, etc., are complete stories in themselves. Fall 1996 Topic: Algonac and Mainland Clay Township

SOCIETY MEETINGS: June 25 Harsens Island Tour and dinner 5:15pm . There will be an announcement explaining the tour.

July 30 Membership meeting 7:00pm

Aug 27 Membership meeting 7:00pm

Sept 24 Membership meeting 7:00pm

A historical or general interest program usually precedes the membership meeting and the public is invited to attend all programs and meetings. Announcement of the day, time and place are put in the local newspapers and are posted in various retail establishments. 

SPECIAL EVENTS

June 30 Log Cabin Day (adjacent to Clay Township office)

Oct 22 Annual spaghetti dinner (at the Algonac Lion’s Club)

MUSEUM

The Historical Society has set up a mini-museum with a Marine Theme in the elementary school on St. Clair Blvd, between Smith and Fruit Streets. The exhibit was opened to the public on May 3rd. It is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. We have received excellent comments from those who have visited the exhibit. The Society also has an authentic log cabin and the actual Pearl Beach Interurban waiting station located adjacent to the Clay Township Office. We anticipate that a permanent museum located in the area will be a reality in the near future. The Society is now asking for the donation of artifacts of any type. If you have artifacts that you wish to donate or loan to the Society, contact us through the address listed below.

ITEMS AVAILABLE

1. Algonac Community Centennial plus twenty-five year book. Includes mainland Clay Township and Harsens Island.

128 pages of history, pictures, etc. $20.00

2. History of Algonac VCR tape. (this tape includes Algonac, Clay Twp, Harsens Island, The Flats, Russell Island, etc.)

compiled by the late Betty Droulard, City of Algonac Historian. The program is one hour long. $15.00

3. Items 1. & 2. purchased together $30.00

4. T-Shirts Sweatshirts Jackets

5. Note cards: Frank Crevier sketches, 12 per pack $ 5.00

ALL ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE MINI-MUSEUM OR CONTACT: Algonac-Clay Township Historical Society

P. O. Box 228, Algonac, MI 48001

The Historical Society now has 180 members.

 

Chronicle Editor: Mick Isaacs, 7625 Colony Dr., Algonac, MI 48001, (810) 794-3942.