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Belle Isle Bridge: 1911
The Detroit River circa 1911. "View of Belle Isle Bridge, taken from East Jefferson Avenue and looking toward Belle Isle." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Tale of Two Clubs
There are two clubhouses on Belle Isle. The Detroit Yacht Club is at the eastern (upstream) end of the island; it is still active. The former Detroit Boat Club is farther to the west, near the bridge. That is the large building in the picture.
The Detroit Boat Club started as a rowing club and claims to be the oldest yachting club in the Americas (1839). They built the DBC clubhouse in 1902. The DBC abandoned the building in 1996 and seems to operate without a clubhouse of its own now. The DBC's rowing program split off, and continued using the DBC building until 2022, when it was deemed dangerous and closed. Discussions of rehab vs. demolition continue.
The Boat House Survives?
Is this the same boat house as in the photo? Looks like it certainly could be.
[That's the Detroit Yacht Boat Club in both images. - Dave]
Low-flyer
It's difficult to believe, especially if you see a side view of the bridge, but in 1913 William Edmund Scripps, publisher of the Detroit News and future founder of radio WWJ, flew a Curtiss Model F flying boat under what was officially the George Washington Bridge but forever known by its island destination. If there's a photo of Scripps's feat, I haven't seen it--but would a newspaper publisher lie?
[It wasn't "officially the George Washington Bridge" until that span was completed in 1923. The Belle Isle Bridge seen here burned in 1915. - Dave]
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