Detroit's Underground Creeks and Streams

[gazhekwe]

The Battle of Bloody Run was not an "Indian attack." It was a highly effective defensive maneuver by Pontiac and his troops who met an oncoming British force of 250 men to their surprise. The British were attempting a middle of the night surprise attack on Pontiac but he was too smart for them, and he had his troops lined up all ready to meet the British head on. According to the historical marker, the British lost up to 60 men in the battle. Some reports say they there were 20 killed and 34 wounded. It was the British who were attacking.

In his book Pontiac and the Indian Uprising, author Howard Peckham reports 19 dead and 34 wounded. He also reports Indian deaths, but not how many.

I am just trying to enlighten the halls of history here.

[SWMAP]

This about "unearthing" Bloody run:

In 1979, Stephen Vogel’s firm, Schervish Vogel Consulting Architects, was
performing site analysis work for a string of parks along Detroit’s
riverfront when he learned of a storm drain called Bloody Run. He conducted
some research and found it was named for a creek that had been covered over
and absorbed into the city’s sewer system around the turn of the century.

Vogel began toying with the idea of “unearthing� the former creek, but the
idea languished.

As odd as it seems, the history of Bloody Run Creek and the fallout from
Detroit’s crack epidemic would eventually merge.

In 1987, a year after 46 children in the city were gunned down and another
345 were wounded from the crossfire of battling drug gangs, some Detroit
residents began taking to the streets, marching on drug houses with
bullhorns blaring. Among the leaders of the movement known as Save Our Sons
And Daughters were a pair of longtime activists, Jimmy and Grace Lee Boggs.

At the same time, Jimmy Boggs was crusading to block Mayor Coleman Young’s
efforts to bring casino gambling to Detroit. When Young challenged his
opponents to be more than naysayers, Boggs responded with an alternative
vision.

“We have to begin thinking of creating small enterprises which produce
food, goods and services for the local market, that is, for our communities
and for our city,� contended Boggs in a 1988 speech. “In order to create
these new enterprises, we need a view of our city which takes into
consideration both the natural resources of our area and the existing and
potential skills and talents of Detroiters.�

As the crack houses began to close, the community, seeing the results of
grassroots activism, became even more energized.

Their efforts gained added momentum beginning in 1992, with the formation
of Detroit Summer. A sort of activist training ground for people aged 13 to
25, the program imports volunteers who join with Detroit kids to
participate in revitalization projects, including the planting of community
gardens.

Those Detroit Summer gardens became part of a patchwork of similar projects
nurtured by the late Gerald Hairston, who helped create scores of community
gardens throughout the city.

By the mid-’90s, with the assistance of the Hunger Action Coalition of
Michigan and Michigan Integrated Food & Farming Systems, people from those
gardens joined forces to create the Detroit Agriculture Network, which
promotes urban agriculture.

Kyong Park, an internationally known architect who frequently served as a
visiting lecturer at University of Detroit Mercy, became part of this mix.
Park moved to Detroit in 1998, buying a house on the east side and setting
up the nonprofit International Center for Urban Ecology [[ICUE).

The threads of Adamah were beginning to weave together.

A bottom-up approach

“Because he lived in this community, Kyong Park could feel the pulse of
what was happening here,� observed Jim Embry, director of the Boggs Center,
which was founded in 1995, two years after Jimmy Boggs’ death.

Just as Boggs envisioned in his 1988 speech, Park sees Detroit as the
culmination of the industrial revolution. The city that showed the world
how to mass-produce automobiles, that served as democracy’s arsenal during
World War II, that rode a wave of labor activism to middle-class affluence
and model race relations, had fallen farther and hit bottom harder than any
other major U.S. city

“In terms of urban industrialization, mass production, the working class,
and labor history, [[Detroit) is the largest factory town ever built,�
observed Park in an interview last year. “Because of the urban destruction
it has gone through and which is still visibly with us, Detroit also
represents the biggest failure of the modernist city.�

Dean Vogel talked with Park about Bloody Run Creek, and how, if unearthed,
it could provide a lifeline of water to a community seeking
self-sufficiency. Park, as he explains on the ICUE Web site, wanted to
“regenerate� the near-east side of Detroit into “a new model for community
development.�

[Patrick]

And, it happened it night so it really must have been a difficult fight. Really, from what I have read, it was a series of skirmishes from ribbon farm to ribbon farm from Parents Creek back to the fort.

[sumas]

Thanks people, for giving me a lot to think about. I am a firm believer in urban gardening and daylighting creeks could truely provide water accessibility. I recently was told that Detroit has more vacant land then any other American city. If we, as residents are smart, we should turn this negative into a positive. Detroit and near environs were largely swamps. If we consider going back to our natural topography, what do people suggest we do to capitalize on our new country look?

[Sludgedaddy]

To capitalize on our imagined new country look, I suggest we dress like the Amish, only with the zipperless trousers hanging half way down our asses. And for the ladies, along with the required bonnet, a pair of camel toe revealing hot pants.

[MIRepublic]

I'm not sure I support too much more of turning the city back into marshlands. The fishflies and mosquitos are already bad enough as it is. The city needs to be kept well drained. The city, however, can go towards nature without going back to swamp lands.

[luckycar]

It's 6:30a.m. as I read sludgedaddy.The oj is on the screen.Unearthing our creeks would be a great idea.The Clinton River uncapping thru Pontiac sounds like a good idea if we could somehow get the money.I do wonder if the city of Detroit doesn't have more pressing needs.The Rouge flowing thru the west side of the city was treated as an open sewer/dumping ground until the 1990s.Could someone answer this,where are the headwaters of these creeks?Seems like these creeks we are talking about start in Macomb County.What was once higher ground has been turned into miles of subs.and pavement.Hasn't the source of theses creeks also been lost to development?Does I-696 act as a barrier to any water flowing south and east.Or do these creeks flow from springs?Just thinkin'.

[MIRepublic]

All of the headwaters of the Rouge River branches either start in Oakland, Wayne, or Washtenaw Counties.

The main branch starts in extreme southwest corner of Rochester Hills/northwest corner of Bloomfield Township, the Upper Branch in Farmington Hills [[with it's own branches in West Bloomfield and Novi), the Middle Branch in Northville, and the Lower Branch in Superior Township [[the township directly adjacent to Canton to the west).

[Novine]

The Middle Branch actually starts at Walled Lake in Novi. I think that one of the Upper Branch segments in Novi begins further north in Commerce. Many maps here.

http://www.rougeriver.com/proddata/mapcatalog.html

[RickBeall]

In my earlier comment about Mt. Olivet cemetary and Connor Creek, I had confused it with Elmwood Cemetery I think. Fascinating history, but I got the details all wrong.

[Detroitnerd]

I think the residents in the vicinity would welcome flow returning to Fox Creek. It's now kind of a canal instead of a river, and can be fetid in the summer. I heard they were considering installing pumps along the system of Gowanus Canals in Brooklyn. Would be nice, yes?

[luckycar]

I know about where the Rouge starts,all 3 branches.I was wondering about the creeks on the east side of Detroit.Looking at old Edison maps and topo maps,it looks like the east side of town has no streams or creeks that can be saved.Need to hear from an expert on this.I find this very interesting,having been a wastewater treatment plant operator in a past career.

[Sludgedaddy]

Mr. Lucky, The Solution to Pollution is Dilution. Good to see someone who knows how to keep his shit together. Geetings, fellow Shit-head !

Concerning Conner Creek...there was a series of drainage ditches which run parrallel to the railroad tracks on the east side of Detroit, near Hamtramck in the vicinity of old Lynch Road Assembly just north of Forestlawn Cemetery. These were said to drain into Conner Creek. Probably a later addition to the Norris Town Settlement from the 1870's.

Back when I was a kid in the mid 1960's, the area was called either "Bare Ankle" or :"Polliwog Paradise". An excellent place for kids of that era to catch frogs, break bottles on the tracks, etc.

The last couple of years on my way home from work, I was able to hear spring peepers emitting their piercing mating song in Spring from the area of Holbrook and Conant. The ditches still hold water.

....and for some odd reason, I can't seem to get the theme song from the old Walt Disney show "Swamp Fox" out of my head.

[gnome]

Lucky, if you go to google maps and click on terrain you will see these creeks. You can see them as squigglly light gray lines.

[luckycar]

Will do.Sludgedaddy,do you work for DWSD,OCDC or some other utitlity?

[Sludgedaddy]

Mr, Lucky......DWSD....Soon to be a Shit-head Emeritus next year.

[szla]

i lived for about twenty years in the old redford area and there were many covered streams in the area. i had some friends who lived on cooley just south of grand river and there was a 20' fall in their backyard which they had terraced. the old stream continued under grand river and i was told there was a pond there that in the twenties and earlier they used to cut ice in in the winter . this is the area where the behind what became a chatham grocery store. it continues in a ne direction and many people in the area behind the redford theatre had significant elevation drops in their backyard.

[sumas]

I really enjoy threads that share significant facts, memories and area history. I am always slightly bemused by forumers who try to belittle honest posts. Perhaps I am missing the humor or irony.

Fox Creek now ends at Jefferson. There is a pumping station located on the north side of Jefferson. Hope I am using the right terminology for the facility since I am not an expert on shit, like some others on this thread.

Some years back, Creekside Development Corporation adopted that portion of Fox Creek that is still daylighted. The City of Detroit had to build a berm due to a lawsuit by GPP to take them out of a flood plain. A berm , a seawall and fencing were installed and landscaping was promised but never happened. Suzanne Bishop, now deceased, was the impetus behind turning this eyesore into the Fox Creek Trail. I am pleased to say I helped to write the original grant and volunteered at several plantings. So many people, organizations, non profits and churches have supported this on going effort. 3 /4th of the tree installation has been completed to date for this 1.25 mile canal. Kudos should also go to JEBA [[Jefferson East Business Association)

A small corner lot on the south side of Jefferson and Ashland at the titular end of Fox Creek and previously used as storage for DPSW has been turned into a very lovely community park. Sheila Jackson, who is running for city council was the impetus behind this park happening. Cevan, Jeba's board president did the landscape design. They are both assets to this community.

[luckycar]

Settle down sumas,or sludgedaddy and the rest of us "turdherders" will see that you're "treated".sumas, you are correct that the terminology is pumping staion.It can also be called a lift station.I wonder if the Fox Creek pumping station pumps its discharge out into Lake St.Clair,or is it a combind sewage flow into the DWSD system.If it is storm water,is it being treated?If these streams and creeks we are talking about have become storm water drains,then we may want to think again about uncovering them.They were covered for reasons of health and flood control.Nobody would want a combined sewage overflow going thru their backyard.

[sumas]

Hey, Luckeycar, my husband says, just "treat" me well!

Nor sure if Fox Creek is a CSO. A few years back, Connor Creek became a CSO and had to do remediation because they took over a portion of Connor Creeks to do so. As a result, A fish hatchery park was built at Maharis Gentry Park at the foot of Connor. Very cool!

[RickBeall]

LuckyCar
>>If these streams and creeks we are talking about have become storm water drains,then we may want to think again about uncovering them.They were covered for reasons of health and flood control.Nobody would want a combined sewage overflow going thru their backyard.

To do this right you need a master plan for the entire city. The master plan might include turning parts of Detroit Green again, as in the controversial Flint plan. And you might do it like Flint, where you might "swap" people out of a neighborhood that is to be turned back to woods, and swap them into homes in a part of the city that was designated as to be populated.

Creating less homes will actually entice more people to move back into the city, enhancing the local economy.

Let's grab our crayons and make a shovel ready project!

I want my stimulus!

[szla]

there is a really nice photo taken in 1906 of "bucolic" conner creek in Frank Angelo's Yesterday's Detroit wriiten in the 1970s. based on the size of the stream it appears pretty far from the detroit river.

[MrJones]

When I was a kid we would ride our bikes along the fence at the top of that berm beside Fox Creek. The path was really narrow, no room for error or you'd fall down into the street or into the tangle of brush covering the side. It was strange looking down from above the cars driving on Alter.

[sumas]

This is a blurb from something I wrote for Pipeline. Sorry for the caps, my computer was wanky that day.


Conner Creek has a fascinating history. The creek itself goes from the Detroit River to Vandyke Road. To an area once called Lees Ville. The path roughly following Conner Creek is slated to become a modern greenway.



The street, named Conner, goes only from the river to roughly the current City airport where it connects with Outer Drive. In recent years, a portion of the exposed Conner Creek was shuttered to provide for a sewer over flow system by the city. The state provides that any waterways/wetlands taken for commerce must be replaced. In this case, a fish hatchery park was installed at Maheris Gentry, located at the foot of Conner.



Conner¢s creek was originally called Riviere du Grand Marais.The property was acquired by the Tromblay family. The creek and property was called Tromblay via biae St Paul, Quebec.



They built a grist mill at the site. One of two important mills built by early French families.



In 1750, Peter Tromblay¢s wife Magdeline [[nee Simard) died. He moved farther into the wilderness, what is now City Airport. In 1808, the Tromblay family received the largest land grant in the area. 1640 acres adjoining Conner Creek.



A daughter of Louis Trombley married Henry Conner. Henry Conner was a noted Indian interpreter. The Chippewa gave him the name Wabishkindibe, which means white hair.



Henry and his wife inherited creek property from his father in law. The property was located in what was than Grosse Pointe Township. He became the supervisor of Grosse Pointe Township and the creek was renamed in honor of him.

[gnome]

Attachment 2555

From Silas Farmer's book on early detroit.

not sure if this link will take you to his book, I fear I screwed up the URL. but it is available on ggogle books: Silas Farmer 1890 ...search for Savoyard.
http://books.google.com/books?id=_Od...20maps&f=false
In short, the Savoyard was a branch of the Huron River which dumped into a marsh near Riopelle and Congress ...