Wyandotte ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A Downriver suburb of Detroit, Wyandotte is located roughly southwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 25,058.
History 18th century In the 18th century, this area was a small village of the Wyandot (or Wendat) called Maquaqua. Local French colonists called it Monguagon, a transliteration of its pronunciation in French.
The Wyandot were Iroquoian-speaking and part of the Huron nation from the Georgian Bay area of Canada. They generally lived peacefully with the few white French farmers, exchanging products and favors.
During the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years' War in Europe), the Wyandot were allied with the Potawatomi and the French. English had taken control of the garrisoned Fort of Detroit. Near here, Chief Pontiac plotted his attack against the British fort in 1763 but failed.
The center of the village was nearly parallel to Biddle Avenue between Oak Street and Eureka Road near the river and its sandy beach, which was a welcome feature to the local tribesmen, as their main mode of transportation to the fort in Detroit was by birch bark canoe. The tribe was considered peaceable and friendly with the British, the remaining French in the area, and the newly arrived Americans.
19th century In 1818, after the United States had gained independence and then control over this area from the British, the Wyandot signed a treaty with the U.S. government ceding this land. Some Wyandot moved to an area near Flat Rock, Michigan, then to Ohio, and Indian Territory, in Kansas and finally Oklahoma.
Most of the Wyandot moved across the Detroit River to Canada and what is now Anderdon, Windsor, Ontario. Many of their descendants live there today. The name somewhat lives on as Wyandotte County, Kansas.
The Anglo-Americans later credited Major John Biddle as the first white settler in Wyandotte, but French colonists had lived in the area for more than a century before he settled there.
After the War of 1812 and the Wyandot cession, Major Biddle purchased 2,200 acres (9 km2) of land from the federal government in 1818. He developed a farm and a summer estate. The buildings were completed around 1835, and he named his estate "Wyandotte" after the Indians who were still living in the area.
John S. Van Alstyne, general manager for Eber Ward of both the Eureka Iron & Steel Works and the associated Wyandotte Rolling Mills, laid out the master plan for the city. This plan was frequently called the "Philadelphia Plan", as streets were laid out on a north–south and east–west grid, similar to those in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That plan was made by colonial founder William Penn.
In Wyandotte, the focal point was the Detroit River, and the first street parallel became Front Street. This street was eventually extended and renamed Van Alstyne Boulevard in 1921. Streets running parallel to Front Street were named according to numbers, from First to the extent of the territory involved. Streets running horizontal to the numbered streets were named for trees and plants.
Founded as a village of Ecorse Township in 1854, Wyandotte was incorporated as a city, and granted a charter by the State of Michigan, on December 12, 1866. It held its first city election in April 1867, making it the oldest incorporated city in Wayne County after Detroit. On April 8, 1867, the Village of Wyandotte was incorporated as a home rule city.
20th century A community named New Jerusalem, consisting of immigrants from multiple nations, was founded nearby in the 1890s. It has since been absorbed by Wyandotte. It was incorporated as a village with the name of Glenwood in 1900. In 1901 a post office was established here with the name of Bacon since there was already a Glenwood post office in Wayne Township, Cass County, Michigan. Wyandotte annexed the community in 1905.
The community of Ford City was founded as a village in 1902. It was named for John B. Ford who ran the Michigan Alkali Company there. In 1922 it merged with Wyandotte. On April 14, 1924, Wyandotte annexed a large section of Ecorse Township.
Since settlement by eastern Americans, Wyandotte has been influenced by immigrants from many nations. Ethnic German, Polish, Irish and Italian communities have contributed much from their cultures. The city attracted African Americans for industrial jobs, but had a discriminatory past as a sundown town. It refused to allow them as residents.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
The city is southwest of Downtown Detroit.Christie, Les. "I've been priced out of downtown Detroit" (Archive). CNN/Money. May 27, 2014. Retrieved on September 5, 2014. The Detroit River forms the eastern boundary of the city, and the uninhabited Grassy Island is administered by the city. The Ecorse River also forms a small northern boundary of the city.
Business and industry
An early figure was Captain John Baptiste Ford, who used the salt to create soda ash, which in turn was used to create plate glass. In 1893, he created Michigan Alkali Company, which created baking soda, soda ash and lye. The company, later renamed Wyandotte Chemicals Co., went on to create a variety of soaps and cleaners, eventually becoming part of BASF and expanding into the BASF industrial complex.
Ward also help create Wyandotte's shipbuilding role, which existed from the 1870s into the 1920s. During that time, a wide variety of boats were created along Wyandotte's riverbank, from steamers and tugs to huge ferries. In 1873, Ward's Wyandotte Iron Ship Building Works built the nation's earliest steel-hulled vessel, a tugboat called the Sport. This shipbuilding industry was immortalized in 1942 in the painting of several murals which still exist today in the auditorium of Theodore Roosevelt High School.
Beginning in the 1920s Wyandotte was a major source of toy production, with the All Metal Products Company founded in 1920 and located in Wyandotte on Sycamore Street between 14th and 15th streets. From the 1920s until the 1950s the company, under the name "Wyandotte Toys", was the largest manufacturer of toy guns and pistols in the US, producing a wide variety of pop guns, clicker pistols, dart guns, cap guns and a variety of plastic pistols. The company also produced a wide range of toy airplanes and other vehicles by pressing scrap metal obtained from local automobile factories. The company's motto was "Wyandotte Toys Are Good and Safe." In the early 1950s the company moved to Ohio, and it was bought out by Louis Marx and Company three years later.
Bishop Park, located on the riverfront north of downtown, once had a dock to board the Boblo Boat ferry to Boblo Island.
Today, much of the remaining industry is minor, with a notable exception being BASF Wyandotte on the city's north riverfront.
In July 2001, three workers at an Atofina plant in neighboring Riverview were killed when a rail car leaked a colorless gas called methyl mercaptan. The gas exploded into flames and led to the emergency evacuation of 3,100 area residents, including some Wyandotte citizens.
The city is served by three newspapers: the regional Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News; as well as The News-Herald, which is a more local paper serving the Downriver communities and has roots tracing back to two former newspapers that were published in Wyandotte. Wyandotte is also in the Detroit radio and television markets.
Government and municipal services
The mayor and City Council and other elected officials oversee the community's governance. Wyandotte has its own community-owned municipal services, Wyandotte Municipal Services, which provides electricity from a municipal power plant, and operates city-owned water and cable television services.
The Wyandotte Police Department, like that of its fellow Downriver community Woodhaven, has a Police Explorers post for youths ages 14–21 that have an interest in law enforcement.
Wyandotte's community is served by the Bacon Memorial District Library, a member of the tri-county library system The Library Network. Built out of the Ford-Bacon House on Vinewood Street, it replaced the Wyandotte Carnegie Library in 1942; following the death of Congressman Mark R. Bacon, his widow Mary Ford-Bacon deeded the building to the city. The staff offer guided tours through the historic part of the building.
Wyandotte is a sister city to Komaki, Japan. Each year delegates from Komaki come to Wyandotte to tour the city.
Education Public schools Wyandotte Public Schools operates the city's public schools. Since 1901, all schools are named for former US presidents.
Elementary and middle schools include: Garfield Elementary School, built in 1932 James Monroe Elementary School, built in 1954 George Washington Elementary School, built in the 1929 Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, built in 1950 Middle schools include: Woodrow Wilson Middle School, built in 1956
Wyandotte's public high school is Theodore Roosevelt High School, which began construction in 1921, was completed in 1923, and has since been expanded four times.
Catholic schools Currently there are no Catholic schools open in Wyandotte. These are the schools that were formerly open: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elementary and High School, St. Stanislaus Kostka Elementary School, St. Patrick Elementary and High School, St, Elizabeth Elementary School, St. Joseph Elementary School, and St. Helena Elementary School; also, Wyandotte Catholic Consolidated School (After the consolidation of Sts. Elizabeth, Patrick, and Joseph) were previously in the community. They were a part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit."School Locator" (Archive). Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. April 19, 2004. Retrieved on July 5, 2015.
Wyandotte Consolidated formed in 1970 from the merger of St. Elizabeth, St. Joseph, and St. Patrick Schools. It closed in 2011 after a downturn in the economy.
Sports and recreation The city is home to the Wyandotte Boat Club, a rowing facility. The club host to three local regattas: two spring high school regattas and one fall club regatta. The new facility features two indoor rowing tanks, numerous shell racks and shells, erg and weight rooms, men's and women's locker rooms, meeting room, and a massive club/bar overlooking the Detroit River. The tanks are used by all of the rowing programs for technique and style training. They have been shown to be of great benefit in the training of novice rowers. During the off season, the tanks are rented by the hour to outside schools and universities. The city has 23 parks in total with the largest being Bishop Park. Pets, bikes and alcohol are prohibited in all Wyandotte city parks. Rollerblades and skateboards are prohibited in all areas except the Wyandotte Skate Park.
Wyandotte was home to minor league baseball. In 1912 and 1913, the Wyandotte Alkalis, named for the Michigan Alkali Company, played as members of the Class D level Border League, winning the 1912 league championship. Wyandotte hosted home minor league games at Alkali Park.
F.O.P. Park Located at the corner of Bondie and 8th Streets, the F.O.P. Park has a large shaded playground and covered pavilion for picnicking. Sports facilities include a basketball court, baseball diamond and two horseshoe pits. The park has a 66% satisfaction rating out of 45 people surveyed.
F.O.P. Park holds youth baseball and softball games during day and night for the Wyandotte Braves Association.
Kiwanis Park