78 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
entrance to the park. It is tastefully laid out, form- 
ing an attractive beauty spot, and it gives an ex- 
cellent example of what may be done with the sur- 
roundings of city property. 
West Grand Circus Park, the illustration of 
which needs no comment, is that portion of Grand 
Circus park, lying west of Woodward ave. It 
makes a beautiful 
break in this fine ave- 
nue and reminds one 
of such charming spots 
occurring at intervals 
in some of the well 
developed foreign cit- 
ies. 
The beautiful drive- 
way, Belle Isle Park, 
speaks for itself. In 
this illustration one 
can judge of the gran- 
deur of the trees, and 
is naturally led to 
think of the “prim- 
eval” forest brought 
to the doors of civili- 
zation, with all the 
fascination of wild na- 
ture without its fear- 
some discomforts. 
Belle Isle Park is 
for many reasons the 
park of Detroit. Its 
physical relations to 
the city, that of an is- 
land in the busy river, 
so close to the city as 
to be readily available 
for its citizens, and 
yet possessing the re- 
quirements of, one 
might very well say, 
an ideal park. The 
island picturesquely 
situated was ori- ‘ 
ginally called by the 
Indians Mah-nah be- 
zee, or the Swan. The French when occupying 
the territory called it Isle St. Clair, from its po- 
sition at the entrance of Lake St. Clair. 
Another incident connected with the island is 
that it was so infested by rattlesnakes at an early 
day, that the English commissary department, 
both for convenience and to rid the place of these 
pests, placed a drove of hogs on the island, which 
increasing so much, led the French afterw'ards to 
call it Isle au Cochon, or Hog Island. 
It retained the latter name until on July 4, 18^5, 
when at a picnic party held there, it was renamed 
Belle Isle, in honor of the ladies present. 
Its history has always been interesting. It was 
considered as belonging to the Fort at Detroit both 
when under I'rench and English control. 
The first individual title to the island, that of 
Lieut. McDougall, 
who bought it of 
Chippewa and Otta- 
wa Indians, is dated 
1769. The purchase 
price was eight bar- 
rels of rum, three rolls 
of tobacco, six pounds 
of vermilion and a belt 
of wampum, consider- 
ed equivalent to $1,- 
000. From McDou- 
gall it passed to Wm. 
McComb, to vdiom 
the title was confirm- 
ed by the United 
States in itioq. In 
1817 it was sold to B. 
Campau, a w e 1 1 - 
known name in De- 
troit, for $5,000, and 
no years from the 
date of its first sale it 
was purchased by the 
City of Detroit for 
$200,000. 
A writer says: 
“The Island has al- 
ways been a beautiful 
spot even in the wild- 
ness and comparative 
solitude of its early 
days; but when it was 
acquired by the city 
for park purposes, a 
plan of improvement 
was prepared by Fred- 
- erick Law Olmsted, 
and carried out under 
his direction. Thus its natural beauties were de- 
veloped and emphasized, and the island supplied 
with the necessary adjuncts of a public park.” 
It is furnished with every feature for recreation, 
amusement or pleasure, and every year sees addi- 
tions and improvements completed or begun. Its 
large area and diversified landscape makes it popu- 
lar with all classes, and there is ample access from 
the city, both by bridge and ferry. Besides the De- 
troit river, there is considerable lake area, well dis- 
