History, Our City of Wyandotte

Wyandotte's history begins in the early 1730's when a remnant tribe of the Huron Indians, called the Wendot or Wyandot Indians, settled on the banks of the Detroit River between what is now Oak Street and Eureka Ave. Their village consisted of individual "cabins" constructed of bent wood poles covered with tree bark. In 1818 the Wyandot Indians signed a treaty with the US government relinquishing this land, moving to an area near Flat Rock, Michigan then to Ohio, Kansas, and finally Oklahoma.

The period from 1818 to the 1840's brought early white settlers to the Wyandotte area. John Clark and his family arrived in 1818. Land was purchased soon after by General Macomb, Dr. Delavan, and Major John Biddle. Biddle built his "gentleman farm" on 2,200 acres in 1835 which he called "The Wyandotte," in honor of the Indians which had inhabited the land. John Biddle's house stood on the same property as the Wyandotte Museum now stands today.

After the 1840's Wyandotte's history was mainly shaped by the industries which sprang up within its boundaries. Around 1854 the Eureka Iron Company bought Major John Biddle's estate for $44,000. Eber Ward headed this steel company and hired John S. VanAlstyne to handle the company's real estate matters, which included laying out street patterns and selling plats of land for homes and businesses. The name Wyandotte was maintained for this new village and in 1867 Wyandotte became a city and VanAlstyne the first Mayor. The Eureka Iron Works flourished for some time, utilizing the iron ore from the upper peninsula of Michigan and the vast forests in the area for fuel. The first steel using the Bessemer steel process was produced from the Eureka Works. With the iron market prices falling and the exhaustion of wood for fuel the Eureka Iron Works was rapidly declining through the 1880's, and finally closed in 1892. However, the Iron Works lead the way for a new industry to develop. This industry was chemicals.

Captain J.B.Ford, pioneer industrialist was involved with the manufacture of plate glass in the United States. During the decline of the Eureka Iron Works a new and cheap fuel source was being sought to fuel the Works blast furnaces. Drilling in the Wyandotte produced no fuel; however, a large bed of salt was discovered. Captain Ford, upon hearing of the salt bed, knew that salt was an important ingredient in the manufacture of soda ash which was used to make his plate glass. This lead the way for his chemical industry. Begun in the 1890's the Michigan Alkali Company produced a wide variety of chemicals. In the 1940's the name changed to the Wyandotte Chemicals Company and cleaners, soap and other detergents were shipped world-wide. The industry still exists today, but under the name of BASF.

Other industries followed the Iron Works too. These industries included Wyandotte's infamous shipbuilding (1871-1920's) started by Eber B. Ward. Wyandotte produced over 200 ships, varying from small tugs to large steamers and passenger ferries. Under the name of the American Shipbuilding Company the Wyandotte yards flourished. Hulls were constructed in Wyandotte and were taken up the Detroit River to Detroit, Michigan were they were outfitted. Smaller companies such as the E.H.Doyle Hoop & Stave Works(1889)who provided the city's first electric power, the Regeant Stove Company, the McCord Corp. and the Beals & Selkirk Trunk Company soon made Wyandotte a famous industrial town.

Soon, many workers were needed and in turn the workers needed homes. Grocery stores, saloons, hotels, theaters and railroads began operating and Wyandotte grew. In 1860 Wyandotte's population was 1,700, reaching a peak in 1960 at about 43,000. Today the population is about 30,000.

Wyandotte, as many other cities, as made a change from the industrial town it once was to a more residential city; however, it still maintains its small town atmosphere having its own electric and water plants, cable company and a multitude of parks. It boasts older homes on streets lined with mature Oaks and Maples.

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