Detroit Island facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Detroit Island

Facing the northern side of the island from the harbor
Detroit Island Location in Wisconsin Show map of Wisconsin Detroit Island Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Geography
Location	Door County, Wisconsin
Coordinates	45°19′17″N 86°54′58″W / 45.321487°N 86.916073°W / 45.321487; -86.916073
Area	637.12 acres (257.83 ha)
Highest elevation	594 ft (181.1 m)
Administration
United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Door County
Town	Washington Island

Detroit Island is a cool island in Lake Michigan, located in Door County, Wisconsin, USA. It's mostly owned by private people. The island is pretty big, covering about 637 acres! That's almost a square mile. The northern part of the island touches the waters of Detroit Harbor.

A small part of Detroit Island is protected as Grand Traverse Island State Park. This park was created in 1970. It covers a little more than 5 acres of land. The park is made up of five separate pieces of land. You can't get to these parts by ferry.

A Look Back: The Island's History

Fishermen working with nets on Detroit Island in 1909

Long ago, there was a disagreement about where the border between Wisconsin and Michigan should be. The original border was supposed to follow "the most usual ship channel" into Green Bay from Lake Michigan. But ships used different routes, some going north and some going south of Detroit Island. This caused a big argument over which state the island belonged to.

Finally, in 1936, the highest court in the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court, made a decision. In a case called Wisconsin v. Michigan, the court decided that Detroit Island and three other islands were officially part of Wisconsin.

Islands Around Detroit Island

Detroit Island is the long and narrow island at the center-right. Below Detroit Island on the right is the much smaller Pilot Island. Plum Island is at the lower left. Washington Island is in the distance.

Detroit Island is part of a group of islands in Lake Michigan. If you look at a map, you'll see other islands nearby. For example, there's the much smaller Pilot Island close by. You can also spot Plum Island not too far away. The larger Washington Island is also in the distance. These islands create a beautiful and interesting landscape in this part of Lake Michigan.

Images for kids

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  Ice stringers along the southeastern part of the island at 1:52:46 PM Central Standard Time on February 22, 2014. North is towards the left in this photo taken during Expedition 38 of the International Space Station