Editing Grosse Ile Township, Michigan (section)

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|18.67|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|9.20|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|9.47|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (50.72%) is water.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf|title=Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing | date = September 2012|publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]]| work = [[2010 United States Census]]| access-date = April 12, 2020|page=44 Michigan}}</ref>

Grosse Ile is the largest [[List of islands in the Detroit River|island on the Detroit River]]. The township of Grosse Ile is composed of twelve islands, although the community is most often identified with the main island (which residents simply refer to as "The Island"). Grosse Ile's main island is technically composed of two islands. Grosse Ile Township is one of only seven municipalities in the state of Michigan to consist entirely of islands, including [[St. James Township, Michigan|St. James Township]], [[Drummond Township, Michigan|Drummond Township]], [[Bois Blanc Township, Michigan|Bois Blanc Township]] (in northern Michigan, not to be confused with the nearby [[Bois Blanc Island (Ontario)|Bois Blanc Island]], which is in Canada), [[Mackinac Island, Michigan|Mackinac Island]], [[Peaine Township, Michigan|Peaine Township]], and [[Sugar Island Township, Michigan|Sugar Island Township]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

The tip of the main island's northern section is named Hennepin Point in honor of the 17th-century French explorer Father [[Louis Hennepin]]. It is uninhabited and separated from the remainder of the northern section by an unnamed canal that cannot be navigated in a power boat.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

The southern section of the main island is separated from the northern section by the Thorofare Canal, which runs on a diagonal course from east to west connecting the main channel of the [[Detroit River]] with the Trenton Channel of the river. The southern section of the main island is connected by bridges to Elba Island, Meso Island (also known as Upper Hickory Island), Hickory Island, and Swan Island, which are all inhabited.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Grosse Ile Toll Bridge in 2006.jpg|thumb|Grosse Ile Toll Bridge]]

Not far from the shoreline of the main island in the river lie Calf Island, Celeron Island (charted as Tawas Island), Dynamite (also known as Powder House Island), Fox Island, Stony Island, and [[Sugar Island (Detroit River)|Sugar Island]], which are all uninhabited. Stony and Celeron are owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Calf Island is owned by the [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] as a part of the [http://www.fws.gov/midwest/detroitriver/ Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge]. The other islands are privately owned. The low-lying [[Mamajuda Island]] is off the northeastern tip of Grosse Ile and is visible only during times of low water level.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Two bridges connect the main island to the mainland of Michigan. The bridge on the north end of the island is called the [[Grosse Ile Toll Bridge]] (off-white color). The bridge on the south end of the island is officially named the [[Wayne County Bridge]] (light green in color), but is commonly called the "Free Bridge" by locals.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}