Aerial Views of King's Flats, Early 1930s

These are a collection of aerial views of what was once called "King's Flats" just southeast of downtown, where the Huron once wound through a flat floodplain. The 1874, 1895, and 1915 plat maps shows one Edward King owning land on both sides of the river in the area that is now Ford Lake. Here are Edward King's landholdings on the 1874 map:


The legend on the envelope that houses the photos in the Archives reads, ""These pictures were taken by Dr. H. Britton and his wife while flying their plane over what was known as King's Flats. It was to have a record to show how this area was before King's Flats was flooded to become Ford Lake."

Each photo is also labeled. This one's legend reads, "Looking east. South river road [Huron River Drive] running up center. Beginning work on Ford Dam at left center. Rear edge of lower wing at lower left. Tip of tail at upper right."


"Looking northwest, King's Flats at lower left. Struts and wires of plane at right."


"Looking east. Beginning of Ford Dam at upper right center."


"Looking east. King's Flats. South river road runs up center of picture."


"Looking east. King's Flats in lower right corner."

The Birth of Ford Lake

Ford Lake was born early in the Depression, and here was one of the first steps: closing the old north-south Tuttle Hill Road then crossing what is now the middle of the lake. The old Tuttle Hill Road that once crossed over the river now crosses the Ford Lake lakebottom, traveled only by carp--or long since covered in ooze.

It happened this time of year in 1932: this article is from the May 8, 1932 Ypsi Daily Press. Construction of a temporary coffer dam had taken place the previous October. Once dammed, the level of Ford Lake rose slowly over the spring, summer, and early fall of 1932.

Take a look at the original Tuttle Hill Road and its little bridge over the pre-Ford Lake Huron River. This plat map is from 1915. The area where the river meanders back and forth, and a section downstream from that, is the region referred to in the above article as the "flats." Old Tuttle Hill Road is marked in pink. Farmlands belonging to members of the Tuttle family, ancestors of whom were landowners here from the earliest days of county settlement, are marked in yellow.

Thanks to Absolute Michigan...

...for re-publishing my "carpocalypse" story, first published in the Ann Arbor Chronicle! Yay!

That's quite the compliment and I appreciate it! Thank you, Absolute Michigan.

Carpocalypse, Or, Sometimes Dead Fish Smell All the Way to Lansing

Now here's a story I am proud of.

You know the poison rotenone was used to try and stop the Asian carp in the Chicago shipping canal. But did you know it was used a generation ago to try and purge Ford Lake? Unfortunately, the well-meant attempt led to a bit of a disaster...and, um, a statewide ban on rotenone.

Yes, Ford Lake, which has absorbed everything from PCBs to heavy metals over the industrial era, led to the BANNING of yet one more poison. Just a tad ironic in my opinion. Anyways, read my long-winded tale of the event in today's Chronicle! Thanks to my editor and captions-writing expert Dave Askins!