View source for Powder House Island

{{Short description|Island in Michigan, United States}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox islands
| name                            = Powder House Island
| image                           = File:Powder House Island, Michigan, 2005-12.png
| image_size                      =
| image_caption                   = 2005 [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] aerial imagery of Powder House Island
| image_alt                       = Aerial image of an island
| image_map                       = {{Infobox mapframe}}
| coordinates                     = {{Coord|42|06|26|N|83|08|08|W|region:US-MI_source:gnis-635370_type:isle|display=it|name=Powder House Island|notes=<ref name="gnis" />}}
| location                        = [[Southeast Michigan]]
| waterbody                       = [[Detroit River]]
| area_acre                       =
| area_footnotes                  =
| length_mi                       =
| length_footnotes                =
| width_mi                        =
| width_footnotes                 =
| coastline_mi                    =
| coastline_footnotes             =
| elevation_ft                    = 574
| elevation_footnotes             = <ref name="gnis" />
| country                         = United States
| country_admin_divisions_title   = State
| country_admin_divisions         = Michigan
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = County
| country_admin_divisions_1       = [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2 = [[Civil township|Township]]
| country_admin_divisions_2       = [[Grosse Ile Township, Michigan|Grosse Ile]]
}}

'''Powder House Island '''(also known as '''Dynamite Island''') is an [[artificial island]] on the lower [[Detroit River]] in [[southeast Michigan]], directly adjacent to the [[Canada–United States border]]. It was constructed in the late 1880s by the Dunbar & Sullivan Company to store explosives during their [[dredging]] of the Livingstone Channel, with the purpose of circumventing an 1880 court order forbidding the company to store explosives on nearby [[Fox Island (Detroit River)|Fox Island]].

Powder House Island was the location of [[dynamite]] storage sheds, as well as a dynamite factory and several [[ice house (building)|ice houses]]. During this time, it was the site of a series of accidents, including fires in 1895 and 1919 (which both burned the island "to the water's edge"). {{cvt|20|ST|kg|spell=In}} of the island's dynamite exploded in 1906 after two men "had been shooting with a [[revolver]]" near it; while there were no deaths (and only minor injuries to the two men), windows were shattered {{cvt|3|mi}} away and the explosion was clearly audible from {{cvt|85|mi}} away.

After the completion of the Livingstone Channel in 1912, the island continued to be used for storing explosives, including during later projects to deepen the channel in the 1930s. By the 1980s it was completely unused, and by 2015 the island was owned by the [[Michigan Department of Natural Resources]], managed by its Wildlife Division as part of the [[Pointe Mouillee State Game Area]], and accessible to the public for hunting.

== Geography ==
Powder House Island is contained within [[Grosse Ile Township]], in [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne County]], Michigan.<ref name="usgs20191" /><!--<ref name="coalition" />--> It is near the southern end of the Detroit River, closer to [[Lake Erie]] than to [[Lake St. Clair]], and around {{cvt|200|ft|mi+m|sigfig=1}} from the water border with Canada.<ref name="usgs20191" /><ref name="usgs20192" /> It is approximately {{cvt|500|yards|ft+m}} east of Fox Island.<ref name="usgs20191" /><ref name="usgs20192" /> Further to its west is [[Grosse Ile (Michigan)|Grosse Ile]], beyond which is [[Trenton, Michigan|Trenton]].<ref name="usgs20191" /> To its east, across the Livingstone Channel, is the Canadian [[Bois Blanc Island (Ontario)|Bois Blanc Island]] (and further, [[Amherstburg]] in [[Ontario]]).<ref name="usgs1906" /><ref name="usgs20191" /><ref name="usgs20192" /> The southern tip of <!--the limestone piling on (there exist sources for this, but they are buried somewhere within some documents of Dunbar and Sullivan)-->[[Stony Island (Michigan)|Stony Island]] is around {{cvt|700|yards|ft+m}} to the northeast; other islands in the vicinity include [[Sugar Island (Detroit River)|Sugar Island]] to the south and [[Elba Island (Michigan)|Elba Island]] to the southwest.<ref name="usgs1906" /><ref name="usgs20191" /> The island, which is covered in foliage, is approximately {{cvt|200|ft|sigfig=1}} from north to south, and {{cvt|50|ft}} from east to west, giving it an approximate area of {{cvt|10000|sqft|m2+acres}}.<ref name="usgs20191" /><ref name="bingaerial" /> The [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS) gave its elevation as {{cvt|574|ft|m}} above [[sea level]] in 1980.<ref name="gnis" /> In Wayne County records, the island is listed as "Dynamite Island", in [[ZIP code]] 48138; it is contained within a single [[land lot|parcel]]<!-- Parcel 73069990001000--> (whose total area is given as {{cvt|0.91|acre}}).<ref name="waynearcgis" />
{{overlay
|image=Amherstburg, Ontario (21711771721) (cropped).jpg{{!}}alt=A 2016 aerial photo of the Detroit River, facing east. The town of Amherstburg is at top; Grosse Ile is at the bottom. Above the Livingstone Channel are Crystal Island (left) and Bois Blanc Island (right). To the bottom are Stony Island, Powder House Island, Fox Island, and Sugar Island, from left to right.
|width=700
|height=233
|columns=2
|overlay1=Amherstburg, Ontario
|overlay1color=black
|overlay1left=333
|overlay1top=75
|overlay1link=Amherstburg
|overlay2=Crystal Island
|overlay2left=210
|overlay2top=115
|overlay2link=Crystal Island (Ontario)
|overlay3=Bois Blanc Island
|overlay3left=450
|overlay3top=95
|overlay3link=Bois Blanc Island (Ontario)
|overlay4=Stony Island
|overlay4left=142
|overlay4top=147
|overlay4link=Stony Island (Michigan)
|overlay5=Powder House Island
|overlay5color=red
|overlay5left=424
|overlay5top=142
|overlay5link=Powder House Island
|overlay6=Fox Island
|overlay6color=black
|overlay6left=470
|overlay6top=150
|overlay6link=Fox Island (Detroit River)
|overlay7=Sugar Island
|overlay7left=680
|overlay7top=135
|overlay7link=Sugar Island (Detroit River)
|overlay8=Grosse Ile, Michigan
|overlay8left=375
|overlay8top=200
|overlay8link=Grosse Ile (Michigan)
}}

== History ==
=== Background and first explosion ===
[[File:Powder House Island and Fox Island, 2005-12.png|thumb|Powder House Island (right) and Fox Island (left) in a 2005 aerial photograph|alt=An aerial photograph of two small islands separated by water]]
In the late 19th century, the [[Dunbar & Sullivan Company]] won a number of government contracts to widen and deepen [[shipping channel]]s in the Detroit River, including the [[Livingstone Channel]] and [[Lime-Kiln Crossing]].<ref name="foxrefs07" /><ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|46:47}} This work involved large amounts of [[Rock blasting|blasting]], due to [[limestone]] bedrock in the area; the nearby Fox Island was a natural choice for storage of explosive compounds.<ref name="foxrefs07" /><ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|47}} On December 12, 1879, the three tons (2,700&nbsp;kg) of [[nitroglycerin]] stored on Fox Island detonated unexpectedly,<ref name="dfp1800s14" /><ref name="foxrefs03" /><ref name="foxrefs34" /> destroying all structures on the island and leaving a crater {{cvt|60|ft}} wide and {{cvt|16|ft}} deep.<ref name="dfp1800s14" /><ref name="foxrefs04" /> The resultant [[shock wave]] shattered the windows of nearby houses, and was clearly audible in [[St. Clair, Michigan|St. Clair]] some {{cvt|60|mi}} to the north.<ref name="dfp1800s14" /><ref name="foxrefs04" />

=== Injunction and second explosion ===
In March 1880, litigation related to the circumstances of the explosion resulted in an [[injunction]] being issued by the Wayne County [[chancery court]] in the case of ''Walter Crane v. Charles F. Dunbar et al''.<ref name="foxrefs06" /> The injunction forbade the company's operators, Charles F. Dunbar and Daniel B. Reaume, to engage in "storing [[nitroglycerine]] or any other explosive material on Fox Island".<ref name="foxrefs06" />

In order to continue work on the channel, it was necessary to store the explosives somewhere; Dunbar and Reaume requested that the injunction be dissolved.<ref name="foxrefs07" /> Shortly afterwards, however, another explosion occurred at the Lime-Kiln Crossing worksite on September 24, 1880<!--Friday, Sept 24, at 5&nbsp;am -->, which shook houses in Amherstburg "to their foundations", and could be felt in the town of [[Essex, Ontario|Essex]] {{cvt|16|mi}} away.<ref name="foxrefs08" /> Dunbar and Reaume's request was denied in November, and it became evident that a new location would need to be found or created.<ref name="foxrefs11" /><ref name="foxrefs15" />

=== Construction of new island ===
After the injunction was issued, Dunbar & Sullivan resorted to storing their explosives on a [[scow]] anchored several hundred yards to the east of Fox Island.<ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|47}} While this allowed work to continue, it was not a permanent solution. The scow had limited capacity; Dunbar & Sullivan had to purchase raw materials and manufacture dynamite, [[Hercules powder]], and other explosive materials themselves at the work site.<ref name="foxrefs15" /> Storing dynamite would require a much larger facility, which was only practical if situated on solid land.<ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|47}}

While Dunbar & Sullivan had been forbidden to store explosives on Fox Island, the location of the worksite meant that there were few other places to do so. The southern extension of Stony Island had not yet been constructed,<ref name="usgs1906" /> and all other land within a reasonable distance of the worksite was inhabited. By 1881, houses had been built along the shore of Grosse Ile, and Hickory and Sugar Island were being used as campgrounds;<ref name="grosseilebook" /> on the Canadian side, Bois Blanc Island was being used for summer vacation homes.<ref name="boblo1879" /> It was therefore decided that an artificial island would be constructed next to Fox Island, to which the 1880 injunction (which only stipulated that Dunbar & Sullivan not store explosives on Fox Island specifically) would not apply.<ref name="foxrefs06" /><ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|47}}

The risks involved in manufacturing and handling explosive devices on the putative artificial island would be largely identical to those incurred by the Fox Island facility—the explosions there had caused damage for miles around, and the new site was only a couple hundred yards away. No additional structures or mechanisms were planned to help contain or redirect the energy of an unintentional detonation; the primary difference between the two sites was that one of them had not existed when the ruling was made, and was therefore (ostensibly) not subject to it.<ref name="foxrefs06" /><ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|47}} It is unclear why government engineering authorities approved of this reasoning, or indeed that they even did; the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit|Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals]] later said that "no formal action appears to have been taken by the government or any officer thereof, giving the defendant the right to erect the island [...] all that was shown was at most a verbal permission and an acquiescence on the part of the government officers in charge of the Lime-Kiln Crossing work".<ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|48}}

Regardless, by May 1881, construction was underway: between eight and ten carpenters, directed by John P. Jones, were employed in the construction of a scow.<ref name="foxrefs15" /> This scow was tasked with carrying rock from channel excavation to a site several hundred yards to the east of Fox Island, and dumping it on the river floor.<ref name="foxrefs15" /> Eventually, the scow was [[scuttling|scuttled]] atop the rock; the resultant mound was high enough to rise above water level.<ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|47}}

Once it was large and solid enough to permit the erection of structures, the dynamite operations of Dunbar & Sullivan were moved to the island. While it was initially referred to as "Dunbar Island",<ref name="foxrefs15" /> it eventually became known as "[[Powder house|Powder House]] Island".<ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|46}}

Shanties were erected to contain and shelter the large quantities of dynamite required for channel excavation. They caught fire on April 21, 1895, and the island "burned to the water's edge".<!-- Tuesday was 23, so Sunday was 21--><ref name="burned" /> In 1904, it was reported that Canadian police had found American [[poaching|poachers]], illegally fishing for [[sturgeon]], living in a shack on the island.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1904-06-08 p5" /> By 1906, {{cvt|20|ST|kg|spell=in}} of dynamite were stored on the island; a witness was quoted as saying "you could throw a cat through the cracks" in dynamite shanties of questionable quality.<ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|47}}

=== Third explosion ===
[[File:USGS topographic map, Michigan, Wyandotte quadrangle (278613), 1906, 1-62500 (cropped to Fox and Powder House Islands).jpg|thumb|Powder House Island, as it appeared on a 1906 USGS map|alt=An old hand-drawn map of several islands in a river]]
On June 27, 1906, the twenty short tons of dynamite in Dunbar & Sullivan's facilities exploded.<ref name="foxrefs25" /><ref name="herald" /><ref name="paudaahausu" />{{rp|47}} Powder House Island was shaken by an explosion "so terrific in nature that the residents of the town and pleasure-seekers on adjacent islands thought it was an earthquake visitation".<ref name="foxrefs25" /> Two men, Henry Rogers and Theodore Perry, were injured; they had just left the island, and were {{cvt|100|yards}} from the shore, when a sudden explosion launched them from their [[catboat]], tore the clothes from their backs, and caused severe burns and lacerations.<ref name="foxrefs25" /><ref name="herald" /> The ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' described an "immediate cessation of pleasure" which occurred among people in the immediate vicinity. Charles Stedman, a vacationer from Indiana on a trip with his wife and children to Bois Blanc Island, said:
<blockquote>We were sprawled out in the shade of a tree [...] when the shock came. It was the most effective transformation scene I ever witnessed. The river in the vicinity of the dynamite houses was instantly lashed into a seething torrent. Rocks and spray shot hundreds of feet into the air, and the report was followed immediately by a shower of white that I afterward learned was limestone. Big trees were uprooted by the shock, and the one under which we were camped rocked ominously. All was confusion on the picnic grounds. Women shrieked in dismay, and repentant men fell upon their knees and began to offer fervent invocations for divine intercession.<ref name="foxrefs26" /></blockquote>
In the aftermath of the explosion, thousands of windows were shattered on Grosse Ile alone, plate glass was broken {{cvt|3|miles}} away in Trenton, and work on the shipping channel was delayed due to the loss of blasting equipment.<ref name="foxrefs26" /> The shock wave from the explosion was felt as far as [[Cleveland, Ohio]], {{cvt|85|mi}} away on the other side of Lake Erie.<ref name="foxrefs27" /> The island itself was described as a "wreck", which needed to be rebuilt with many scowloads of stone and mud.<ref name="foxrefs27" /> The cause of the explosion was not known with certainty, as it had been a hot day, but it was suspected to be related to Rogers and Perry firing revolvers near the dynamite storage area immediately before it exploded (despite Rogers' claim several days later that the revolvers had been loaded with [[Blank ammunition|blanks]]).<ref name="herald" /><ref name="foxrefs26" /><ref name="rogers" />
<blockquote>The men said they had been shooting with a revolver, and it is supposed that one of the bullets touched off the fireworks. While admitting that the explosion may have been caused by the heat, experts do not think this theory at all plausible.<ref name="foxrefs26" /></blockquote>

The explosion has been the subject of [[misinformation]]: a June 28 article in the ''Detroit Free Press'' pushed the untrue claim that the explosion had occurred on Fox Island.<ref name="foxrefs25" /> On July 6, the ''Yale Expositor'', while correctly reporting that the explosion had occurred on Dynamite Island, claimed that there had been {{cvt|12|ST|kg}} of explosives across ''two'' artificial islands, and that "a keg of one of the explosives was hurled into the central part of Grosse Ile and there exploded in a clump of woods, tearing century old oaks into splinters".<ref name="twelve" /> A 2016 article in the ''Trenton Tribune'' would later falsely state that the explosion happened in 1907.<ref name="trentrib" /> These baseless claims have been debunked by fact-checkers; court proceedings concerning the lawsuit (''Henderson v. Sullivan'') related to the explosion state that it took place in June 1906, from twenty tons of dynamite, on a single island (Powder House Island). These details were not disputed by the plaintiff, defendant, or judiciary.<ref name="paudaahausu" />

=== Second injunction ===
[[File:Exploding 800 lbs. of dynamite, Livingstone Channel, Mich. between 1905 and 1920.jpg|thumb|An {{cvt|800|lbs}} charge of dynamite being used for construction on the Livingstone Channel, in a photo taken between 1905 and 1920|alt=A black-and-white photograph of a rocky landscape with a puff of smoke from a dynamite explosion]]
Several days after the explosion, construction began to rebuild the storage sheds. However, attorney Edwin Henderson filed a petition claiming that his house on Grosse Ile had been damaged by the explosion; on July 6, a temporary injunction was issued against the Dunbar & Sullivan Company preventing them from storing explosives on the island.<ref name="injunction" /> Henderson requested that the court permanently enjoin Dunbar & Sullivan from storing any dynamite in the Detroit River, which was denied by the judge.<ref name="barred" /> Henderson appealed the case to the United States Court of Appeals in Cincinnati,<ref name="barred" /> which reversed the prior ruling and granted an injunction (albeit with limitations) in February 1908, with Judge [[John K. Richards]]<ref name="richards" /> giving the opinion:<ref name="battle" />
<blockquote>We think it apparent from the record that a reasonable amount of dynamite, for use in the public work, might be stored on Powder House Island without injuring persons and property in the neighborhood, and to the great interest of the public in the doing of the improvement of the Detroit River now going on, and so we think that, under proper limitations, an injunction ought to be granted; the judgement of the court below is therefore reversed and the case [[remand (court procedure)|remanded]], with instructions to grant an injunction restraining the defendant from storing dynamite on the island or place described in the bill as the place where the defendant had recently been storing it, in such quantity as to create danger to the complainant or his family personally, or danger to the property, real or personal, owned by or possessed by him, at the place described in the bill as his residence on Grosse Ile.<ref name="battle" /></blockquote>

By 1908, reports indicated that the explosives used for channel blasting were being stored in a bulletproof concrete structure.<ref name="storage" /> However, public opinion on the issue was divided, with some residents of nearby islands "apprehensive" about the storage of dynamite along the lower Detroit River.<ref name="battle" /> On March 5, 1908, C. McD. Townsend, United States district engineer, held a hearing on the issue.<ref name="storage" /> At the hearing, the residents of Grosse Ile and Hickory Island were represented by Dr. David Inglis, who expressed concern about the storage of explosives, and proposed that the matter be settled in federal court. Townsend's proposal for a compromise entailed constructing three additional islands, between which a total of {{cvt|60|ST|kg}} of dynamite would be divided evenly.<ref name="battle" /> However, no such islands were constructed, and none appear on survey maps from 1906 through 2019.<ref name="usgs1906" /><ref name="usgs1912" /><ref name="usgs1929" /><ref name="usgs1940" /><ref name="usgs1967" /><ref name="usgs2019" />

By March 1910, the dynamite factory on Powder House Island had returned to operation, with an output of {{cvt|2|ST|kg}} per day.<ref name="factory" /> In July of that year, several hundred passengers of the pleasure boat ''Wauketa'' were "given nearly a three hours extension of their outing" when it ran aground on the shore of a Dunbar Island:<ref name="extension" /> <blockquote>The passengers, none of whom seemed to take the occurrence very seriously, enjoyed themselves in the cool breezes counting the stars and speculating on what would happen if the dynamite magazine of Dunbar & Sullivan on the island nearby should chance to blow up.<ref name="extension" /></blockquote> <!--In mid-1911, workers continued to be employed in the factory;<ref name="The Windsor Star 1911-11-04 p3" />--> In January 1912, a contract was carried out to fill its [[Ice house (building)|ice houses]],<ref name="The Windsor Star 1912-01-30 p2" /><!-- Tue --> and in May of that year, a "full force of men" was working at the factory under an O. B. Barnes.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1912-05-03 p4" /><!-- Fri -->

=== Deepening of channel and subsequent use of island ===
[[File:Powder House Island, Michigan, 1993-04.png|thumb|1993 aerial photo, taken by USGS|alt=An aerial photograph of a small island overgrown with vegetation]]
Dunbar & Sullivan's operations on the Livingstone Channel soon ended. The channel was completed, and opened to the public, in October 1912.<ref name="livingstone" /><ref name="usgs1912" /> While the ice house and dynamite factory would again burn "to the water's edge" in 1919,<ref name="The Windsor Star 1919-11-29 p15" /><!-- Sat --> the company continued to carry out dredging and excavation around the Detroit River for decades afterward. In the 1920s, it was using nearby Stony Island as a central part of its dredging and excavation operations,<ref name="trentrib" /><ref name="mnsi" /><ref name="relishes" /> and by 1931 work was still going on there "24 hours a day".<ref name="classified" /><ref name="warfare" />
<!--In 1959, property on several islands in the lower Detroit River were proposed to be included in a drainage district, including parcels on [[Mamajuda Island]], [[Stony Island (Michigan)| ]], [[Fox Island (Detroit River)| ]], and [[Celeron Island]]. One parcel, 053C, was on Powder House Island (referred to in the listing as Dynamite Island)<ref name="classified" />-->

In December 1932, channel-deepening operations began again, this time being carried out by a George Mills Company of Ontario.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1936-09-09 p3" /> The company continued to use Powder House Island as a storage location for explosives;<ref name="The Windsor Star 1933-01-14 p24" /><!-- Sat --><!-- Sat --> in that year they constructed a new powder house on the island.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1932-11-16 p9" /><!-- Wed --> By that time, dynamite had been replaced with [[gelignite|blasting gelatin]].<ref name="The Windsor Star 1933-03-18 p19" /> The ''[[Windsor Star]]'' reported in March 1933 that "in spite of the safety of modern blasting gelatine, the Mills Company takes excellent care that not too much of it is on the job at one time", with a reserve stock of approximately 2,000 {{cvt|50|lb|kg|adj=mid}} cases being kept on the island.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1933-03-18 p19" /><!-- Sat --> By April 1935, the company was preparing to begin draining the third (and final) section of the channel.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1935-04-16 p18" /> In December, the company completed the contract, and [[layoff|laid off]] "all of its 240 employees [...] with the exception of 20 men, who [were] packing the company's equipment for shipment to the next job".<ref name="The Windsor Star 1935-12-09 p5" /> Further work on the channel was contracted to an Arundell Corporation, who hoped to complete remaining work by December.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1935-12-09 p5" /> Several months later, all work on the project was completed;<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1936-09-02 p1" /> it was opened for ship traffic on September 5, 1936.<ref name="The Times Herald 1936-09-05 p12" />

In 1936, the George Mills Company and the Arundel Corporation were the subject of another lawsuit, in which Amherstburg residents sought monetary compensation for "damage and loss to [...] property as a result of the blasting operations on the channel project".<ref name="The Windsor Star 1936-09-09 p3" /> The case was [[out-of-court settlement|settled out of court]] in September of that year.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1936-09-28 p3" /> Another suit with similar complaints was filed against the Arundel Corporation in 1938.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1938-11-03 p5" />

Work on nearby shipping channels would continue through the mid-20th century, including a project to deepen the [[Amherstburg Channel]] in the late 1950s<ref name="The Windsor Star 1957-03-09 p18" /> that was mostly completed by 1961.<ref name="The Windsor Star 1961-06-17 p21" /> Powder House Island is shown largely unchanged on survey maps throughout this time.<ref name="usgs1936" /><ref name="usgs1940" /><ref name="usgs1952" /> It was included in a 1961 proposal by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] to draw [[harbor line]]s around several islands in the lower Detroit River, enlarging the islands up to the boundaries of shipping channels.<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1961-09-03 p32" /> This proposal, however, prompted a "vigorous protest" by the [[Michigan Attorney General]], who said "the establishment of a harbor line would undoubtedly result in the making of fills which would constitute an obstruction to the navigable waters of the State without the sanction of the Legislature or any public officials of the State".<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1961-09-03 p32" /> Ultimately, no such filling projects were carried out, and the island stayed the same size.<ref name="usgs1967" /><ref name="usgs2019" />

By the 1980s, industrial activity on Powder House Island had ceased, and in 1984 it was uninhabited.<ref name="inthestream" /><!-- in 1987, Dunbar & Sullivan went defunct.<ref name="trails" />--> As of 2015, Powder House Island (as well as the nearby Stony Island, also formerly used by Dunbar & Sullivan)<ref name="relishes" /> was owned by the [[Michigan Department of Natural Resources]], managed by its Wildlife Division as part of the [[Pointe Mouillee State Game Area]], and accessible to the public for hunting and camping.<ref name="gamearea" /> The area surrounding the island is known for good [[perch]] fishing;<ref name="mlive" /><ref name="perch2007" /> a 1982 report by the [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] said that [[walleye]] spawned near the island.<ref name="river" />{{rp|31}}

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="perch2007">{{cite news
  | url          = http://www.newspapers.com/image/363451817/
  | title        = DNR Fishing Report
  | date         = October 18, 2007
  | page         = 32
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = September 6, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210906081035/http://www.newspapers.com/image/363451817/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="inthestream">{{cite news
  | url          = http://www.newspapers.com/image/99104569/
  | title        = Islands in the stream: Life going downriver
  | date         = May 3, 1984
  | page         = 135
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = September 6, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210906075034/http://www.newspapers.com/image/99104569/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="classified">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893499/legal-notices/
  | title        = Legal Notices
  | date         = December 21, 1959
  | page         = 31
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202032901/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893499/legal-notices/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="barred">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893543/dynamite-is-barred/
  | title        = Dynamite is barred
  | date         = February 5, 1908
  | page         = 9
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034513/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893543/dynamite-is-barred/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="battle">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893602/appeal-to-the-courts/
  | title        = Appeal to the Courts: Island residents decline to argue dynamite matter
  | date         = March 8, 1908
  | page         = 18
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034501/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893602/appeal-to-the-courts/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="storage">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893630/storage-of-dynamite/
  | title        = Storage of Dynamite: Col. Townsend will have a hearing on the matter
  | date         = March 4, 1908
  | page         = 8
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034501/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893630/storage-of-dynamite/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="injunction">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893673/explosives-are-barred-powder-house-isla/
  | title        = Explosives are Barred: Powder House Island Subject of Temporary Injunction
  | date         = July 10, 1906
  | page         = 5
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034502/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893673/explosives-are-barred-powder-house/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="rogers">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893692/mind-was-a-blank-harry-rogers-tells-exp/
  | title        = Mind Was A Blank: Harry Rogers Tells Experiences in Dynamite Explosion
  | date         = July 1, 1906
  | page         = 8
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034502/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893692/mind-was-a-blank-harry-rogers-tells/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="herald">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893724/city-is-shaken-by-dynamite/
  | title        = City is Shaken by Dynamite
  | date         = June 28, 1906
  | page         = 6
  | newspaper    = The Daily Herald
  | location     = Port Huron, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034515/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893724/city-is-shaken-by-dynamite/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="twelve">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893754/it-was-stunning/
  | title        = It was Stunning
  | date         = July 6, 1906
  | page         = 2
  | newspaper    = The Yale Expositor
  | location     = Yale, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034506/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893754/it-was-stunning/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="burned">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893802/marine-notes/
  | title        = Marine Notes.
  | date         = April 23, 1895
  | page         = 8
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Port Huron, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034502/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893802/marine-notes/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="extension">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893825/marine-wauxeta-runs-on-bank/
  | title        = Wauxeta Runs On Bank
  | date         = July 18, 1910
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202032904/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893825/marine-wauxeta-runs-on-bank/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="factory">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893921/drill-boats-start-work/
  | title        = Drill Boats Start Work
  | date         = March 20, 1910
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034503/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89893921/drill-boats-start-work/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="livingstone">{{Cite web
  | url          = https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Stories/Article/491179/channel-expansion-made-detroit-river-safer-for-mariners/
  | title        = Channel expansion made Detroit River safer for mariners
  | date         = December 27, 2012
  | website      = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = September 5, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210905230634/https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Stories/Article/491179/channel-expansion-made-detroit-river-safer-for-mariners/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="gamearea">{{Cite web
  | url          = https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/PUBLICATIONS/PDFS/huntingwildlifehabitat/SGA/Pointe_Mouillee_SGA_map.pdf
  | title        = Point Mouilee State Game Area: All Area, General Map, in Monroe and Wayne Counties
  | publisher    = Michigan Department of Natural Resources
  | date         = April 1, 2019
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = January 28, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210128123555/https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/sga/Pointe_Mouillee_SGA_map.pdf
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="trentrib">{{Cite web
  | url          = https://trentontrib.com/tony-mazzellathe-islands-of-grosse-ile-all-have-stories-to-tell.html
  | title        = The 'islands' of Grosse Ile all have stories to tell
  | first        = Tony
  | last         = Mazzella
  | website      = Trenton Tribune
  | date         = August 9, 2016
  | access-date  = September 1, 2021
  | archive-date = September 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210902001206/https://trentontrib.com/tony-mazzellathe-islands-of-grosse-ile-all-have-stories-to-tell.html
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="river">{{Cite web
  | url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=krukyxxsGlEC&q=Powder+House
  | title        = Atlas of Spawning and Nursery Areas of Great Lakes Fishes: Volume VIII, Detroit River
  | publisher    = U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Biological Services
  | date         = September 1, 1982
  | via          = Google Books
  | access-date  = September 1, 2021
  | archive-date = September 1, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210901220537/https://books.google.com/books?id=krukyxxsGlEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Powder+House&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjql_yh297yAhV1JDQIHeiMASUQ6AEwAHoECB8QAg#v=onepage&q=Powder+House&f=false
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="paudaahausu">{{Cite book
  | url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=dslYgHSxVIUC&q=%22Powder+House+Islan%22d&pg=PA48
  | title        = The Federal Reporter
  | date         = September 1, 1908
  | publisher    = West Publishing Company
  | page         = 46
  | access-date  = September 1, 2021
  | archive-date = September 1, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210901212106/https://books.google.com/books?id=dslYgHSxVIUC&pg=PA48&dq=%22Powder+House+Island%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixm4qW1d7yAhXTMX0KHZJiCVgQ6AEwAnoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=%22Powder+House+Islan%22d&f=false
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="mlive">{{Cite web
  | url          = https://www.mlive.com/outdoors/2009/09/dnr_salmon_moving_into_rivers.html
  | title        = Michigan Fishing Report: Salmon moving into rivers; Run later than '08
  | date         = September 30, 2009
  | website      = mlive
  | access-date  = September 1, 2021
  | archive-date = September 1, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210901210250/https://www.mlive.com/outdoors/2009/09/dnr_salmon_moving_into_rivers.html
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<!--<ref name="coalition">{{Cite web
  | url          = https://www.detroitrivercoalition.com/the-detroit-river
  | title        = The Detroit River
  | website      = Detroit River Coalition
  | access-date  = May 20, 2021
  | archive-date = May 21, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210521011319/https://www.detroitrivercoalition.com/the-detroit-river
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>-->
<ref name="boblo1879">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894025/the-court-afloat/
  | date         = June 25, 1879
  | page         = 8
  | title        = The Court Afloat
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034516/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894025/the-court-afloat/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="grosseilebook">{{Cite book
  | url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=FtIeAABNh-MC&dq=Sugar+Island&pg=PT19
  | title        = Grosse Ile
  | first        = Grosse Ile Historical
  | last         = Society
  | year         = 2007
  | publisher    = Arcadia Publishing
  | isbn         = 978-1-4396-1868-4
  | via          = Google Books
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = September 6, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210906074005/https://books.google.com/books?id=FtIeAABNh-MC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT19&dq=Sugar+Island&hl=en#v=onepage&q=Sugar+Island&f=false
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs03">{{cite news
  | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894063/a-tremendous-jar-it-was-caused-by-the-e/
  | date        = December 13, 1879
  | page        = 6
  | title       = A Tremendous Jar: It Was Caused By the Explosion of Nitro-Glycerine and Powder on Fox Island
  | newspaper   = Detroit Free Press
  | location    = Detroit, Michigan
  | via         = Newspapers.com
  | access-date = September 6, 2021
  }}</ref>
<ref name="dfp1800s14">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894084/the-fox-island-explosion-heard-at-st-cl/
  | date         = December 16, 1879
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | page         = 4
  | title        = The Fox Island Explosion Heard at St. Clair
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034505/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894084/the-fox-island-explosion-heard-at-st/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs04">{{cite news
  | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894111/the-fox-island-explosion-the-extraordin/
  | date        = December 14, 1879
  | page        = 4
  | title       = The Fox Island Explosion: The Extraordinary Work of Nitro-Glycerine
  | newspaper   = Detroit Free Press
  | location    = Detroit, Michigan
  | via         = Newspapers.com
  | access-date = September 6, 2021
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs06">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894137/the-courts-clerks-office-notes/
  | date         = March 16, 1880
  | page         = 1
  | title        = The Courts: Wayne Circuit
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034504/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894137/the-courts-clerks-office-notes/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs07">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894137/the-courts-clerks-office-notes/
  | date         = May 2, 1880
  | page         = 6
  | title        = The Courts: Clerk's Office Notes
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034504/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894137/the-courts-clerks-office-notes/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs08">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894297/hercules-powder-a-terrific-explosion-at/
  | date         = September 25, 1880
  | page         = 1
  | title        = Hercules Powder: A Terrific Explosion at the Lime-Kiln Crossing, Detroit River. Perilous Situation of Patrick Collins. Injuries from Flying Boards and Timbers. Peter Boyers' Head and Face Severely Cut. Great Destruction of Window Glass and Houses Shaken to Their Foundations. The Shock Felt at Essex Center, Sixteen Miles Away
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034506/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894297/hercules-powder-a-terrific-explosion/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs11">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894325/the-courts-wayne-circuit/
  | date         = November 23, 1880
  | page         = 1
  | title        = The Courts: Wayne Circuit
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034218/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894325/the-courts-wayne-circuit/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs15">{{cite news
  | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894356/the-lime-kiln-crossing-showing-the-work/
  | date        = May 29, 1881
  | page        = 7
  | title       = The Lime-Kiln Crossing: Showing the Work Done and That in Progress, and the Courses to be Taken by Ships
  | newspaper   = Detroit Free Press
  | location    = Detroit, Michigan
  | via         = Newspapers.com
  | access-date = September 6, 2021
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs25">{{cite news
  | url         = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894391/dynamite-ruins-fox-island-plant-injurin/
  | date        = June 28, 1906
  | page        = 1
  | title       = Dynamite Ruins Fox Island Plant, Injuring Two
  | newspaper   = Detroit Free Press
  | location    = Detroit, Michigan
  | via         = Newspapers.com
  | access-date = September 6, 2021
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs26">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894414/dynamite-ruins-fox-island-plant-injurin/
  | date         = June 28, 1906
  | page         = 2
  | title        = Dynamite Ruins Fox Island Plant, Injuring Two
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034649/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894414/dynamite-ruins-fox-island-plant/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs27">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894439/felt-in-distant-cities-dynamite-explosi/
  | date         = June 29, 1906
  | page         = 11
  | title        = Felt in Distant Cities. Dynamite Explosion Raised Hob at Harrow.
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034618/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894439/felt-in-distant-cities-dynamite/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="foxrefs34">{{cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894464/50-years-ago/
  | date         = December 13, 1929
  | page         = 6
  | title        = 50 Years Ago
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = September 6, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034613/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894464/50-years-ago/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!--
<ref name="trails">{{Cite web
  | title        = Detroit Business & Manufacturing
  | url          = http://genealogytrails.com/mich/wayne/businessdetroit.html
  | website      = Genealogy Trails
  | access-date  = September 2, 2021
  | archive-date = September 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210902010917/http://genealogytrails.com/mich/wayne/businessdetroit.html
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>-->
<ref name="relishes">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894769/seaman-relishes-life-on-rusty-river-barg/
  | date         = January 19, 1984
  | page         = 124
  | last         = Bencsik
  | first        = Michael
  | title        = Seaman relishes life on rusty river barge
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034825/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894769/seaman-relishes-life-on-rusty-river/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="mnsi">{{Cite web
  | last1        = L.A.
  | first1       = Tulen
  | last2        = Hartig
  | first2       = J.H.
  | last3        = Dolan
  | first3       = D.M.
  | last4        = Ciborowski
  | first4       = J.
  | year         = 1998
  | title        = Conserving Critical Habitats in the Conservation Crescent – The Stony Island Story
  | url          = http://riccawu.mnsi.net/story3.html
  | website      = Rehabilitating and Conserving Detroit River Habitats
  | publisher    = Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research
  | access-date  = September 2, 2021
  | archive-date = September 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210902000041/http://riccawu.mnsi.net/story3.html
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="warfare">{{Cite news
  | date         = May 31, 1931
  | title        = Rum Warfare Match of Wits
  | page         = 24
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894488/rum-warfare-match-of-wits/
  | access-date  = September 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034643/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89894488/rum-warfare-match-of-wits/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="gnis">{{cite web
  | url          = https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/summary/635370
  | title        = Feature Details: 635370
  | publisher    = United States Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System
  | date         = April 13, 1980
  | access-date  = January 21, 2022
  | archive-date = November 5, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211105194036/https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/summary/635370
  | url-status   = live
  }}<!-- Previously this: {{Gnis|635370|Powder House Island}}--></ref>
<ref name="usgs1906">{{cite web
  | url          = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#14/42.1124/-83.1392
  | title        = Topography, State of Michigan: Wyandotte Quadrangle
  | first1       = H.M.
  | last1        = Wilson
  | first2       = Chas E.
  | last2        = Cooke
  | first3       = J.T.
  | last3        = McCoy
  | first4       = J.N.
  | last4        = Williamson
  | website      = 
  | publisher    = United States Geological Survey
  | date         = 1906
  | access-date  = September 1, 2021
  | archive-date = April 5, 2020
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20200405183833/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#14/42.1124/-83.1392
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs1912">{{cite web
  | url          = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#14/42.1124/-83.1392
  | title        = Topography, State of Michigan: Wyandotte Quadrangle
  | first1       = H.M.
  | last1        = Wilson
  | first2       = Chas E.
  | last2        = Cooke
  | first3       = J.T.
  | last3        = McCoy
  | first4       = J.N.
  | last4        = Williamson
  | website      = 
  | publisher    = United States Geological Survey
  | date         = 1912
  | access-date  = September 5, 2021
  | archive-date = April 5, 2020
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20200405183833/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#14/42.1124/-83.1392
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs1929">{{cite web
  | url          = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | title        = Topography, State of Michigan: Wyandotte Quadrangle<!--1:62500-->
  | website      = 
  | publisher    = United States Army Corps of Engineers
  | date         = 1918
  | access-date  = January 2, 2022
  | archive-date = October 10, 2019
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20191010031100/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs1936">{{cite web
  | url          = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | title        = Michigan: Rockwood Quadrangle<!-- 1:31680-->
  | first1       = Glenn S.
  | last1        = Smith
  | website      = 
  | publisher    = United States Geological Survey
  | date         = 1936
  | access-date  = January 2, 2022
  | archive-date = October 10, 2019
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20191010031100/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs1940">{{cite web
  | url          = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | title        = Michigan: Rockwood Quadrangle<!-- 1:24000-->
  | first1       = W. S.
  | last1        = Gehres
  | first2       = R. E.
  | last2        = Altenhofen
  | first3       = B. E.
  | last3        = Adams
  | website      = 
  | publisher    = United States Geological Survey
  | date         = 1940
  | access-date  = January 2, 2022
  | archive-date = October 10, 2019
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20191010031100/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs1952">{{cite web
  | url          = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | title        = Michigan: Rockwood Quadrangle<!-- 1:24000-->
  | website      = 
  | publisher    = United States Geological Survey
  | date         = 1952
  | access-date  = January 2, 2022
  | archive-date = October 10, 2019
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20191010031100/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs1967">{{cite web
  | url          = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | title        = Michigan: Rockwood Quadrangle<!-- 1:24000-->
  | website      = 
  | publisher    = United States Geological Survey
  | date         = 1967
  | access-date  = January 2, 2022
  | archive-date = October 10, 2019
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20191010031100/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs2019">{{cite web
  | url          = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | title        = Michigan: Rockwood Quadrangle<!-- 1:24000-->
  | website      = 
  | publisher    = United States Geological Survey
  | date         = 2019
  | access-date  = January 2, 2022
  | archive-date = October 10, 2019
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20191010031100/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/42.1017/-83.1368
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs20191">{{Cite map
  | author = [[United States Geological Survey]]
  | title  = United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey
  | map    = Rockwood Quadrangle, Michigan
  | year   = 2019
  | scale  = 1:24000
  }}</ref>
<ref name="usgs20192">{{Cite map
  | author = [[United States Geological Survey]]
  | title  = United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey
  | map    = Rockwood OE E Quadrangle, Michigan
  | year   = 2019
  | scale  = 1:24000
  }}</ref>
<ref name="bingaerial">{{Cite web
  | url          = https://www.bing.com/maps/sharing?osid=a4811930-34b5-428f-9950-a65249c39cd1&cp=42.107238~-83.135875&lvl=19&style=h&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027&unsupported=a
  | title        = Maps
  | website      = www.bing.com
  | access-date  = September 13, 2021
  | archive-date = September 6, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210906074005/https://www.bing.com/maps/sharing?osid=a4811930-34b5-428f-9950-a65249c39cd1&cp=42.107238~-83.135875&lvl=19&style=h&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027&unsupported=a
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="waynearcgis">{{cite web
  | url          = https://wayne.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=4e75960fbf28455c9acf115e97a3c7c0
  | title        = Wayne County Parcel Viewer: Parcel 73069990001000
  | publisher    = Wayne County, Michigan
  | access-date  = December 1, 2021
  | archive-date = June 22, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210622154007/https://wayne.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=4e75960fbf28455c9acf115e97a3c7c0
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1933-03-18 p19">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89898101/rivers-bed-bared-at-amherstburg/
  | date         = March 18, 1933
  | page         = 19
  | title        = River's Bed Bared at Amherstburg
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202051358/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89898101/rivers-bed-bared-at-amherstburg/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1933-01-14 p24">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89898500/blasts-tear-river-bed/
  | date         = January 14, 1933
  | page         = 24
  | title        = Blasts Tear River Bed
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202052223/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89898500/blasts-tear-river-bed/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1932-11-16 p9">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89898971/get-ready-for-blasting/
  | date         = November 16, 1932
  | page         = 9
  | title        = Get Ready For Blasting
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202053843/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89898971/get-ready-for-blasting/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1919-11-29 p15">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899090/amherstburg/
  | date         = November 29, 1919
  | page         = 15
  | title        = Amherstburg
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202053842/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899090/amherstburg/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1904-06-08 p5">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899191/little-locals/
  | date         = June 8, 1904
  | page         = 5
  | title        = Little Locals
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202054309/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899191/little-locals/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!--
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1911-11-04 p3">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899265/amherstburg/
  | date         = November 4, 1911
  | page         = 3
  | title        = Amherstburg
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202054619/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899265/amherstburg/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>-->
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1912-01-30 p2">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899321/amherstburg/
  | date         = January 30, 1912
  | page         = 2
  | title        = Amherstburg
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202054617/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899321/amherstburg/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1912-05-03 p4">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899352/amherstburg/
  | date         = May 3, 1912
  | page         = 4
  | title        = Amherstburg
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = December 2, 2021
  | archive-date = December 2, 2021
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202054900/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89899352/amherstburg/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="richards">{{FJC Bio |2003 |nid=1386901 |name=John Kelvey Richards<!--(1856–1909)-->}}</ref>
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1961-06-17 p21">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91729118/welcome-sign-out-to-invaders/
  | date         = June 17, 1961
  | page         = 21
  | title        = Welcome Sign Out to Invaders
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = January 3, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220103024134/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91729118/welcome-sign-out-to-invaders/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Sat -->
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1957-03-09 p18">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91727870/to-rip-8-miles-of-rock-clay-from-amhers/
  | date         = March 9, 1957
  | page         = 18
  | title        = To Rip 8 Miles of Rock, Clay From Amherstburg Channel
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = April 5, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220405053028/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91727870/to-rip-8-miles-of-rock-clay-from/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Sat -->
<ref name="The Times Herald 1936-09-05 p12">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91727402/new-livingstone-channel-opens-to-shippin/
  | date         = September 5, 1936
  | page         = 12
  | title        = New Livingstone Channel Opens To Shipping Today
  | newspaper    = The Times Herald
  | location     = Port Huron, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = April 5, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220405052907/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91727402/new-livingstone-channel-opens-to/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Sat -->
<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1936-09-02 p1">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726871/deepening-job-on-livingstone-channel-end/
  | date         = September 2, 1936
  | page         = 1
  | title        = Deepening Job on Livingstone Channel Ended
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = April 5, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220405052909/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726871/deepening-job-on-livingstone-channel/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Wed -->
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1938-11-03 p5">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726641/channel-blasting-suits/
  | date         = November 3, 1938
  | page         = 5
  | title        = Channel blasting suits
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = January 3, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220103021614/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726641/channel-blasting-suits/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Thu -->
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1935-12-09 p5">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726257/finishes-contract/
  | date         = December 9, 1935
  | page         = 5
  | title        = Finishes Contract
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = January 3, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220103021612/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726257/finishes-contract/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Mon -->
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1935-04-16 p18">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726065/prepares-50-boats/
  | date         = April 16, 1935
  | page         = 18
  | title        = Prepares 50 Boats
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = January 3, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220103020453/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726065/prepares-50-boats/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Tue -->
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1936-09-09 p3">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91725539/amherstburg-citizens-ask-35000-for-bla/
  | date         = September 9, 1936
  | page         = 3
  | title        = Amherstburg Citizens Ask $35,000 for Blast Damages
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = April 5, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220405052935/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91725539/amherstburg-citizens-ask-35000-for/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Wed -->
<ref name="The Windsor Star 1936-09-28 p3">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91725806/settle-actions-over-blasting-13-were-su/
  | date         = September 28, 1936
  | page         = 3
  | title        = Settle Actions Over Blasting: 13 Were Suing
  | newspaper    = The Windsor Star
  | location     = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = April 5, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220405052946/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91725806/settle-actions-over-blasting-13-were/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Mon -->
<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1961-09-03 p32">{{Cite news
  | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91730012/woods-and-waters/
  | date         = September 3, 1961
  | page         = 32
  | title        = Woods and Waters
  | newspaper    = Detroit Free Press
  | location     = Detroit, Michigan
  | via          = Newspapers.com
  | access-date  = January 3, 2022
  | archive-date = January 3, 2022
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220103025701/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91730012/woods-and-waters/
  | url-status   = live
  }}</ref><!-- Sun -->
}}

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2022-03-30|En-Powder House Island-article.ogg}}
* [https://www.nailhed.com/2015/04/island-hopping.html "Island Hopping"] from Nailhed, an [[urban exploration]] website<!-- This is a great piece with a lot of pictures, and additionally has a lot of good print sources mentioned in its bibliography, which could be used by any motivated party to expand the article greatly. -->

{{portalbar|Islands|Michigan}}

[[Category:Islands of Wayne County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Islands of the Detroit River]]
[[Category:River islands of Michigan]]
[[Category:Artificial islands of Michigan]]
[[Category:Industrial fires and explosions in the United States]]
[[Category:Explosions in 1906]]
[[Category:1881 establishments in Michigan]]