The William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor (formerly named ''Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor'') is a public recreation area located on the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...

just east of downtown

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, on a portion of the city's International Riverfront. The state park's include wetlands, paved trails, and a 52-slip harbor of refuge. A conical brick lighthouse tower, designed as a scaled-down replica of the Tawas Point Light, marks the harbor entrance.

History

The park consists of the former city-owned St. Aubin Park and Marina and an adjacent reclaimed

brownfield In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

. The park area was taken over by the

Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor a ...

in 2004 as ''Tri-Centennial State Park'' to commemorate the founding of

Fort Detroit Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Detroit (1701–1796) was a fort established on the north bank of the Detroit River by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and the Italian Alphonse de Tonty in 1701. In the 18th century, Fre ...

in 1701. It was Michigan's first state park to be situated in an urban area. Phase I of the park's development, which included refurbishing the marina and construction of the light tower, opened on May 20, 2004. Construction of the Phase II, or expansion, phase of the project began in summer 2008 and concluded in summer 2009. The Phase II project encompassed a parcel of post-industrial property adjacent to Rivard Plaza. On October 22, 2009, Tri-Centennial State Park was renamed in honor of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

William G. Milliken William Grawn Milliken (March 26, 1922 – October 18, 2019) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th governor of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he is the longest-serving governor in Michigan history, servin ...

. The Lowlands section of the park was officially opened to the public on December 3, 2009.

Ecology

Much of the William G. Milliken State Park has been redeveloped as restoration

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s, intended to mimic the riverine wetlands that once bordered the Detroit River. The Michigan DNR hopes that these wetlands will be an attractive location for

migratory bird Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...

s. Ninety-seven percent of the former Detroit River wetlands have been lost to

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped * Photograph ...

; the de-development of Detroit in the 2000s created an opportunity for wetlands restoration.

Access

The William G. Milliken State Park's official address is 1900 Atwater Street, on the near east side of Detroit and adjacent to the Jefferson Avenue corridor. In 2010, the city completed construction of the "Dequindre Extension" which connects the park to the

Dequindre Cut The Dequindre Cut is a below-grade pathway, formerly a Grand Trunk Western Railroad line,Dequindre Cut
from the ...

Activities and amenities

The park offers shoreline fishing, a picnic area with sail-covered pavilions, and a 52-slip harbor with transient and seasonal tie-ups.

References

External links

Milliken State Park and Harbor
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Milliken State Park and Harbor Map
Michigan Department of Natural Resources {{DEFAULTSORT:Milliken, William G. State Park and Harbor State parks of Michigan Protected areas established in 2004 Parks in Detroit Detroit River 2004 establishments in Michigan Tricentennial anniversaries