Gentle breezes and waves lapping the shore of an island paradise are just a hop, skip and jump away when the destination is Harsens Island, at the mouth of the St. Claire River. The island is about one short hour from Livonia by way of I-94 North to M29. Watch for “Champion’s Auto Ferry” about sixteen miles up on M29. Harsens Island, offers new experiences and the opportunity to soak in a little of the “up North” feeling, without the long drive.
The five minute, five dollar, auto ferry ride, across the North Channel to the island made the visit exciting for Threeolbags who stumbled across the island last summer. Because of enthusiastic prompting of people on the island, like Susan Masters and Barbara Persyn, who run Reader’s Cove, a volunteer library for island residents, we planned our more in-depth return this year.
We found merchants eager to share the unique history and personality of Harsons Island and we enjoyed the relaxed, retreat type atmosphere that blankets the island. The area’s rich history includes a strip of luxury resorts visited by wealthy Detroiters who arrived on luxury liners like The Tashmoo, built by White Star Lines. Tragically all but one of these regal Hotels were destroyed by fires. Photo’s of most of the resort hotels are displayed in the San Souci Landing on the South Channel.
Tashmoo Park, once located on Harsen’s Island, was one of the first amusement parks in Michigan.
Today, visitors enjoy a more natural, easy pace, including a drive through the island’s interior, now a nature preserve. We found water lilies in full bloom on an inland marsh area and two fawns enjoying lunch by the roadside. Foxes, swans, herons, geese and ducks also live in the St Clair Flats State Game Area, the island’s interior. Limited upland game hunting is enjoyed on the island.
A stop at Minnich’s, a boat and tackle store on the middle channel yielded one of Harsens Island’s best kept secrets. It seems the island is famous for hard to find antique boat parts. “We had one man come from Florida for parts,” said Mary Minnich, owner of the tackle shop.
Her well stocked fishing shop also offers charter boats that will take you out to fish for perch, bass and walleye, all plentiful in the area.
There is definitely something about the passing of these giant, stately ships. We were drawn into the quiet pride and sense of peace as we stopped to watch passing freighters filled with steel, coal, or other cargo. Sailors waved to islanders from their top decks. Flags waved from the ships announcing home ports in many countries.
On land we found the organization and operation of the volunteer library to be the epitome of the island’s character. “We’ve got to have something for our kids,” decided Don Thomas, island resident in 1997. From that came a phone call that produced the donation of a building in a prime location on the South Channel. Volunteers pumped hours and dollars into the project to open the library doors in 1998 with a few hundred donated books.
Today the library has become the meeting place for the community with its homey atmosphere, living room seating, and friendly volunteer staff. The book count has increased to between 7000 and 8000. With volunteered time from Carol DesJardins, professor at St. Claire Community College, and a few of her students, the entire collection is electronically cataloged.
Masters beams as she retells story after story of the generosity that has built the library. There’s the story of the leaky roof that led to three strangers who walked in one day and said, “You have roof problems?” Then, they volunteered their labor, and charged only their cost for materials. Or the story about the five men they call “angels” who originally cleaned the vacant building, replaced the electricity, and laid the carpet donated for a tiny fraction of its cost. When autumn arrived, that first year, Masters and Persyn thought they’d have to close because they had no heat, but a new furnace was donated. Another year brought donated air conditioning to the library.
“It’s almost eerie how our needs are met,” said Masters. “The Good Lord is watching over us,” she added, smiling.
Country Scenes, Ltd., a gift and clothing shop next door to the library is owned by Lynn Decker, who also runs the only Bed and Breakfast on the island. We asked Decker when the best time to come to the island for an overnight stay was. “Any time of year is a great time to visit,” she said. “Spring and summer-time is wonderful, autumn is magnificent color and winter is so quiet.”
We also had a chance to visit with George and Barbara Crown, co-owners of the island’s newest enterprise on the South Channel, The San Souci Landing. It’s a bakery, café and marketplace all in one, featuring the Landing Café, which serves breakfast, lunch and desserts, including delicious ice cream. George is a retired art professor who sells watercolor originals that reflect his surroundings from a studio in the Landing. Barbara, a former marketing professional, has owned the Waterfront Shoppe (just across the street) for ten years where you can still buy penny candy! They shared hopes of developing island attractions like a public park, horse-and-buggy rides and public cruises to the island.
The island population of about 1500 full-time residents (mostly retirees), swells to about 5000 in the summer months, when part-timers come to relax in their cottages. Locals refer to their fifteen by seven mile island as “The People’s Paradise”—it was easy for us to see why.
