Elizabeth Park

Elizabeth Park is a county park mostly located on an artificial island in the Detroit River in southern Wayne County, Michigan. The park is sometimes but rarely referred to as Slocum's Island — the historic name of the island on which the park is located. The park is located within the city limits of Trenton along Jefferson Avenue and just north of the Wayne County Bridge leading to Grosse Ile. Elizabeth Park is recognized as the first county park established in the state of Michigan.The island is separated from the mainland by a narrow canal and is located on the western shores of the Detroit River in the Trenton Channel. The island itself is commonly referred to as Elizabeth Park, and the name Slocum's Island has largely fallen into disuse. While Elizabeth Park occupies the northern portion of the island, the portion south of Grosse Ile Parkway is occupied by the large Trenton Channel Power Plant.HistoryThe area was occupied by the Native American tribe the Wyandot for several centuries before Europeans arrived to colonize the area. The Wyandot settled the village of Maguagon along the banks of the Detroit River, which was the site of the minor Battle of Maguaga during the War of 1812. The area was soon settled as Truaxton in 1816 by Abram Caleb Truax, who was a French Major who decided to stay in the area after the war. In 1827, Lewis Cass, the governor of the Michigan Territory, organized Monguagon Township with Truax as the first township supervisor. As a part of the township, the area of Truaxton was renamed Trenton in 1847 and incorporated as a village in 1855.