The island was first explored and named by French explorers who called it Grosse Île, meaning "large island" in the French language. Originally occupied by Native Americans, the island was given to the early French explorers by the Potawatomi in 1776. The Potawatomi referred to the island as Kitcheminishen. Brothers William and Alexander Macomb, merchants and fur traders from Albany, New York and Detroit, took the island from the Potawatomi, becoming the first European-American owners.[2]
The brothers had the island surveyed in 1819, and it was included into Monguagon Township in 1829. The island remained sparsely populated and an independent community, but it did not gain autonomy until the formation of Grosse Ile Township on October 27, 1914.[3] The island of Grosse Ile is considered an affluent part of the Downriver community just south of the city of Detroit.
While the majority of the township's residents live on Grosse Ile, the township itself contains over a dozen smaller islands—some of which are populated. Local residents sometimes refer to Grosse Ile as the Big Island, Main Island, or simply The Island to distinguish it from the township as a whole. The island is connected to the mainland by the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge and the Wayne County Bridge, both of which connect to West Jefferson Avenue.
