Woodhaven

Woodhaven Municipal Water Report Info

Though carved from one of the oldest settled regions in the nation, Woodhaven is relatively new on the map - a young sapling among mature trees. Yet within its brief existence, the city has not only shaped the Downriver area but also marked nearly every milestone on Michigan's journey into the 21st century.

Long before Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac established Detroit in 1701, Native Americans called this area home. The Potawatomi, Ottawa, Chippewa and Wyandots hunted these forests and fished the waterways. Written history began with Cadillac's Fort Ponchartrain on what is now Detroit's site. Eventually, English settlers joined the French, establishing communities around the fort, including what would later become Woodhaven.

The French and English competed for control of Fort Pontchartrain throughout the 1700s, with the American flag not flying over the region until 1796. The area was then known as Wayne County, encompassing land from Michigan to Wisconsin and portions of neighboring states. As more settlers arrived, tensions with native populations intensified.

This friction erupted in 1812 when several tribes united under Shawnee Chief Tecumseh and attacked American soldiers led by Major Van Horne in the "Battle of Brownstown" near present-day Carlson High School in Gibraltar. The battle coincided with the War of 1812, briefly returning the region to British rule before American governance was permanently restored the following year.

While riverfront communities began to flourish, the industrial revolution transformed the region during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Michigan's booming timber and mineral industries made the area a key trade and transportation hub. The rise of automobiles enhanced this growth, making distant regions accessible and improving commerce between Detroit and surrounding communities.

Woodhaven's industrial legacy began in the 1930s when Mobil Oil built its refinery at Allen and West roads. Industry brought jobs and population growth, transforming farmland into residential areas. By the 1960s, Woodhaven hosted railroad links, pipeline terminals, and the Ford Motor Company Stamping Plant.

In 1961, the area became a breakaway village from Brownstown Township. Concerned about possible annexation by nearby Trenton, which might prioritize industry over residential needs, town officials took steps to protect their community. After I-75 was constructed through the area, they moved to incorporate, and on December 7, 1965, Woodhaven officially became a city.

The city's name came from the general manager of Mobil Oil, who hailed from New York and considered Woodhaven in Queens "the most beautiful city in America."

Since incorporation, Woodhaven has continued to grow industrially, residentially, and economically, becoming a regional hub. From a six-square-mile patch of farmland to a modern city, Woodhaven exemplifies America itself - founded by indigenous peoples, settled by explorers, nurtured by visionaries, and poised for future challenges and opportunities.

One of Woodhaven's most recognizable yet least known landmarks sits nestled among trees at Hall and West Roads - a small log cabin that represents the community's past, a reproduction of early settler homes in this region.