Page 44 - 2018 Lake St. Clair Guide Magazine

STRAWBERRY ISLAND 1903 Lake St. Clair
PART III Chart - 100+ Strawberry

The Schweikart Family; Island Lots Awarded -
and, a little more Unclear as to where the

island starts & ends

early Lake St. Clair Boat

& Land History

What started out as basic

background on Strawberry Is-
land today, turned into spend-
ing many hours of research af-

ter finding the first documented five children - two were sons - so three of these
Strawberry Island owners contributed in could be his daughters and then his wife?).
many ways to the Detroit and Lake St.
Clair area, which I found really interesting and When talking with today’s residents, Mr. Potter
I hope you will too. According to several early recollected Strawberry was not just one island
1900’s newspaper and magazine accounts, the but a group of islands - which the one big land
Schweikart family free time was spent on Lake mass above in 1903 may have naturally divid-
St. Clair fishing and hunting with many mentions ed once the waters rose. He also thought there
of Strawberry Island. may have been farmland and livestock on the is-
lands at some point... maybe back in the 1930’s
Although native Indians most likely originally when we were at a very low water stage (see
resided on Strawberry Island, my research could Water Level History page 40).
only take me back as far as 1899 when Walter
Schweikart Sr. claimed all the lots. At that time, The following are some of the interesting Sch-
there were 100’s of island parcels around the weikart family history facts which affected our
channels in the St. Clair Flats up for grabs to lease area. The original Strawberry Island owner (fa-
through the Michigan Public Domain Commission. ther) Walter Schweikart immigrated from Germa-
There were disputes on who was deeded indi- ny in the mid-1800’s and worked as a stonecutter
vidual lots for the next several years, along with and wood carver.
“other” Schweikarts’ showing ownership (Marie, Continued on page 78 .........
Maggie, Lucy, & Carrie – Walter was said to have

The view “from” Strawberry Island looking out toward the anchored boats

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