Page 54 - 2018 Lake St. Clair Guide Magazine
P. 54
Who or What? is ....... At the mouth of the Clin- patrol and Deputy William Balfour
was the first diver for the depart-
Today’s Clinton ton River is the largest of Lake St. ment.
River Entrance In 1959, a building on the
Clair Michigan DNR Ramps with 349 Salt River was purchased and was
1940 - Entrance to the the original home of the marine di-
Clinton River parking spots on South River Road vision until its move to its present
in Harrison Township... see page 52 location at the mouth of the Clinton
for all launch sites. River.
According to a 1992 Detroit
And who is Harley Ensign? Free Press article, the Army Corps
of Engineers dredged the Clinton
He was the Macomb County Sheriff River in the 1970’s. The dredgings
were dumped at the mouth of the
from 1949 - 1960 and established river along South River Road and
formed the land which is now the
“the first” sheriff’s marine patrol in Harley Ensign boat launch, and also
is home to the Macomb County Ma-
the state of Michigan in 1956. Sher- rine Sheriff and DNR.
Here to protect and edu-
iff Ensign began the patrol using his cate, the Macomb County Marine
Sheriff division has four full time and
own Chris Craft Skiff and 75 volunteers (Marine Safety Offi-
cers) serving our community at this
later funding was approved location.
for an official 18’ 93hp Chris
Craft for $2,500 which was
housed on a canal on rent-
ed property
in New Balti-
more.
Don Son-
nenburg was
the first offi-
Photo Macomb Daily cial member
of the marine
Photo Michigan DNR
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