Island Park
This island, owned and operated by J. D. McAuliffe from 1872, was hailed as “a shady retreat for pleasure seekers . . . with a fine collection of animals and a museum of rare specimens.” In 1897 Eaton Rapids bought it for a city park. From 1908 to 1929 the Eaton County Battalion of the G.A.R. held its annual encampment at what was then named Grand Army Park. Summer concerts, reunions, and picnics brought many here over the years. A group formed in 1973 to save the island from erosion served to refocus attention on this spot.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesBarry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesUniversity Library, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Marker data: Michigan History Center
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