French Landing Dam and Powerhouse

In 1910 the Eastern Michigan Edison Company, now the Detroit Edison Company, purchased most of the Van Buren Township land along the Huron River for a hydroelectric plant. The French Landing powerhouse and dam were completed in 1924-25. The dam, the largest and last in a series of five constructed on the Huron River, created Belleville Lake, with its miles of beautiful residential and recreational lakefront lots. The dam generated up to 12.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity until it was decommissioned in 1962. It was eventually donated to the township. In 1981 Van Buren Township began a $5 million project to restore the dam and powerhouse.