The first people to arrive here saw the value of this high land beside the river and established the Maquaqua village here. The first deaths in the War of 1812 occurred here and the same conflict brought Major John Biddle here for the first time. Later he would return and establish his gentleman’s farm in 1818. Detroit industrialists took interest in Wyandotte, establishing the Eureka Iron Works in 1854. Boom of the company and village followed, with the first commercial application of the Bessemer Steel process occurring here – allowing for the inexpensive manufacture of steel and construction of skyscrapers (among other things). As Eureka’s fortunes waned, this loss was offset by the rise of the chemical industry whose leaders saw the value of the salt brine located below the ground.
In recent decades local leaders have increasingly recognized the special heritage and importance of this place and have taken measures to preserve it, while also seeking to making Wyandotte a vibrant regional center for arts and culture with galleries, theater, artist studios, and museums.
Ford MacNichol House on Biddle Ave in downtown Wyandotte.
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