Since its establishment as a public park, Belle Isle has served as an unparalleled nature and recreation destination for Detroiters. Visitors were flush with options for getting out on the water, including the public rental of boats for rowing along a series of installed canals. Those with more sustained interest could join the Detroit Boat Club or the Detroit Yacht Club, both of whose clubhouses were established on the island, in 1902 and 1891, respectively.
