Metro Detroit Wayne County City
Ecorse
A Downriver steel town on the river where Great Lakes freighters were once built
- People (2025 estimate)
- 8,893
- Land area
- 2.8 sq mi · 7.3 km²
- From downtown
- 7.4 miles · 12 km · southwest
- Incorporated
- 1942
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Ecorse matters
Ecorse is one of the Downriver industrial towns strung along the river below Detroit: the Detroit River is its eastern edge, the Ecorse River its southern one, and LaSalle, Ontario, sits across the water. Native tribes used the area as a burial ground before the French arrived, and English-speaking settlers in 1836 called the place Grand Port.
Ships and steel built the town. Great Lakes Engineering Works ran a shipyard here from 1902 to 1960 and built the first self-unloading freighter on the lakes, and in 1923 the Michigan Steel rolling mill opened, forerunner of the Great Lakes Steel works. The village became a city in 1942.
When heavy industry faded, hard years followed: a court put the city into receivership in 1986, and the state appointed an emergency financial manager in 2009. For you the riverfront is the best part: relax on the Detroit River at Dingell Park, or put a boat in at the city's public launch.
02 / Known for
What Ecorse is known for
The Great Lakes Engineering Works shipyard (1902–1960), which launched the SS Wyandotte, the first self-unloading freighter, in 1908.
The Great Lakes Steel works in Ecorse, under construction when National Steel Corporation was formed in 1929.
The public library, opened in 1948, was picked by the American Library Association as one of the best small libraries in the country.
Mud Island in the Detroit River belongs to Ecorse and is part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, the only international wildlife refuge in North America.
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Ecorse
Nothing on our calendar in Ecorse right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
1 places on our site in Ecorse
05 / What to do
If you’re in Ecorse
Dingell Park
A park on the Detroit River with a gazebo and picnic spots.
Official site ↗Ecorse Boat Ramp
A public boat launch at 4633 West Jefferson with a daily fee, your way onto the Detroit River.
Official site ↗
06 / History
Ecorse through the years
- 1836
English-speaking settlers named the community Grand Port; it was part of Ecorse Township.
- 1903
The settlement incorporated as the village of Ecorse.
- 1923
The Michigan Steel Corporation rolling mill opened, making sheet steel for the auto industry.
- 1942
Ecorse incorporated as a city.
- 1948
On December 12 the current public library building was dedicated.
- 1986
In December a court appointed a receiver for the bankrupt city; the receivership lasted until August 1990.
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Ecorse city).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecorse,_Michigan
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Engineering_Works
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Steel_Corporation
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_River_International_Wildlife_Refuge
- ecorsemi.gov/services/parks_and_rec/parks_and_facilities.php
- ecorsemi.gov
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −4.7 percent.
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