Situated in southeastern Wayne County, a few miles north of its border with Monroe County, the City of Gibraltar is bordered to the east by the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River, just north of where the river feeds into Lake Erie.
Gibraltar is bordered by Trenton to the north and Brownstown Township to the west and south. Grosse Island, and Grosse Ile Township, separates the channel from the rest of the river.
Gibraltar itself includes a few islands, most notably Edmond Island, Hamburg Island, and Horse Island. A series of canals bisect the city and its islands. Gibraltar also includes several natural resources, such as five miles of canals, wetlands, and streams, particularly in the northwest. Humbug Marsh, part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, is in the northern part of the city, and Lake Erie Metro Park is in the south.
Gibraltar is a southern suburb of the Detroit Metro Region. Besides Trenton, which borders Gibraltar, cities, and villages within twenty miles include Rockwood, Flat Rock, South Rockwood, Woodhaven, Riverview, Wyandotte, Estral Beach, Southgate, Ecorse, Taylor, Carleton, Allan Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, River Rouge, Monroe, Romulus, Inkster, and Dearborn.
Before the European-Americans came, the area that was to become Gibraltar was the main village of the Wyandots. Then, it came under French control until the British captured Detroit in 1760. Early French maps referred to the region as Chenal de la Presque Isle. It was the British who changed the name to Gibraltar, although it was spelled Gibralter until 1900.
After the Erie Canal opened in 1825, a group of entrepreneurs formed the Gibralter-Flat Rock Land and Canal Company in 1836, intending to construct a canal between Gibraltar and Flat Rock, then extending it to Ypsilanti and Muskegon. The leaders of this group included former Governor Lewis Cass and Daniel Webster, the renowned orator. Dredging along the Huron River was started, but the scheme ultimately failed in 1838.
The Gibralter-Flat Rock Land and Canal Company did succeed in filling the area with settlers, however, selling lots for $5,000 or more. Gibralter was platted and recorded in March of 1837 by trustees of the Land and Canal Company. A post office was established on October 2, 1837, with Amos Dunbar as the first postmaster. On December 18, 1838, the post office was renamed Woodbury, but it reverted to Gibralter on May 13, 1839, with the spelling changed to Gibraltar on January 31, 1900.
With the failure of the canal project, the village did not prosper until much later, and then as a suburban boom.
Farming, lumber, and shipbuilding were important for the early economy of the village. Most of the homes in Gibraltar took in sailors and shipbuilders as boarders, and its 2.5-story hotel was nearly always full. Lumber cut by French woodsmen provided planks for the ships, and material for a basket shop.
In 1837, a lighthouse was built at the mouth of the Detroit River at Gibraltar, which operated until 1879. By the 1860s, regular steamboat services between Detroit and Cleveland were making stops at Gibraltar, including the Olive Branch, the Princess, Island Queen, Newboy, and Massasauga.
In 1873, the community had a population of about four hundred people.
In the early 1900s, boatbuilding continued in Gibraltar. Horse Island was platted, and lots were sold for building sites, and the Horse Island Boat Basin was established by Otto Rieger in the 1920s. It included his home, a store, and docks on the north end of the island.
In 1954, Gibraltar was incorporated as a village, and it became the second smallest city in Michigan in 1961. Since 1970, its population has fluctuated little, and is approximately 4,500 today.
The focal point of this guide is on the City of Gibraltar, Michigan. Online resources representing the municipal government or any individuals, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, or events within the city are appropriate topics for this category.
Recommended Resources
Bordered by Trenton on the north, Gibraltar is about twenty-five miles southwest of downtown Detroit, Michigan. The official municipal website presents a profile of the city and publishes council agendas and minutes, ordinances, tax information, and a guide to residents of the city, local businesses, community groups, schools, parks, and recreation programs and facilities, and volunteer opportunities. A calendar of events, contacts, and access to various documents and forms are included.
http://www.cityofgibraltar.net/
Gibraltar Bible Baptist Church
The congregation meets at its facilities on Fryer Drive in Gibraltar, Michigan. Its location is shown on a map, and its Sunday and Wednesday schedules are published on the site, along with a calendar of upcoming events. Other resources include an introduction to the church's pastor, an overview of the congregation's ministries to children and youth, its adult ministries, music ministries, and counseling and prayer services. A sermon archive may be sorted by series, speaker, and topic.
https://www.gbbchurch.org/
The full-service marina is situated on the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River, which flows into Lake Erie. Its services and amenities include boat dockage, cement docks, a fuel station, boat hoist, and indoor and outdoor storage, as well as showers, a bathhouse, electricity, fresh water, gazebo, grilling area, and a marine store. Available boat services include mechanic work, fiberglassing, a marine canvas shop, winterization services, spring start-up services, and boat washing and waxing.
http://www.gbymi.com/
The Gibraltar, Michigan public school district offers a K-12 curriculum through Chapman Elementary School, Hunter Elementary School, Parsons Elementary School, Weiss Elementary School, Shumate Middle School, Carlson High School, and Lakeshore Virtual School, each of which is highlighted here, with a calendar of events, staff contacts, announcements, maps, and directions. The district's academics, arts, and athletics programs are defined, and its registration policies are noted.
https://www.gibdist.net/
Located on West Jefferson Avenue, the Gibraltar, Michigan animal hospital is accredited with the American Animal Hospital Association, and a Fear Free Certified Practice. It offers general and emergency veterinary care, preventative care, internal medicine, orthopedics, ultrasound, and cardiology, as well as grooming and boarding services. Its staff is introduced on the site, which includes client education videos, and an online store. Its hours of operation are posted.
https://gibraltarvet.com/
Built in 1959, the family-owned marina is a full-service facility, with 450 wells and a rack and launch building, as well as complete mechanical repair services, specializing in outdrive repair and hoist services, summer dockage, and inside, outside, and in-water winter storage. A dock layout map, rate and policy information, forms, and other documents are available, along with its hours, address, telephone number, email address, and a contact form. Local shops are identified.
https://humbugmarina.com/
