Where to Curl in Detroit and Michigan - UPDATE

This is an updated list of the places where curlers met in the Metro Detroit area.  The original article was posted on January 9, 2013.  click here  The added places are marked with an *

It all depends on WHEN...

1832 –   Pine Lake & Orchard Lake:  Orchard Lake Curling Club (wooden ‘stones’)

1843 –   Detroit River:  Detroit Curling Club (iron ‘stones’)

1845 –   Milwaukee Junction (near East Grand Blvd & St. Aubin):  Detroit & Mackinac Railway       employees.

*1860s – In The Detroit Dry Dock Company dry dock – Orleans St. and Atwater St.

*1862 -  On the Detroit River “above the city” (FREEP 13 Feb 1862).  Clubs unnamed.

*1863 – Woodward Avenue Skating Park.  Detroit (City) Curling Club. New park old Fair Grounds on Woodward.

1864 – Woodward Avenue Skating Rink: two unnamed Curling Clubs (iron ‘stones’)

*1864 – Union Skating Park.– Feb 8:  “The old Granite club was organized”.  Freep 1900 Feb 04, “The games this year were played on a sheet of ice in the Detroit & Milwaukee yards”.

*1867 – Jefferson Avenue Skating Rink.

*1868 – Feb 28^th Whiting’s Park:  Thistle Club (at the end of the Jefferson Ave. Railroad Freep 11 Dec 1866)

1868 –   Woodward Skating Rink:  Granite CC (covered building) – On Erskine St. & Woodward.  Erected a building furnishing two rinks and a waiting room.

1868 –   Jefferson Avenue Skating Park (Whiting’s): Thistle CC (granite stones from Waterloo, Ont. replaced irons)

1870 –   Woodward Skating Rink hosted The Western National Curling Tournament:  Milwaukee City Club,     Buffalo Queen City Club, Detroit Thistle CC, Buffalo Caledonia CC, Orchard Lake CC, Detroit Granite CC,   Cleveland CC, and Hamilton CC.

*1872 – Detroit River near the dry docks.  Granite vs Cleveland.

*1873 – Detroit River near Brooks & Adams’ saw mills – 471 Woodbridge St (now Jefferson) near 14^th Street – now a RR Yard.

1875 –   Peninsular Cricket Club (Woodward Ave original site of the Detroit Athletic Club):  Granite CC (covered building 160 x 35 feet)

1884 –   Detroit Zoo (Michigan Ave. Corktown):  Granite CC, Thistle CC

*1884 -   Recreation Park:  Granite CC and The St. Andrew’s Club

1885 -    The Granite Rink:  Granite CC

(NOTE:  Freep 13 Dec 1886:  “For many winters, the Granite, St. Andrews, Orchard Lake, Burns, St. George and  Detroit Curling Clubs being prominent clubs of the past.)

1887 –   Detroit Athletic Club (Woodward Ave.):  Detroit Curling Club

*1887 –  Ice Rink on Alexandrine Ave btw 2^nd & 3^rd.  Almost rented or bought by DCC in 1887.

1888 –   Forest & Gold:  Detroit CC

*1893 –   Bay City CC, Covered Rink built August 1893 on Tenth Street

1895 -    Forest & Fourth Ave:  Detroit CC

1898 –   Belle Isle:  Detroit CC (International Bonspiel)

1898 -    Pontiac (not sure where):  Pontiac Curling Club formed

1902 -    Detroit East Woodbridge St:  Detroit Racquet & Curling Club

1916 -    Grosse Pointe at the home of Horace E. Dodge on Lake St. Clair:   Detroit CC

1941 -    Ann Arbor (U of M Coliseum Ice Arena):  University of Michigan

1958 -    East Lansing:  Michigan State University (42 DCC members attended)

1970s – Birmingham Skating Rink:  Birmingham CC

1970s – Southfield (Beechwood Ice Arena):  unknown if a club existed

1980s – West Bloomfield (Drake Rd.):  Detroit CC

1980s -  Jackson:  Cascades CC

Present – Ferndale:  Detroit CC

Outside the greater Detroit area curling clubs have been or still are in:

Toledo (Freep 19 Feb 1896, 13 Mar 1897), Lansing, Flint, Midland, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lewiston, Sault Ste. Marie, Port Huron, Bay City (Freep 09 Jul 1893, 19 Feb 1896)

Can you name another place or two?  Please send us a message.