Mamajuda Island , sometimes identified as Mama Juda Island, was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

island in the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Det ...

. It is located just east of the northern tip of Grosse Ile (Hennepin Point) and about 500 feet (152 m) west of the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

. The island is part of

Grosse Ile Township Grosse Ile Township is a civil township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,777 at the 2020 census. The township encompasses several islands in the Detroit River, of which the largest is named as Grosse Ile. N ...

in Wayne County,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. It is the smallest of all charted

islands in the Detroit River The following is a description of islands in the Detroit River. The Detroit River is a major waterway in the Great Lakes system, and it flows for from Lake St. Clair south to Lake Erie. The river serves as a major shipping channel, jointly co ...

. The former 30-acre (12 ha) island has since been lost due to

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is di ...

. Only a very small portion of it, consisting of a few boulders, appears above water during times of low water levels. Because of that, the island has no definitive size and cannot be used for any purposes. The island does not appear on many maps anymore, but it can be seen on some of the most precise

online maps Web mapping or an online mapping is the process of using maps, usually created through geographic information systems (GIS), on the Internet, more specifically in the World Wide Web (WWW). A web map or an online map is both served and consumed, ...

. The island is part of the much larger Mamajuda Island Shoal, which runs along the east coast of Grosse Ile. The

shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...

is about 3–8 feet (0.9–2.4 m) beneath the surface and runs all the way to

Grassy Island Grassy Island is a small, uninhabited American island in the Detroit River. It is located just north of Grosse Ile and west of Fighting Island, about west of the Canada–United States border. The island is part of the city of Wyandotte, ...

. The area, including Mamajuda Island, has since become part of the

Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. Established in 2001 and managed jointly by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, it is located i ...

. The island was originally named after an American Indian woman who regularly camped on the island during fishing season. In 1849, the Mama Juda Lighthouse was built on the island, and the lighthouse keeper and his family were the island's only inhabitants. The lighthouse itself was rebuilt in 1866. However, the loose composition of the island was subject to slow erosion that eventually washed away the lighthouse in 1950. The whole island itself disappeared by 1960, and only a few boulders from the former island periodically protrude above the surface. However, because of the underlying shoal, the area can pose a hazard for boating in the area, especially for large

lake freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that operate on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of ma ...

s that regularly travel within close proximity.

References

{{authority control Islands of Wayne County, Michigan Islands of the Detroit River River islands of Michigan Uninhabited islands of Michigan Former islands of the United States