Power Island: Henry Ford's Island Getaway
A roughly 200-acre island in Grand Traverse Bay that Henry Ford once owned, now a quiet county park reached only by boat.
In West Grand Traverse Bay, a few miles by boat from Bowers Harbor, sits an island of roughly 200 acres. It has carried several names, including Marion Island and Ford Island, and it once belonged to one of the most famous men in America.
Henry Ford bought the island in 1917 and sold it in 1944. Local reporting backed by the former History Center of Traverse City records visits by Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. The oft-repeated story that Ford threw Babe Ruth off the island after a drunken celebration is best treated as island lore, not settled history.
When developers eyed the island for cottages in the 1970s, residents worked to preserve it. Grand Traverse County says The Nature Conservancy purchased Marion Island in 1975 with support from Eugene and Sayde Power and a federal recreation grant, placed a conservation easement on it, and gave it to the county. The county’s official timeline dates the Power Island name to a 1986 resolution. Today it is a quiet wilderness reserve for boating, hiking, picnicking, and primitive camping.
Where to see it
Power Island is reached only by boat, about 3.5 miles from Bowers Harbor. The county advises paddlers to check wind and waves and prepare for open water. The island has beaches, more than five miles of trails, and primitive campsites that require reservations.
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Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: July 20, 2026.