ile camera

Toll Bridge owner hopes to clear up a few things

By Paul J. Smoke

The July 14 issue of The Ile Camera included a letter to the editor questioning the role of my great-grandfather, Edward W. Voigt, in building and opening the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge in 1913.

The person who composed this letter also wrote an almost identical guest editorial published in the Oct. 24, 2003, issue of The Ile Camera. This guest editorial was apparently based on a single erroneous 1913 news report published in the Detroit Saturday Night newspaper.

In order to clarify any misunderstandings or confusion caused by the guest editorial, I purchased a full-page ad in the Oct. 31, 2003, issue of The Ile Camera to explain in detail the role of my great-grandfather (my mother's grandfather) in providing island residents with the first automobile bridge to the mainland, the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge.

I once again would like to set the historical record straight. Edward Voigt moved to Grosse Ile during the late 1800s and was involved in a number of entrepreneurial ventures in Detroit and on the island.

Voigt was the founding president, majority stockholder (owning 1,747 of the 1,750 shares of stock), main financial backer and primary incorporator of the Grosse Ile Bridge Co. It was established on May 1, 1912, as a Michigan corporation and bridge company for the specific purpose of building the toll bridge.

On the same day the GIBC was incorporated, Voigt conveyed to the company the land on which the foundation of the toll bridge and the access road (now known as Bridge Road) to the span was established. The land was a small part of Voigt's approximately 400-acre property holding that comprised the majority of the northern end of Grosse Ile.

Acting in his capacity as president of the GIBC, Voigt directed the construction of the toll bridge, which opened to the general public on Nov. 27, 1913 (Thanksgiving Day).

It is worth noting that the toll bridge was not Voigt's first venture to provide island residents with the ability to travel to and from the mainland. Before the bridge was built, he owned a small passenger ferry business that carried islanders and their animals across the river at the north end of Grosse Ile. Of course, at that time, other ferry companies also provided transportation services to islanders.

I have always acknowledged that two nonfamily members worked with Voigt to obtain the original franchise to build the toll bridge. An illustration of this recognition is in The Ile Camera full-page ad that I purchased during 2003.

In addition, a number of nonfamily members were minority stockholders (less than 1 percent), investors or board members involved in the founding of the GIBC. But, the involvement of nonfamily members in no way changes the indisputable fact that Voigt was the person most responsible for making the toll bridge a reality.

The simple fact is that the toll bridge could not have been built without the support of Voigt, because he owned the land along the north end shoreline long before the first action was taken to connect the island and mainland with any bridge in this area.

As president of the bridge company, Voigt operated the toll bridge until his responsibilities were passed to the next generation of the family. Each subsequent generation of my great-grandfather's family learned the complete and accurate history of the company and the toll bridge from the operators of the span as well as primary source documents.

I have an extensive archive of historical documents — including the original blueprints — that plainly show every step in the conception, design, financing, building, opening and operation of the toll bridge.

Voigt passed his ownership interest and management responsibilities for the bridge company to the next generation, which in turn gave it to the following generation until 1982, when the stewardship of the toll bridge was transferred to me by my parents and older brothers. My father, Bruno Smoke, had a long tenure as president of the bridge company and was involved in the management of the toll bridge almost until the time of his death at age 97. (Incidentally, I am currently age 54, and with God's blessing, I hope to at least match my father's longevity).

My mother, Else Smoke, was also actively involved in the management of the bridge company for most of her life after ownership was passed to her from her mother.

The July 14 letter to the editor referred to the unanimous 1947 Michigan Supreme Court decision that reconfirmed the fact that the GIBC is both a Michigan corporation and bridge company with the legal authority to own and operate the toll bridge. To be accurate, this specific matter of law was settled 59 years ago and is not being challenged in the township board's pending eminent domain lawsuit against the company.

As to the philosophical thoughts about property rights raised by the writer of the letter to the editor, it is essential to understand that testimony and evidence submitted by the township board during the court proceedings of its eminent domain lawsuit indicates that it would continue the present user-fee toll to pay for operations and maintenance of the toll bridge in fundamentally the same manner as the GIBC.

This is one of the numerous reasons that the Wayne County Circuit Court and Michigan Court of Appeals (a three-judge panel) unanimously, and firmly, determined that the township board had "abused its authority in finding public necessity" to seize control of the toll bridge.

My family is very proud of our 93-year record of stewardship for maintaining the toll bridge as a reliable and safe means of providing islanders with access to the mainland. In order to help promote and maintain the historic character of Grosse Ile, the bridge company is beginning this year a 100th Anniversary Celebration Initiative for the toll bridge. The initiative will feature annual actions to highlight island history leading up to a major celebration of the century milestone for the toll bridge in 2013.

Grosse Ile is my hometown and holds a very special place in the heritage of my family. I fully understand how important the toll bridge is to the residents and businesses of the island. I take my stewardship responsibility for the toll bridge extremely seriously, as it is my daily job as president of the GIBC.

My employees, many whom live on Grosse Ile, are also dedicated to providing first-rate service to everyone who uses the toll bridge. My employees and I would never allow the bridge to fall into such a state of disrepair that it would have to be closed for a long period of time.

Judicious budgeting of the user-fee toll paid by customers has enabled me to: maintain the bridge's structural integrity to ensure safety, build a new plaza to speed the flow of traffic, establish the $1 per trip bridge pass to reduce costs for customers, make aesthetic improvements to provide an attractive entrance to the island and accomplish many other upgrades during my 24-year tenure as president of the GIBC.

I want to reassure islanders that I will always vigorously protect the toll bridge as a vital asset for the public good as earlier generations of the Smoke family have done since 1913. As a result of prudent stewardship, experienced management and the user-fee toll paid by customers, the bridge has a virtually unlimited life expectancy, as long as it is properly maintained in the future.

More information about the operations, maintenance and history of the toll bridge can be found on the bridge company's Web site, http://grosseilebridge.com.

The toll bridge will always be there for the residents of Grosse Ile, and there is no legal way the span can be torn down as long as it remains structurally sound. It is worth remembering that no bridge — not even the Wayne County Bridge — is truly "free."

Paul Smoke is the president of the Grosse Ile Bridge Co., which owns and operates the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge.