The property where Station Belle Isle sits was purchased on April 6, 1881 from the City of Detroit for the sum of $1.00. Belle Isle Lighthouse was constructed and a light was first shown on May 15, 1882. That lighthouse occupied the site continuously until construction of the present facilities. During those first years, the land was very swampy and the only way to reach the lighthouse was by boat. The station was completed in 1942, and at that time the station was the most modern on the Great Lakes.