LaPlaisance Bay, meaning “the pleasant bay,” was named in 1679 by Robert De LaSalle. After the War of 1812, it became part of the United States. In 1820 Maj. John Whipple was appointed keeper of the LaPlaisance Bay lighthouse, and on April 19, 1825, Col. John Anderson organized the Harbor of Southern Michigan. With the Erie Canal open in 1825, a great migration into the Michigan Territory began. Large warehouses and wharves were built around the harbor and along LaPlaisance Road, stagecoaches took travellers north, and Michigan’s first railroad carried newcomers three miles into town. On June 23, 1827, 200 barrels of flour became the first shipment from LaPlaisance Bay east. As larger ships came into port, the bay became too shallow for shipping. This area, now known as Bolles Harbor, became a recreational port enjoyed by fishermen and pleasure boats, while the bay and the road remained known as LaPlaisance.