Copeland Avenue

[Beech Cricker]

Hello, all--I'm new here.

My grandpa and a few great uncles lived on Copeland Avenue when they first came to Detroit, this being in the mid 1920s-early 1930s period. They lived at a variety of addresses, according to the Polk City Directory: 8934, 9125, 9330, 8880 and 8907. With all these moves I am assuming they were renters, or worse, squatters.

My relatives were Slovak (Sikora) so whenever I hear talk of Delray being largely Hungarian, I'm often taken aback. Also, I seem to recall my ancestors refering to Delray as a tough town at this time and you had to really watch yourself due to gangs of toughs roaming the streets. As this would have been during the prohibition era, perhaps some of this was related to the illicit liquor traffic.

Questions:

Is it Copeland or Copland? I've seen it both ways on maps. The current Detroit street signs indicate "Copland".

Is the current Copeland on the same alignment as the old? The present street originates at Dearborn Street and continues toward the southwest. The 1960s handdrawn map at this site shows it originating at W. Jefferson and extending west.

Finally, does anyone have photos of this street from days of yore? Can anyone tell me what kind of structures carried the above addresses? Were they apartments, sub-divided houses, other?

Jeff Feldmeier