by: Joanne Coutts

When I started the Mapping Detroit’s Buried Waterways project in 2022, I had no idea I would still be trying to complete it 3 years and 283 miles later.

This map is a screenshot of the current state of the project from my GAIA account, which I use to record tracks as I follow the routes of the buried waterways as closely as I can in real time on today’s streetscape. The base map is the current Open Street Map with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 1905 1:62,500 series map and my tracks and waypoints (GPS coordinates of points of interest) layered on top. I started the project by following Baby Creek and its tributaries because it is the closest buried waterway to my house. To begin with I simply recorded the track as I followed the creek on my bike. As I moved west to Campbell Creek, I began marking waypoints of things I noticed that related to, or reminded me of, water. There are now more than 500 waypoints on the map representing everything from puddles, rain gardens and marshes, to boats, paddling pools and desire paths, to fish lawn ornaments, Canada Geese and Weeping Willow trees. Around summer 2023, when I headed over to the Eastside to map the channels of Fox Creek, I started adding photos (represented by the camera icon) to the map.

I love looking at this map. I love that it documents the evolution of the project and the profusion of the mess of waypoints and the memories they bring back of visiting different areas of the city.