Belleville Lake is a fresh water artificial reservoir located mostly within Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A very small portion extends west into Washtenaw County. The lake was created from the construction of the French Landing Dam and Powerhouse along the Huron River in 1925. History Belleville Lake is an artificial reservoir created by the hydroelectric French Landing Dam and Powerhouse in 1925. The lake was originally named Edison Lake, because the dam was constructed by the Detroit Edison Company. When the lake was created, it flooded out the historic community of Rawsonville, which had few remaining structures and residents by this time. The historic community was dedicated as a Michigan State Historic Site on October 27, 1983. A historic marker was erected at the intersection of Rawsonville Road and Grove Road. The community of Rawsonville continues to exist as an unincorporated community with little relation to the historic community. The French Landing Dam and Powerhouse is also listed as a Michigan State Historic Site, as is the John C. Stellwagen House. The lakefront Stellwagen House lost a portion of its property when the lake was flooded, but the original house remains standing. Belleville Bridge Belleville Bridge was built in 1925 to carry Belleville Road across the newly-formed lake. It was long and was one of the state's few riveted camelback pony truss bridges. Located just north of the community center, it was vitally important for residents of the area to access U.S. Route 12 and eventually Interstate 94 connecting to Detroit. In 1985, a larger roadway was needed for the growing community and traffic. At the time, the bridge was a potential candidate for entry on the National Register of Historic Places, but its replacement was necessary and forfeited any future historic designations. The original bridge was dismantled and sold to Kent County. It replaced the former Burroughs Street Bridge and currently spans the Flat River in Vergennes Township just north of the city of Lowell at . The new Belleville Bridge shares no resemblance and is now a four-lane, three-span reinforced concrete bridge located at . Retenone usage In May 1973, thousands of fish in Belleville Lake were accidentally killed by the use of rotenone upstream in Ford Lake. Rotenone was used in Ford Lake to eliminate fish populations in a restocking effort. Ford Lake Dam was blocked off to prevent the poison from entering