Dodge No. 4 State Park

Dodge No. 4 State Park is a public recreation area on the north shore of Cass Lake in Oakland County, in the northern Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan. The park covers approximately 139 acres and includes about one mile of lake shoreline along the 1,280-acre Cass Lake. Its setting combines inland-lake recreation with convenient access to the heavily populated Metro Detroit region. The park was established in 1922 after the Dodge Brothers Corporation donated the property for public use. The donation was made with the condition that the land be maintained as a public park in perpetuity. This origin links the site to the philanthropic and civic legacy of the Dodge automobile company, but the park is not an automotive business or commercial product brand. Its present identity is that of a Michigan public park administered within the state park system. The name originally appeared as Dodge Brothers State Park No. 4. It is the only surviving Dodge Brothers state park that continues to retain the Dodge Brothers name. Other parks created through the same program were later absorbed into larger state parks or recreation areas, converted into state game areas, or transferred to municipalities for local management. Dodge No. 4 therefore has both recreational value and historical significance as a surviving example of early twentieth-century private land donation for public conservation and leisure. The park's principal attractions are water-based and day-use activities. Visitors can swim in Cass Lake, fish for species including bass, northern pike, perch, and trout, and use a fishing pier. Picnicking facilities support informal family and group visits, while a boat ramp provides access for launching watercraft. These facilities make the park particularly oriented toward lake recreation, shore access, fishing, and picnicking rather than destination resort services or commercial entertainment. Dodge No. 4 State Park remains an active public recreation site under the stewardship of the State of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its operating purpose is to preserve shoreline and provide public access to Cass Lake while maintaining the terms and public-use character associated with the original 1922 donation.

Dodge No. 4 State Park was created in 1922 when the Dodge Brothers Corporation donated land on the north shore of Cass Lake to be used as a public park. The donation included a permanent-use condition requiring that the property be maintained as a public park in perpetuity. This arrangement reflected a period when industrial companies and prominent landowners sometimes donated property for civic recreation, conservation, and public access. The park was originally known as Dodge Brothers State Park No. 4. It formed part of a group of parks associated with the Dodge Brothers name. Over time, the other Dodge Brothers state parks did not all remain independent sites under their original identities. Some were incorporated into larger state parks or recreation areas, two became part of state game areas, and others were transferred to municipal authorities for local management. Dodge No. 4 is consequently notable as the only remaining Dodge Brothers state park to retain the name in recognizable form. The park occupies approximately 139 acres and extends along roughly one mile of Cass Lake shoreline. Cass Lake itself covers about 1,280 acres, giving the park a substantial waterfront setting within Oakland County and the northern Metro Detroit area. Its geography has shaped the park's recreational role: rather than functioning primarily as a large backcountry or wilderness destination, it provides concentrated public access to an inland lake near a major metropolitan population. Facilities and activities have developed around this shoreline setting. The park provides swimming access, fishing opportunities, a fishing pier, picnic facilities, and a boat ramp. Reported fish species include bass, northern pike, perch, and trout. Together, these amenities support day visits centered on water access, angling, family recreation, and informal outdoor gatherings. Today, Dodge No. 4 State Park is part of Michigan's public park system and is associated with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its significance rests on two connected roles: it is an active recreation area for Cass Lake users and a surviving historical reminder of the Dodge Brothers Corporation's 1922 public-land donation. The park's continuing public purpose also preserves the practical effect of the original donation agreement.

• 1922

  Dodge Brothers Corporation donates the park property

  [1]Dodge No. 4 State Parken.wikipedia.org

  The Dodge Brothers Corporation donated land on the north shore of Cass Lake for use as a public park, subject to a condition that it remain a public park in perpetuity.

• Park retains the Dodge Brothers name

  [1]Dodge No. 4 State Parken.wikipedia.org

  After other Dodge Brothers parks were absorbed, converted, or transferred to different forms of management, Dodge No. 4 remained the only surviving park of the group retaining the Dodge Brothers name.

A publicly accessible inland-lake park serving Metro Detroit residents and visitors through swimming, fishing, boating access, and picnicking, with a distinctive history rooted in a 1922 Dodge Brothers land donation.

• Water recreation

  Cass Lake swimming area

  The park provides public access to Cass Lake for swimming and general shoreline recreation. Its location on approximately one mile of lake frontage makes the waterfront the central feature of the visitor experience.

• Fishing

  Fishing facilities

  Anglers can fish from the park's shoreline and fishing pier. Cass Lake fishing opportunities include bass, northern pike, perch, and trout, making the park useful for both casual shore fishing and recreational angling.

• Day-use recreation

  Picnic facilities

  Picnic facilities support family outings, group meals, and other informal day-use activities. They complement the park's swimming and shoreline attractions rather than forming a separate commercial hospitality operation.

• Boating access

  Boat ramp

  A boat ramp gives visitors a point of access for launching watercraft onto Cass Lake. This facility extends the park's role beyond shore-based recreation and supports lake boating alongside fishing and swimming.

1. 1Dodge No. 4 State Parken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Dodge No. 4 State Park — Michigan Department of Natural Resourceswww2.dnr.state.mi.us