Tenhave Woods is 'A Gift' More Royal Oakers Should Open

1. A chain of events gave Royal Oak 'a gift'

The history of Tenhave Wood is documented in "History of a Piece of Land in Northern Royal Oak," written by Vickers and naturalist Bob Muller. 

The story goes something like this. In 1824, on his 41st birthday, Cromwell Goodwin - a bricklayer - purchased 80 acres of wilderness from the federal government. The land extended from 13 Mile Road to Normandy, between Crooks Road to the roughly the second house on north side of Lexington, east of Marais. 

Goodwin's sons, Samuel and Seth, took over ownership of the farm when they were old enough and the land was divided. Sam got the north half, Seth the south. If you view an aerial photograph of Royal Oak High School you can still make out a tree line of white oak trees that divided the two farms.

Years passed and in 1924 Charter Oak Corporation became the owner of the property only to lose it to the state for taxes during the Great Depression. Then, during World War II, the land was transferred from the state to the city of Royal Oak. 

"With the end of the war and the baby boom, the city needed another high school and more parks. This chain of events limited the number of buildings placed upon this land and gave us a gift we have all failed to see before," Vickers and Muller write.

Read the complete history of Tenhave Woods here.

2. Nirvana for amphibians

Tenhave Woods' Dragonfly Pond is home to numerous frogs and toads - so many in fact that they seem to form a carpet around the vernal pond in the spring.

"More amphibians arrive each year," Vickers said. "How do they find it? It's like there is a toad grapevine."

3. Naturalist led nature walks

The Royal Oak Nature Society offers nature walks and classes throughout the year. There's a  Fall Color Walk  at 10 a.m. Oct. 19 and a Oak Tree Identification research project at 10 a.m. on Oct. 26.

"We have things to do throughout the year," Vickers said. "If you are between the ages of 0-100, we have something for you."

4. Nature oasis in suburbia

Tenhave Woods is home to 40 species of deciduous trees, as well as wildflowers, mammals, birds, and amphibians.  The Royal Oak Police Department's new drone - the red-tailed hawk that landed on a police car last week - can probably be spotted in a tree at Tenhave if you look closely.

Unfortunately there is also poison ivy in the woods, so it's recommended that you stay on the trails.

5. Autumn is a special time

"This is a special time of year to be in Tenhave Woods," Vickers said. "It's very quiet and relaxing and the mosquitos are gone."

When winter arrives, it will become more apparent that you are walking in a city. You can see houses and the school in the winter, Vickers said.

You can enter Tenhave Woods through gates on Lexington Boulevard or Normandy Road. The nature preserve is directly east of Royal Oak High School, 1500 Lextington Blvd.