Key to putting the Port back on the map was a partnership between the Port of Monroe and DTE Energy to manage the power plant’s output of synthetic gypsum which had previously been trucked to a landfill.

The Port was taken over by a new regime who sought to capitalize on the potential of the Port.

The 770-foot St. Clair of the American Steamship Company becomes the largest vessel to use the Port’s turning basin in September 1981.

The C. Reiss Coal Company begins operating a bulk storage and handling facility at the Port, receiving shipments of coal and lumber.

For many years, the Port of Monroe was not defined by its activity, but rather its potential.

The Port was the winter layup destination for many vessels of the Pittsburgh Steamship fleet.

Additional investment in Monroe required the rehabilitation of the long-dormant riverfront.