-
Adrien Joliet and an Iroquois man pass by what will be Detroit
In an attempt to try and find a faster water route to the St. Lawrence River, Adrien Joliet (brother of Louis Joliet who was a traveling companion with the much honored Jesuit, Father Jacques Marquette, founder of St. Ignace and explorer of the Mississippi River and the Lake Michigan coast) paddle past what is now Detroit. -
Cadillac is back by the Louis XIV to build a fort
Antione Laumet de la Mothe Cadillac petitions Louis XIV to allow him to establish an outpost along the entrance of the Great Lakes. He argues that if the French do not secure the are, the English will. He is given 1,500 livres to build a fort on le detroit - the strait. -
Cadillac and his party land
Cadillac and company land on the shores of what is now downriver of Detroit and start cutting trees to build a fort -
The settlement is 50 years old
The name is changed to Ft. Detroit. There are:
483 people (33 slaves)
471 cows
160 horses
The farmers are remembered by the names of the streets in Detroit: St. Aubin, Beaubien, Chene... -
French and Indian War
The French and Indians are vanquished by the english in the French and Indian War. Detroit is among the spoils and the English expand the fort. -
The Revolutionary War is ended
Negotiators in Paris formally end the Revolutionary War and set the boundaries in the United States. Detroit's role in the Revolutionary war was fairly simple because it was too far west to have had any action during the war. Detroit's primary role was to arm American Indian raiding parties. -
U.S. Maj. Ephraim Douglass Arrives at Detroit
American Maj. Ephraim Douglass arrives in Detroit and is greeted by Col. Arent Schuyler De Peyster (the english commander). Douglass wants to speak to a group of American Indian leaders July 6th to let them know that the new country includes Detroit and Michigan. De Peyster will not allow him to speak with the Indian leaders and asks him to leave July 7th.
The English control Detroit for 13 more years. The English also tell the Indians there that the Americans are hostile towards them. -
65 U.S. Troops take Detroit
Under terms negotiated in the Jay Treaty, Detroit and the surrounding settlements are now apart of the United States -
Michigan becomes a territory
Detroit is the capital of the Michigan territory. The territory started with what is michigan today and then. After the war of 1812, indiana and illinois joined the union and the remnants of their territories were handed over to michigan -
War of 1812 - The Siege of Detroit - Detroit surrenders to the British
Weeks after the US declares war on Britain, Detroit commander William Hull leads a force across the river to attack the British at Ft. Malden south of Windsor. He returns before the attack because he heard a supply line was broken near Monroe.
The British stir up false rumors about their troop strength along with other rumors that if Detroit falls, the Native Americans will slaughter all that is left. Hull surrenders without a shot on Aug 13th, 1812 -
The first Detroit City Hall opens
The original building (not pictured) was 50x100 feet. The first floor was a meat market, some city offices on the second floor and the city council meets on the third floor, which also is shared for church services, theater productions and other meetings.
Later, in 1871 a new hall is dedicated from an old train terminal. That building is demolished in 1961 and offices were moved to the just completed City-County Building -
Michigan becomes a state
Michigan was admitted into the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state. The upper peninsula was also added in as a result of the Toledo War -
Detroit and Pontiac are linked by railroad
This railroad cut the travel time from 10 hours on horsebcak in half. The train ride was often frustrating though, because the conductors would stop the train to shoot the breeze with farmers. -
Detroit is 150 years old
26,000 people
600 brick buildings
4,000 wood buildings -
First woman vote in Detroit
Nanette Gardner becomes the first woman to vote in Detroit.
She petotioned the city's Board of Representatives because there was no one to look after her interests.The board voted 12-6 in her favor. 49 years later, all U.S. women were given the right to vote. -
Detroit buys Belle Isle Park
Belle Isle is a 982 acre island park located on the Detroit River in between the United States and mainland Canada. It is the largest city owned island park in the United States. It is home to the Belle Isle Conservatory, various auto racing circuits and the Detroit Futbol League
It was purchased for $200,000. -
Charles B. King drives the first auto in Detroit
3 months before Henry Ford was to build his first car, Charles B. King was the first to design, build and drive a self propelled automobile. The car drove up to speeds of 7 mph. It was powered by a Sinz engine (2 stroke internal combustion)
The Detroit Journal interviewed King where he said his most famous quote: "I am convinced they [horseless carriages] will in time supersede the horse." -
Ford Motor Company is formed
It was founded by 12 investors most natable John and Horace Dodge (who would later make their own car company). During the early years the factory would produce only a few cars per day. Ford was known for his high efficiency in the use of assembly lines but it wasn't until much later that production massively increased. The model T goes on the market in 1908 -
Michigan Central Station is built
services ceased in 1988 and MCS became abondoned and looted for the chandeliers, copper, and large amounts of marble.
In 2008 renovations were announced ($80+ million) in 2011 they started -
General Motors is incorported
GM was founded as a holding company for Buick in Flint, MI which was then controlled by William C. Durant. They used to be the number one producer of horse drawn carriages until they formed the auto company. Durant lost control of GM in 1910 to a bankers' trust, because of the large amount of debt taken on in its acquisitions coupled with a collapse in new vehicle sales. He later re-gained control and formed GM in 1916. -
The state goes dry (alcohol)
1250 bars operate in Detroit
illegal drinking joints jump up 16000 to 25000 in 1928 -
The Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel are opened
The Ambassador Bridge was the largest suspension bridge at the time until the George Washington Bridge in New York opened.
More than 25% of all trade between Canada and the US comes in through this bridge.
The nearly mile long Detroit Windsor tunnel opens in Nov 1930 -
United Auto Workers Union is formed
The UAW was founded under the auspices of the AFL (American Federation of Labor).
In 1936 the UAW forced its way into General Motors.
It took until 1941 for Ford to come to terms with the union.
Communists controlled the UAW in its early days. -
Boxer Joe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling
In a punch heard around the world, Joe Louis knocks out the Nazi Symbol of Aryan superiority in the first round -
Ford's B-24 bomber plant opens
At 18,400 units the b-24 bomber (slightly better than the b-17 flying fortress) this was the most produced heavy bomber in United States history.
Ford produced half of the bombers for the US at its newly built Willow Run factory and at its peak production reached 1 b-24 every hour with about 650 units produced per month in 1944 -
The Detroit Race Riots
April 17 - Civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and 75 Detroiters visit several restaurants and public places to check on discrimination. Thousands flood the city from the South in search of war jobs. Detroit will not make extra housing
June 3 - White workers at the packard motor war plants go on strike because 3 black workers are hired to work next to them
June 20th - the rioting begins
nearly 3 days in length, 34 people died.
June 21 - Gov. Harry Kelly orders martial law and the army is in by 10 -
Detroits population is about 2 million
-
Detroit is not looking good
The housing and urban development scandal of the early 1970's results in thousands of abandoned government owned buildings after unscrupulous brokers approve mortagages for hundreds of people without the means to pay street gangs come in inflation the u.s. auto industry sinks as more fuel efficient cars from other countries from foreign countries flood the market cocaine becomes more available racial politics flourish -
Detroit gets 3 casinos
Michigan voters voted to get 3 new casinos. After a lengthy review, these were the chosen ones:
The MGM Grand
Motor City Casino
Greektown Casino -
Kwame Kilpatrick resigns as mayor
pleads guilty to 2 counts of obstruction of justice and one count of assaulting a police officer -
State Governor declares a financial emergency for the city and appoints an emergency manager
60% of its residents are gone
thousands of acres lay in ruin
boarded up homes, burned buildings, and abandoned house are more prevelant than habited. -
Detroit Files Bankruptcy
After decades of mismanagement and $18.5 billion in debt and other liabilities, Detroit files bankruptcy. It is one of only 8 cities in the history of the United States to file bankruptcy and it is the largest city to file bankruptcy as well
