Transportation Changes
The Invention of the Steam Engine (1811)The development of the steamboat into a profitable mode of transportation by Robert Fulton in 1807 coupled with the opening of the Erie Canal (below) made Detroit a much more accessible city (Woodford 2001, 49). The first steamboat, named Walk-in-the-Water arrived in Detroit in 1818, and could carry up to 100 passengers in comfortable conditions (Palmer 1820-1906, 84). This facilitated the immigration process that would soon begin, and also created more entwined economies, making way for the auto industry that would be Detroit’s hallmark.
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The Opening of the Erie Canal (1825)Prior to the Erie Canal completion, Detroit was incredibly isolated from the rest of the United States due to the fact that on land one had to travel both far to the East and far to the North to reach it. In fact, though the area that included Detroit was officially assigned to the United States in 1783, Britain continued to occupy the city until 1796 (Woodford 2001, 32-34). According to the Detroit Gazette, travel from New York to Detroit took two months before the completion of the Erie Canal; this came down to five a half days, an outstanding improvement in travel and shipping (Farmer 1884, 889).
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This helped to facilitate the massive immigration that would occur in the next 15-30 years. It also helped the shipment of goods out of Detroit and to other cities, with canal transport being able to carry 60 tons at the outset, versus the slightly more than one ton afforded by wagons (North, 1900). This would only increase until Ford was shipping large quantities of car materials to other cities, most notably New York, via canal (FORD TO RUN BARGES, 1921).
Railroad (1838)
The first railroad to begin operation in Detroit began in 1838 with a completed twelve miles of track (Woodford 2001, 77). However, as with many cities, it took off and grew, as Detroiters desired to continue developing a closer relationship with the cities on the east (Ibid). While the Erie Canal started this connection, the railroad continued it. It also sparked Detroit's first heavy industry. Because Detroit was still fairly off the map for most of the world, the city had to produce its own railroad equipment (Ibid).
Detroit Highway System (1970s)
Highways Going through Detroit (2013).
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Detroit laid the world's first portion of concrete highway in 1909 (Woodford 2001, 99), and today Detroit has one of the most extensive highway systems, a majority of which was built between 1950-1980 (Bedard 2009, 45). Different highways radiate out from the downtown center. While it allowed residents to disperse away from undesirable neighbors (factories or ethnicities), industry and retail also dispersed, draining the city center. The city's lack of natural boundaries facilitated the suburbanization, and business owners and individuals were known to have simply discarded inner-city property (Woodford 2001, 164). This sudden disinvestment in favor of mobility and the suburbs fueled the vacant lot culture seen today.
Nearly 21,000 homes were demolished via urban renewal to create the highways that cur through neighborhoods and destroyed communities (Ibid). Paradise Valley, one black neighborhood that would be destroyed in an urban renewal failure, was one such effected community, with a main commercial thoroughfare coming down for the highway (Sugrue 2004). But while African-American and foreign-born populations often suffered the most for this mobility and freedom, it was primarily the white population that was able to take advantage of the new opportunities and move to the outskirts of the city.
Nearly 21,000 homes were demolished via urban renewal to create the highways that cur through neighborhoods and destroyed communities (Ibid). Paradise Valley, one black neighborhood that would be destroyed in an urban renewal failure, was one such effected community, with a main commercial thoroughfare coming down for the highway (Sugrue 2004). But while African-American and foreign-born populations often suffered the most for this mobility and freedom, it was primarily the white population that was able to take advantage of the new opportunities and move to the outskirts of the city.