Detroit has a rich history

**Strong** · September-25-12, 11:54 AM

“The Great Detroit, It was”
I have been doing a little research about Detroit and the one thing that stands out is the rich history that the Detroit has. Detroit's founder Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac had a storied career. Cadlliac was commander of several forts and governor of Louisiana.

In the early days, Detroit grew to be the largest city between Montreal and New Orleans and both were much older cities. Some Detroiters were making big money in the fur trading or lumbering. T Trappers alley is where the marketplace stood for the fur trades. One of the most successful lumber barons was Detroiter David Whitney, who built what is the now the Whitney Restaurant.

Detroit was called "The Paris of the Midwest", especially for how Washington Boulevard is designed with the grassy island situated in the middle of the street and the statute sitting at the end of the block. Then you have to add that Thomas Edison hung out in Detroit with his rich friends, so he took the time to develop a special set of lights to illuminate Washington Blvd.

One Detroiter that really put the city on the map in a young engineer Henry Ford. Prior to his emergence, Detroit was already known for shipping, ship building and manufacturing. We were also making horse and buggy carriages. This thriving carriage industry is what encouraged Henry Ford to manufacture power driven cars and took the massive step with the assemble line concept. It is said that all the other Detroiters who got into the car business either got their start with Ford, some investment from Ford, or just good advice from Ford. Because you know that when one guy makes it big then others want to follow and that's where Buick, Studebaker, Pontiac, Dodge, Packard, Chrysler, Cadillac and others come in. Because of Ford, Detroit has the first paved street, between 6 and 7 mile on Woodward, the first highway the Davison Freeway, and the first street lights.

Detroiters also ventured into other industries, R.L. Polk Publishing, once was considered one of the world's largest. Detroiter Fred Sanders, fed the region with his line of Chocolates candies, plus he opened a chain of restaurants. The world still listens to the music of the creator of the Motown Soul, Mr. Barry Gordy. Including all the people behind the scenes at Motown plus they all lived in the D.

Ford Motor Company was probably the largest single employer in the country. The big guys invested their money in Detroit, they built social halls and clubs like the Detroit Yacht Club, Detroit Athletic Club, Fox Theater, Scarab Club Olympic Stadium, and many others . The Yacht Club has a unique history in that the land they building sits on is a man made island.

Detroit is home to many first. Detroit is considered the founding site for the National Puppetry Conference Festival when Paul McPharlin created the Marionette Fellowship. The Kiwanis International Organization was founded in Detroit. It is said that the coney island hot dog was started in Detroit along with the many coney island restaurants.

Detroit has a storied sports history. One man Detroiter Joe Louis knocked the world when he defeated Max Schmeling. Detroiter Emanuel Stewart founded a boxing club that has trained hundreds of fighters and many world champions. The Detroit Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championship of any NHL franchise based in the United States. The Detroit Tigers are of the American League's eight charter franchises along with 4 world series titles. The Detroit Lions have won Super Bowls with the Detroit Pistons having won three championships.

Over the years, Detroit has had many special visitors, Pope John Paul II came here in 1999, Nelson Mandela in 1990 and Rosa Parks, the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" made her home in Detroit.

With all these fine moments in Detroit's history, there's no doubt that Detroit was and is a great city.

Submitted by Anthony Brogdon, President of StrongDetroit.Net and Producer of the soon to be released documentary "The Great Detroit?" The funding campaign is www.indiegogo.com/Thegreatdetroit

**p69rrh51** · September-25-12, 07:20 PM

Its too easy, but I can't wait to read the comments!

**DetroitPlanner** · September-25-12, 07:26 PM

It is also home of the Cheesecake Factory and Honeybaked Ham however neither have a store within the City Limits.

**313WX** · September-25-12, 08:47 PM

I don't think anyone has denied that Detroit has a very rich history.

That's really what makes it so great.

**Gistok** · September-25-12, 11:57 PM

Nice post Strong... yes Cadillac's "boss" was King Louis XIV of "France". Also Deroit is the oldest continually inhabited major US city between the Appalachian and Rocky Mouintains... which makes us 17 years older than 1718 founded New Orleans. We're almost a century older than Cleveland, and over a century older than either Chicago or Toronto.

**Zackdog** · September-26-12, 06:47 AM

Love Detroit, and it's history.

**detroittrader** · September-26-12, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by Strong

The Detroit Lions have won Super Bowls

Only in the dreams of Lions fans has this happened.

**Hermod** · September-26-12, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by detroittrader

Only in the dreams of Lions fans has this happened.

Give them a little bit of leeway. The Lions did win some NFL championships in the late 1950s about nine/ten years before the first Super Bowl.

That was back in the days of Bobby Layne, Doak Walker, and Leon Hart.

**Hermod** · September-26-12, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by Strong

The Detroit Tigers are of the American League's eight charter franchises along with 4 world series titles.

4 titles in 110 years?

**Ray1936** · September-26-12, 07:42 AM

Four titles in 311 years, actually.

**Hermod** · September-26-12, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Four titles in 311 years, actually.

I was going from the first World Series in 1903 [[Red Sox-Pirates) to 2012.

**jackie5275** · September-26-12, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Four titles in 311 years, actually.

I didn't know baseball has been around for over 300 yrs. I thought it was close to 200 yrs.

**Strong** · September-26-12, 01:58 PM

The City of Sault Sainte Marie, founded by the French in 1668, is the oldest city in Michigan and the third oldest city in the United States.

**Gistok** · September-26-12, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by Strong

The City of Sault Sainte Marie, founded by the French in 1668, is the oldest city in Michigan and the third oldest city in the United States.

Hi Strong...yes and no..... Sault Sainte Marie is indeed the oldest city in Michigan, with St. Ignace soon behind it, founded in 1688, and Detroit comes 3rd. My comments were for MAJOR cities, neither of which is one.

As for it being the 3rd oldest in the USA, no...

Older cities in the USA are the Spanish founded [[1565) St. Augustine Florida, English founded [[1607 Jamestown), Spanish founded [[1607) Santa Fe, Plymouth Massachusetts [[1620), New York [[New Amsterdam [[1625), Boston [[1630), Providence RI [[1636), Wilmington DE [[1638), etc.... and there's at least a dozen more...

**Detroitnerd** · September-26-12, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by Strong

The City of Sault Sainte Marie, founded by the French in 1668, is the oldest city in Michigan and the third oldest city in the United States.

Oldness doesn't necessarily mean history.

What's at Sault Ste. Marie? Here's where Fr. Claude Dablon took a dump? Over there is where John Johnston sold whiskey to natives? Here's our historic Ice Rink?

Nah, Detroit has more history in a few years than Sault Ste. Marie does over its whole life because Detroit has more historic importance and stories and inventions that came out of it.

**Detroitnerd** · September-26-12, 02:37 PM

Notice well, also, how nobody ever talks about the history of Independence and Shelby townships, or historic Auburn Hills ... It's pretty clear where the history is.

**Gistok** · September-26-12, 03:17 PM

The interesting story behind the fact that the northern cities [[Sault, St. Ignace) and other cities are older than the major cities in the lower lakes was the fear that the early trappers and settlers had about the Iroquois Indians, who's land was around the lower lakes. They were so feared by the early pioneers, that they took the portage route up the Ottawa River and across land over to the Sault... rather than deal with the feared native Americans along Lakes Ontario and Erie. Eventually Detroit and St. Joseph Indiana were founded early on in more hostile areas.

**Detroitnerd** · September-26-12, 03:31 PM

Time to re-read "Northwest Passage"

**Hermod** · September-26-12, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

The interesting story behind the fact that the northern cities [[Sault, St. Ignace) and other cities are older than the major cities in the lower lakes was the fear that the early trappers and settlers had about the Iroquois Indians, who's land was around the lower lakes. They were so feared by the early pioneers, that they took the portage route up the Ottawa River and across land over to the Sault... rather than deal with the feared native Americans along Lakes Ontario and Erie. Eventually Detroit and St. Joseph Indiana were founded early on in more hostile areas.

The French early on sided with the Algonquian tribes in their campaigns against the Iroquois. This went back to the French explorers. As a result, the Iroquois sided with the English settlers and were against the French. The French trappers and mercenaries had to avoid the Iroquois areas.

**EastsideAl** · September-28-12, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by Hermod

4 titles in 110 years?

4 World Series wins for the Tigers: 1935, 1945, 1968, 1984

4 NFL championships for the Lions: 1935, 1952, 1953, 1957 [[but none in the Super Bowl era)

Also...

3 NBA championships for the Pistons: 1989, 1990, 2004 [[but none actually in Detroit)

And, of course, the most successful of our local teams...

11 Stanley Cups for the Red Wings: 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008.