page_title: Detroit
section_title: 19th century
hierarchical_section_title: Detroit / History / 19th century
caption_attribution_description: English: Identifier: streetrailwayrev12amer (find matches) Title: The street railway review Year: 1891 (1890s) Authors: American Street Railway Association Street Railway Accountants' Association of America American Railway, Mechanical, and Electrical Association Subjects: Street-railroads Publisher: Chicago&#160;: Street Railway Review Pub. Co Contributing Library: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: y boat fr..m the fool i W Iward Are. or by Jefferson \\.- eta Belle (ale is north ol the center ol the cl y, bul in-s within the citylimits The Island comprises a beautiful park, containing about7&lt;m acres, it has been Improved and bi ad forma a charming place for recreation and amusement Beautiful lawns.walks and flower beds, facilities for boating, bathing and pic-nicking, a One collection of birds and animals, and opportunitiesfor rest, refreshment and amusement are among the attractionsoffered. The island is reached from the Detroit side by a bridge. the only bridge over tin1 Detroit River, and this pa .,-r only one channel of the river. There lias i n spent in Impi the island. Including the cost of the bridge, nearly $1310,000. Taanmoo Park is another resort In greai favor with pleasureseeking Detroitera and their visitors. The pr perry is owned bythe White Btar Line, and comprises • acres of land in the si.Clair River, about 20 miles above Detroit The park is reached Text Appearing After Image: CENTRAL IVENUE IN BELLI ISLE PARK ML.TKOH bridges aero rer at Detroit, and all the steam roads en- lerlng i ins point from the east are therefore compelled to terryall freight and passenger cars hut the stream on hiirgcs. There nrc s hair dozen of these railway ferry routes, and there are in addition numerous ferrj and Bteamboat lims plying across andup and down the river t the rarious islands and Canadian points. in the matter of attractive pleasure and outing resorts madesflsllj accessible by steamer linos np and down the river and bythe interurban electric lines, Detrolters are espclally favored, inthe warm months the pleasure traffic carried by the pleasnreboats and bj the Interurban cars is enormous. a very popular trip is up the river, through the United Statesship canal to the St. Olair Plats, a group of wooded and marshyIslands near the entrance to Lake St Olair. The Flats are fa-mous throughout the region as the ii e of many specimens of ithered and tinny tribes, and for the Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.
context_page_description: Detroit is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of Wayne County. The municipality of Detroit had a 2019 estimated population of 670,031, making it the 24th-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area, and 14th largest in the United States. Regarded as a major cultural center, Detroit is known for its contributions to music and as a repository for art, architecture and design.
  Detroit is a major port on the Detroit River, one of the four major straits that connect the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the most important hubs in the United States. The City of Detroit anchors the second-largest regional economy in the Midwest, behind Chicago and ahead of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and the 13th-largest in the United States.
context_section_description: From 1805 to 1847, Detroit was the capital of Michigan (first the territory, then the state). William Hull, the United States commander at Detroit surrendered without a fight to British troops and their Native American allies during the War of 1812 in the Siege of Detroit, believing his forces were vastly outnumbered. The Battle of Frenchtown (January 18–23, 1813) was part of a U.S. effort to retake the city, and U.S. troops suffered their highest fatalities of any battle in the war. This battle is commemorated at River Raisin National Battlefield Park south of Detroit in Monroe County. Detroit was recaptured by the United States later that year.
  The settlement was incorporated as a city in 1815. As the city expanded, a geometric street plan developed by Augustus B. Woodward was followed, featuring grand boulevards as in Paris.
  Prior to the American Civil War, the city's access to the Canada–US border made it a key stop for refugee slaves gaining freedom in the North along the Underground Railroad. Many went across the Detroit River to Canada to escape pursuit by slave catchers. An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 African-American refugees settled in Canada. George DeBaptiste was considered to be the "president" of the Detroit Underground Railroad, William Lambert the "vice president" or "secretary", and Laura Haviland the "superintendent".
  Numerous men from Detroit volunteered to fight for the Union during the American Civil War, including the 24th Michigan Infantry Regiment. It was part of the legendary Iron Brigade, which fought with distinction and suffered 82% casualties at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. When the First Volunteer Infantry Regiment arrived to fortify Washington, D.C., President Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying "Thank God for Michigan!" George Armstrong Custer led the Michigan Brigade during the Civil War and called them the "Wolverines".
  During the late 19th century, wealthy industry and shipping magnates commissioned design and construction of several Gilded Age mansions east and west of the current downtown, along the major avenues of the Woodward plan. Most notable among them was the David Whitney House at 4421 Woodward Avenue, and the grand avenue became a favored address for mansions. During this period some referred to Detroit as the "Paris of the West" for its architecture, grand avenues in the Paris style, and for Washington Boulevard, recently electrified by Thomas Edison. The city had grown steadily from the 1830s with the rise of shipping, shipbuilding, and manufacturing industries. Strategically located along the Great Lakes waterway, Detroit emerged as a major port and transportation hub.
  In 1896, a thriving carriage trade prompted Henry Ford to build his first automobile in a rented workshop on Mack Avenue. During this growth period, Detroit expanded its borders by annexing all or part of several surrounding villages and townships.
caption: Belle Isle Park in 1891
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