Misplaced Pages

#433566

25-575: Ford systematically acquired land, an existing dam on the Huron River , and water rights in the area where the old Metler and Diekman Mills stood. These rights along with over 200 acres (81 ha) from the George Case farm north and west of the mill race helped to comprise the eventual 568 acres (230 ha) that Ford eventually would own. Construction of a factory and a 385-foot (117 m) dam were carried out during 1921 and 1922. The dam had

50-466: A dozen dams were built for mill or hydroelectric power and several formed large new lakes behind them. Some of these on the Huron River mainstream are Kent Lake , Barton Pond, Argo Pond, Ford Lake , Belleville Lake , and Flat Rock Pond. The Huron River flows through numerous parks and is a prime canoeing river with a generally slow current and only a few minor rapids or obstructions, except for

75-638: A fourfold purpose: to serve as a power plant, retain water in connection with the newly built water filtration plant, and to serve as a railroad bridge and a road for the passage of cars. Together the factory, dam/bridge, and water filtration plant represent a comprehensive program for the improvement of Flat Rock. The factory, built by Stone & Webster, Inc. , was one of several similar-appearing factories built for Ford, including others in Saint Paul, Minnesota , Green Island, New York , and Iron Mountain, Michigan . Large turbines were once situated within

100-495: A part of another region or metropolitan area. The following cities tend to identify themselves separately from southeast Michigan and are isolated from the core counties of Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne. With 4,488,335 people in 2010, Metro Detroit was the tenth-largest metropolitan area in the United States, while Ann Arbor's metropolitan area ranked 141st with 341,847. Metropolitan areas of southeast Michigan, and parts of

125-442: A peak of 1,200 people in 1929. In wages alone, over a half-million dollars in wages were paid in the peak years of 1929 and 1930. Approximately a third of the tax revenue for the village of Flat Rock was also generated by the plant. Another benefit came from the water filtration plant. This produced water for the factory, but also for the communities of Flat Rock, Rockwood , and South Rockwood . The original filtration plant built in

150-626: Is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are concentrated in Metro Detroit . It is bordered in the northeast by Lake St. Clair , to the south-east Lake Erie , and the Detroit River which connects these two lakes. Some cities are considered within southeast Michigan, while also being

175-543: Is the busiest in the area with the opening of the McNamara terminal and the now completed North Terminal. The airport is located in Romulus . Manufacturing and service industries have replaced agriculture for the most part. In rural areas of Saint Clair County , Monroe , and Livingston Counties still grow crops such as corn , sugar beets , soy beans , other types of beans, and fruits. Romeo and northern Macomb County

200-644: Is well known for its apple and peach orchards. Radio Most major Detroit radio stations, such as WJR and WWJ , can be heard in most or all of southeastern Michigan. Port Huron, Howell, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Adrian, and Monroe are also served by their own locally-originating stations. National Public Radio is broadcast locally from Ann Arbor on Michigan Radio WUOM 91.7 FM and from Detroit on WDET-FM 101.9 FM. Television Major television stations include: WJBK Fox 2 Detroit ( Fox ), WXYZ Channel 7 ( ABC ), WDIV Local 4 ( NBC ), WWJ-TV CBS 62 ( CBS ) and WKBD CW 50 ( CW ). Newspaper Daily editions of

225-452: The 1920s was sold to the then City of Flat Rock in 1951 and continued to operate until 1957 when a new plant was built on the island, directly opposite and to the south of the Ford plant. This filtration plant too was eventually abandoned, though has not been demolished due to prohibitive costs associated with demolition. Commentators attribute the demise of the village industries concept, which

250-531: The 20th century began, the Detroit Edison Company and Ford Motor Company began acquiring and developing dams along the river for electric power. Notable floods have occurred in 1904, 1918, 1968 and 1982. Significant tributaries of the Huron River are listed below, in order of progression upstream. Sub-tributaries are indented below their parent watercourse. The river flows through the following parks and cities in this order starting from

275-528: The Flat Rock plant was part of, to a variety of factors including company leadership not understanding the value or money-making potential of these enterprises, obsolescence of facilities, and most prominently – unionization (Siegel). Production at the Flat Rock Head & Tail Light Plant ceased in 1950, and operations were moved to the larger Monroe factory. In 1950 the vacant Flat Rock plant

SECTION 10

#1732793369434

300-1004: The Thumb and Flint/Tri-Cities , are grouped together by the U.S. Census Bureau with Detroit-Warren-Livonia MSA in a wider nine-county region designated the Detroit–Ann Arbor–Flint Combined Statistical Area (CSA) with a population of 5,428,000. *Denotes member counties of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) The main economic activity is manufacturing cars. Major manufacturing cities are Warren , Sterling Heights , Dearborn (Henry Ford's childhood home) and Detroit, also called "Motor City" or "Motown". Other economic activities include banking and other service industries. Most people in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties live in urban areas. In

325-555: The building to the present time (2018). Huron River (Michigan) The Huron River is a 130-mile-long (210 km) river in southeastern Michigan , rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfield Township in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie , as it forms the boundary between present-day Wayne and Monroe counties. Thirteen parks, game areas, and recreation areas are associated with

350-423: The factory building. The eastern end of the plant was suspended from the land over water running through the mill race below. A photo from the 1930s shows this equipment setting in situ . Water power first generated was about 700 kilowatts. Construction of the Ford complex had a profound and immediate impact on the residents of the area. The Village of Flat Rock was chartered on October 19, 1923. The following month

375-413: The first headlamp was produced at the plant. So village and industry grew side-by-side. Products the factory made included headlights , taillights , and interior light shells , reflectors , and lamp sockets . Five hundred men working two shifts at the plant could produce half a million headlights a month. During World War II , all of the 26 or so village industries were converted to participate in

400-748: The headwaters: Download coordinates as: The Clinton River was also known as the Huron River until 1824. The Clinton River, which drains into Lake St. Clair north of Detroit , shares about 10 miles (16 km) of watershed boundary with the Huron River system. It was renamed in 1824 by the Michigan Territorial Council to avoid confusion between the two rivers. [REDACTED] Media related to Huron River (Michigan) at Wikimedia Commons 42°1′47″N 83°11′15″W  /  42.02972°N 83.18750°W  / 42.02972; -83.18750 Southeast Michigan Southeast Michigan , also called southeastern Michigan ,

425-461: The mainstream. The Huron River watershed drains 908 square miles (2,350 km ). It is the only state-designated Country-Scenic Natural River in southeast Michigan. This includes 27.5 miles (44.3 km) of the mainstream, plus an additional 10.5 miles (16.9 km) of three tributaries. The river was named after the Huron band of Native Americans who lived in the area. In Native languages, it

450-667: The recent years, urban sprawl has affected the areas of Canton , Commerce , Chesterfield , and Clinton townships. The metropolitan area is also home to some of the highest ranked hospitals and medical centers, Such as the Detroit Medical Center(DMC), Henry Ford Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, and the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor. SEMCOG Commuter Rail is a proposed regional rail link between Ann Arbor and Detroit. The Detroit Metro Airport

475-507: The river, which passes through the cities of Dexter , Ann Arbor , Ypsilanti , Belleville , Flat Rock and Rockwood that were developed along its banks. The Huron River is a typical Southeast Michigan stream; mud banks, slow stream flow and a low gradient define this river. It runs through the following counties, in order from the headwaters to its mouth: Oakland, Livingston , Washtenaw , Wayne, and Monroe. There are 24 major tributaries totaling about 370 miles (600 km) in addition to

500-509: The river. In 2009, faculty and students from the University of Michigan produced "Mapping the River," a multimedia presentation combining dance, poetry, music, and projected images which explored the role of the Huron in communities along it. The Huron River was declared navigable by Congress in the 19th century, and for a time, there was flat-boat traffic from Ypsilanti to Lake Erie . This

525-436: The short Delhi rapids which is runnable by experienced canoeists and kayakers except during low water. The river is heavily fished by sportsmen for rock bass , sunfish , bluegill , black crappie , white bass , smallmouth bass , largemouth bass , northern pike , walleye , catfish , trout , muskie , and below Belleville Dam, Coho salmon , Chinook salmon , and Steelhead . Suckers and carp are also common fish in

SECTION 20

#1732793369434

550-506: The war effort. The Flat Rock plant which produced head- and taillights, continued to produce these during the war, but for army trucks, Jeeps , tanks , the universal carrier , and the armored car . The Flat Rock plant also manufactured junction boxes for the B-24 bomber . Benefits of having the Ford factory in the village of Flat Rock were numerous. First, there were the jobs created. Employment rose from 50 workers in 1924 to 500 by 1925 and

575-416: Was called cos-scut-e-nong sebee or Giwitatigweiasibi . It was part of a Native American trade route. The river has many dams, 19 on the main stream and at least 96 in the entire system. Most dams are only a few feet high, built to slightly increase and maintain water levels in existing lakes to provide drought protection and flood control, a use that is now environmentally controversial. However, at least

600-434: Was discontinued as the railroads penetrated the region and milling developed along the river. By the 1880s, the Huron River was considered peculiar among the rivers in the region because it was intensely exploited for water-powered manufacturing. The census reported a total of 17 developed mill dams on the river, many providing power to multiple mills. Flour milling dominated, but there were also sawmills and woolen mills. As

625-508: Was sold to Moynahan Bronze Company that was then located in Detroit and which subsequently moved. This company produced furniture for Pullman cars , architectural molding, and parts for aircraft. The firm would occupy the plant from 1951 to 1972. Stearns Manufacturing owned and operated the plant from 1972 to 1981, at which time the present owner, Flat Rock Metal Inc. , leased the building. The company has since purchased it and has occupied

#433566