“Big Ships Can Navigate Rouge” in Wyandotte Herald (July 13th, 1923)

To facilitate more efficient transportation of materials (chiefly, iron ore) to his Rouge Factory Plant—originally situated at the confluence of the Detroit River and the River Rouge—Henry Ford hatched a plan to widen the waters. With consent from Congress and government supervision, Ford’s team opened the river to accommodate lake steamer traffic, while also adding new bridges and increasing dock space.

A renewed interest in the Henry Ford company’s historical dependence on local waterways can be seen in this recent article from Great Lakes Now, which describes the restoration of the River Rouge’s oxbow channel. This project, begun in 2002, has promoted habitat restoration and diversity in the River Rouge / Detroit River region.

Transcript:

After years of work involving expenditure of millions of dollars the River Rouge, from the Detroit River to a point above the Ford Motor Company’s plant, has been opened to lake steamer traffic, thus completing a plan of Henry Ford of bringing the iron ore direct to his furnaces without delay in handling.

The steamer Oneida, of the United States Merchant Marine, carrying a number of officials, made the trip from the Detroit river to a point above the Rouge plant of the Ford Motor Company, executed the turn in the big turning basin and steamed again down the river which has been widened and deepened to permit of passage of large ore laden freighters.

Mr. Ford was primarily the originator of the plan of widening and deepening the River Ruge. He obtained consent of congress to assist in the work, which was done under government suprvision. Mr. Ford spent millions in land condemnation settlements. A number of the new bridges were placed across the river and in one instance, the Detroit United Railway’s bridge, over the river West Fort street, was removed entirely, the tracks of the electric line being placed on the new and modern county bridge.

The improvement of the River Rouge makes available to Detroit six miles of additional dock frontage.

It is understood the Ford Motor Company will begin at once bringing iron ore from its Iron Mountain mines. New and improved machinery for unloading these big freighters has been installed.

Original Article:

Citation:

“Big Ships Can Navigate Rouge.” Wyandotte Herald, 13 July 1923, https://cdm17314.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p17314coll1/id/15251/rec/57. Bacon Memorial District Library History Collection. Accessed 15 May 2024.