An interactive essay exploring the experiences of those who built, maintained, and traveled on Detroit River steamboats at the turn of the 20th century, with special attention to key events in local labor and racial history and the ways they reflected shifting social and political attitudes of the time.
Lives of Leisure and Labor on the Detroit River Read More »
Designed in consultation with history and environmental studies teachers at regional high schools, this multi-layered, interactive ArcGIS map draws on dozens of public data sources to create a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the Detroit River.
Detroit River Corridor Carbon Emissions Visualization Tool Read More »
An interactive collection of historical and digital maps allowing you to explore the Detroit River Corridor through time.
Digital Mapping Project Read More »
A Storymap project imagining possible futures for disused industrial sites along the Detroit River in Trenton, featuring historical contexts, interviews, and captivating site renderings. The project was created by students in a DRSL-linked Public Design Corps studio class at UM’s Taubman College.
Great Lakes Way @ Trenton Read More »
A working prototype for a robust visual and interactive resource for exploring the environments, institutions, and actors that have shaped the Detroit River corridor over the past millennium. As it continues to expand, this tool will serve as an archive and a pedagogical resource in service of the Detroit River Story Lab’s long-term goal to assemble and curate an archive of resources in support of local organizations’ efforts to reconnect local communities with the river and its stories. By presenting the histories of the Detroit River corridor as those of a coherent, interconnected region, the timeline allows users to explore connections between the river’s past and future, provides an accessible resource for local students to learn about the places they live, and supports local organizations in amplifying marginalized voices the river’s long and storied history.
Detroit River Region Timeline Read More »
An interactive digital map that catalogues approximately 100 public heritage sites, public spaces, and trails along the Detroit River corridor, providing a visual argument in support of regional heritage development efforts relating to the Underground Railroad and other historical events.
River Heritage Resource Map Read More »
