Michigan Central Railroad Gardens

Michigan Central Railroad Gardens. 8 Oak Street. , The triangular plot of land along River Street was originally called "Cass Plat" in honor of Governor Lewis Cass. It later became a children's playground. , , The Ypsilanti Depot Gardens were the pride of the Central Railroad Line. Mr. John Laidlaw, a Scottish gardener, built huge floral displays depicting the battleship "Maine" and the "Niagara Falls." Mr. Laidlaw kept his greenhouses full of tropical plants and flowers. The exotic shrubs and trees helped to distract rail passengers from the view of the stockyards which were just north of the Depot. The gardens were primarily used to supply the dining cars with fresh flowers each day. , , Oral history has it that young girls like Jessie Swaine and Florence Babbitt picked the flowers and delivered them to railroad passengers. One bouquet from the gardens was presented to a relative of Ypsilanti's namesake, Demetrius Ypsilanti who was enroute from Chicago to Detroit. , , Also... , In Michigan: In 1848, legislators met in the new capitol building in Lansing for the first time. , , American Events The Transcontinental Railroad linked the East and West coasts at Promontory Point, Utah in 1869. The single telegraphed word "Done!" signaled to the nation its completion. Eight to ten thousand Irish, German and Italian immigrants pushing west from Omaha, Nebraska met crews of the Central Pacific, ten thousand Chinese laborers, who had built east from Sacramento, California. , , Donated by Carolyn and Gary McKeever - 1998