Transportation, Electric Power, and Gas

Transportation, Electric Power, and Gas. . , In the 1880 Birdseye map (above right), Lower Town looked prosperous with mills, factories, and a sizable residential neighborhood surrounding its Broadway commercial center. The town's second railroad, the Toledo and Ann Arbor, built a wooden trestle above the dam to extend its line across the river. A flimsy steel trestle replaced it in 1891. Optimistically, Argo Mills was greatly improved in 1903, and a new dam was built near the tracks over Argo pond Hopes were high for Lower Town mills, manufacturers, suppliers, and commercial outlets., In 1903, however, the Agricultural Works closed its doors due to financial problems. On a bitterly cold night in January 1904 a massive fire consumed Argo Mills. That same month, a heavily loaded freight train crashed through the Ann Arbor Railroad's trestle., The Agricultural Works factory reopened a year later, under the name Ann Arbor Machine Co. The steel trestle was replaced by a sturdier one with massive concrete piers., In the 19th century, Lower Town's prosperity had been shaped by agriculture, mils, transportation connections, and manufacturing. In the 20th century it was defined first by the Edison Company's plans to generate electric power along the river and later by the University of Michigan's need to expand medical facilities., A railroad spur had served the Argo Flour Mill as well as the Agricultural Works across Broadway. After the Argo fire, the mill owners built a small hydroelectric powerhouse on the mill site. They sold it, along with the dam, to Eastern Michigan Edison Co. in 1905., In this photo and map, where the railroad spur crossed the river, the early Edison Light and Power Plant can be seen on the left. The Huron Block was across Broadway, with the Ann Arbor Machine Co. south of Canal Street., In 1905 the Detroit Edison Co. started buying water rights, mills, land, and existing small water power plants along the Huron River to become the major supplier of electricity in Washtenaw County. Narby Barton Dam, built by Edison in 1912, was the first of six new hydroelectric dams. For a time, Argo provided electric power for Ann Arbor's streetcars and interurbans. The hydro plants at Barton, Argo, Geddes, and Superior generated enough power to supply Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.