Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History

St. Aubin Park Riverwalk

By Joel S., July 10, 2010

1. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 1

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Stone 1:
St. Aubin Park Riverwalk
Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History

This walk made possible by:

Friends of Partners
Detroit Recreation Department
Dedicated July 1969
Stone 2:
The Many Names of Detroit 1880: City of the Straits (Major Great Lakes Port)
1920: Motor City (Automotive Capital of the World)
1963: Motown (Center of American Popular Music)
1980: The Renaissance City (Gateway to 21st Century)

Stone 3:
The Shipyard Starting in 1852, this site was a busy shipyard. The Detroit Dry Dock Co. and later Detroit Shipbuilding Co., built and installed the steam engines and performed finish work on hulls produced at the Wyandotte shipyard. In 1890 the shipyard employed 600 boilermakers, machinists, shipfitters, carpenters and other tradespeople.

Stone 4:
Immigrant Workers Detroits riverfront industries and the automobile plants depended on immigrant labor. In 1910, three out of four people

Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 2 image. Click for full size.

By Joel S., July 10, 2010

2. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 2

in Detroit were immigrants or children of immigrants. They came from a dozen nations, including Germany, England, Ireland, Canada, Russia and Poland. The immigrant population almost tripled over the next 20 years.

Stone 5:
"I have taken my people out in the roads and in dark places, and looked at the stars of heaven and prayed for the southern man to turn his heart."
-Benjamin Singleton, a Black man who guided runaway slaves through Detroit to Canada in the 1850's.

Erected 1969 by Friends of Partners - Detroit Recreation Department.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 42° 20.016′ N, 83° 1.512′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. Marker can be reached from Atwater Street west of St. Aubin Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1900 Atwater Street, Detroit MI 48207, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Black Presence in Detroit (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chapman Abraham / Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War (about 400 feet away); Peter Wetherill Stroh (approx. 0.4 miles away); St. John's Presbyterian Church

Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 3 image. Click for full size.

By Joel S., July 10, 2010

3. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 3

(approx. half a mile away); Frederick Douglass - John Brown meeting (approx. 0.7 miles away); First Michigan Colored Regiment (approx. ¾ mile away); St. Mary's Rectory (approx. 0.8 miles away); George DeBaptiste Homesite (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Detroit.

Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 4 image. Click for full size.

By Joel S., July 10, 2010

4. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 4

Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 5 image. Click for full size.

By Joel S., July 10, 2010

5. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 5

Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Markers image. Click for full size.

By Joel S., July 10, 2010

6. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Markers

Markers are in the dirt next to the sidewalk.

William G. Milliken State Park Harbor image. Click for full size.

By Joel S., July 10, 2010

7. William G. Milliken State Park Harbor

Markers are on the sidewalk along Atwater Street and next to the state park harbor.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2010, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 920 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 3, 2010, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.