Rivertown - Warehouse District in Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History
St. Aubin Park Riverwalk
Photographed By Joel S., July 10, 2010
1. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 1
Inscription.
Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History. St. Aubin Park Riverwalk. 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 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.
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 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
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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. A significant historical year for this entry is 1969.
Location. 42° 20.016′ N, 83° 1.512′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in the Rivertown - Warehouse District. 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.
3. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 3
Photographed By Joel S., July 10, 2010
4. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 4
Photographed By Joel S., July 10, 2010
5. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Marker - Stone 5
Photographed By Joel S., July 10, 2010
6. Glimpses of Detroit's Riverfront History Markers
Markers are in the dirt next to the sidewalk.
Photographed 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 February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2010, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 1,210 times since then and 29 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.