The Detroit River: Development and Industrialization, 1874-1912

The Detroit River tells the story of the industrial transformation of the city’s most important waterway. Covering the period from the first government survey of the treacherous Limekiln Crossing to the completion of the Livingstone Channel, Gebhart explores the engineering challenges and fascinating stories that shaped Detroit during these crucial years. His book also unearths stories of the city’s growing pains, including the early development of Belle Isle as the peoples’ playground, ice harvesting, sturgeon fishing, industrial pollution, the mailboat service, the pall of coal smoke, and the illegal smuggling of Chinese immigrants across the Canadian water border. These stories and vignettes feature remarkable figures from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, whose historical reach extended far beyond the Great Lakes. Using newspaper accounts, Corps of Engineers reports, and archival materials, the book goes beyond typical maritime histories by examining how commerce, growth, recreation, and everyday life came together along Detroit’s waterfront during its most crucial decades.