 Miners at the International Salt Mines, January 1923.
|
With the new century, America’s transition from an agricultural nation into a major industrial power was completed. Detroit was a key component in America’s industrial development, providing the raw materials, technical expertise, and skilled workforce needed to keep it moving forward. Prior to the 20th century, Detroit had been slowly industrializing. By 1900, it had a booming manufacturing industry and was a major center for copper smelting, lumber processing, iron making, shipbuilding, carriage and railroad car manufacturing. Detroit was also a major transportation center for Great Lakes Shipping and a major hub on the railroad lines between Chicago and New York. The rivers, lakes and rails proved to be a lifeline to industry, transporting raw materials to be transformed and carrying out the finished products. On the eve of the birth of the auto industry, all of the necessary infrastructure was in place to support it. The assembly line revolutionized production, and dozens of auto manufacturers sprang up across the city. Detroit quickly became the center of America’s auto industry. During the war years, Detroit became the center of America’s war production industry, providing heavy machinery, as well as munitions. Detroit slowly began to de-industrialize after the boom years of the Second World War. Open spaces, government subsidies, and the newly built highways all lured business out of the cramped city and into the suburbs. Hastened by the hard economic times of the 1970s and 1980s, the steady drain continued throughout the end of the century. |
||
