Milwaukee Junction
Encyclopedia
Milwaukee Junction is an area in Detroit, Michigan
with significant history related to the automobile industry. Located near the railroad junction of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad
, and the Grand Trunk Western Railroad
lines, the area encompassed the streets of E Grand Boulevard
and Clay St. to the north, St. Aubin St./Hamtramck Drive to the east, Woodward to the west, and the border following I-94 to I-75 to Warren Road to the south.
(E-M-F), Hupp (the Hupmobile
), Anderson Electric Car Company, Brush Motor Car Company
, Cadillac
, Dodge
, Packard
, Oakland, Studebaker
, and Regal. Most notably, Ford Motor Company
built their Piquette Plant
in the area. This was the plant where the Model T was first built before being mass-produced in neighboring Highland Park
at the Highland Park Ford Plant
. Henry Ford also conducted experiments in assembly line production at the Piquette Avenue plant later used in Highland Park. The earlier models of the Ford line were also conceived and produced here including the model A, N, and S. The attraction of this railroad junction continues into even modern times, with Cadillac
building the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly adjacent to the junction in the early 1980s, almost on the site of the original 1908 Cadillac Motor Car Assembly Plant assembly plant, and less than 5 miles away from the "Cadillac Main" Detroit Assembly built in 1920 within the "V" of another railroad junction (at Junction Street) on the same Grand Trunk
line.
This area was also a hub of early auto body manufacturing, being first a producer of wooden horse carriages and soon providing steel frames for the fledgling auto manufacturers. Fisher Auto Body
, having a significant presence here, with both Plant 21 and Plant 23 on Piquette street alone, originally produced wooden horse carriages and was one of the early companies to supply steel auto bodies. Other auto parts companies opened shop in this area not only because of the many auto company manufacturers in the area but also because of the confluence of the two major railroad lines, making it efficient to ship
autos and parts to other parts of the nation.
The dominance of the Milwaukee Junction area in the auto industry lasted until the 1920s.
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
with significant history related to the automobile industry. Located near the railroad junction of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad
Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway
The Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway is a defunct railroad which operated in the US state of Michigan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
, and the Grand Trunk Western Railroad
Grand Trunk Western Railroad
The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway , constituting the majority of CN's Chicago Division ....
lines, the area encompassed the streets of E Grand Boulevard
Grand Boulevard (Detroit)
Grand Boulevard is a thoroughfare in Detroit, Michigan, running east to west in some places and north to south in other places. It once constituted the city limits of Detroit. Grand Boulevard is named the "Berry Gordy, Jr...
and Clay St. to the north, St. Aubin St./Hamtramck Drive to the east, Woodward to the west, and the border following I-94 to I-75 to Warren Road to the south.
History
Milwaukee Junction was constructed in the 1890s to encourage industrial expansion in what was then the far northern section of Detroit. At the same time, the automotive industry in Detroit was developing, and a number of manufacturers moved into the area, including Everitt-Metzger-FlandersE-M-F Company
The E-M-F Company was an early American automobile manufacturer that produced automobiles from 1909 to 1912. The name E-M-F was gleaned from the initials of the three company founders: Barney Everitt , William Metzger , and Walter Flanders .- Everitt...
(E-M-F), Hupp (the Hupmobile
Hupmobile
The Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1940 by the Hupp Motor Company, which was located at 345 Bellevue Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Its first car, the Model 20, was introduced to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1909...
), Anderson Electric Car Company, Brush Motor Car Company
Brush Motor Car Company
This article is about a USA auto-maker. For the British rail-locomotive company, see Brush TractionBrush Motor Company, or the "Brush Runabout Company," based in Detroit, Michigan, was founded by Alanson Partridge Brush , who designed a light car with a wooden chassis This article is about a USA...
, Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
, Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
, Packard
Packard
Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
, Oakland, Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
, and Regal. Most notably, Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
built their Piquette Plant
Piquette Plant
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is located at 411 Piquette Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, within the Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District. It was the second home of Ford Motor Company automobile production...
in the area. This was the plant where the Model T was first built before being mass-produced in neighboring Highland Park
Highland Park, Michigan
- Geography :According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 16,746 people, 6,199 households, and 3,521 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,622.9 per square mile . There were 7,249...
at the Highland Park Ford Plant
Highland Park Ford Plant
The Highland Park Ford Plant is a former factory located in Highland Park, Michigan at 91 Manchester Avenue . The second production facility for the Model T automobile, it became a National Historic Landmark in 1978.-Description:...
. Henry Ford also conducted experiments in assembly line production at the Piquette Avenue plant later used in Highland Park. The earlier models of the Ford line were also conceived and produced here including the model A, N, and S. The attraction of this railroad junction continues into even modern times, with Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
building the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly adjacent to the junction in the early 1980s, almost on the site of the original 1908 Cadillac Motor Car Assembly Plant assembly plant, and less than 5 miles away from the "Cadillac Main" Detroit Assembly built in 1920 within the "V" of another railroad junction (at Junction Street) on the same Grand Trunk
Grand Trunk
Grand Trunk can refer to:*The Grand Trunk Company in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels*The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in Canada*The Grand Trunk Railway in North America*The Grand Trunk Road in South Asia...
line.
This area was also a hub of early auto body manufacturing, being first a producer of wooden horse carriages and soon providing steel frames for the fledgling auto manufacturers. Fisher Auto Body
Fisher Body
Fisher Body is an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan; it is now an operating division of General Motors Company...
, having a significant presence here, with both Plant 21 and Plant 23 on Piquette street alone, originally produced wooden horse carriages and was one of the early companies to supply steel auto bodies. Other auto parts companies opened shop in this area not only because of the many auto company manufacturers in the area but also because of the confluence of the two major railroad lines, making it efficient to ship
autos and parts to other parts of the nation.
The dominance of the Milwaukee Junction area in the auto industry lasted until the 1920s.
See also
- Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic DistrictPiquette Avenue Industrial Historic DistrictThe Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District is a historic district located along Piquette Street in Detroit, Michigan, from Woodward Avenue on the west to Hastings Street on the east. The district extends approximately one block south of Piquette to Harper, and one block north to the Grand...
- New Amsterdam Historic DistrictNew Amsterdam Historic DistrictThe New Amsterdam Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan. Buildings in this district are on or near three sequential east-west streets on the two blocks between Woodward Avenue and Second Avenue...
- Ford Piquette Avenue Plant