Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
IT HAS THE LONGEST FRESHWATER COAST IN AMERICA...
MICHIGAN.
A LAND OF BLUE WATERS,
BRILLIANT SKIES
AND GIANT INDUSTRY.
IT WAS HERE WHERE TIMBER AND STEEL HELPED CREATE
ONE OF THE GREATEST MANUFACTURING CENTERS
IN THE WORLD...
WHERE ONE MAN'S PASSION FOR INVENTION
GAVE BIRTH TO AMERICA'S LOVE AFFAIR WITH CARS,
AND WHERE ICONS OF THAT INDUSTRY STILL STAND TALL.
IT WAS FROM MICHIGAN
THAT BOOTLEGGERS ONCE SUPPLIED AMERICA WITH ILLEGAL RUM,
AND MUSICAL SUPERSTARS FROM STEVIE WONDER TO MADONNA
HEADED OUT TO ENTERTAIN THE WORLD.
AERIAL MICHIGAN TELLS THE STORY OF THE WORKERS
WHO BROUGHT AMERICA'S LARGEST INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION
TO ITS KNEES
AND HELPED WIN BATTLES OF WORLD WAR II,
WHERE A HOMETOWN TEAM REIGNS SUPREME
IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST RIVALRIES IN AMERICAN SPORTS.
THANKS TO ITS UNIQUE SHAPE,
LOCALS OFTEN CALL THEIR STATE "THE MITTEN."
BUT THE REST OF THE WORLD KNOWS THIS MIDWESTERN POWERHOUSE
AS...
MICHIGAN.
THIS ISN'T YOUR AVERAGE AMERICAN HIGHWAY.
IT'S A WEEKDAY MORNING, BUT ALL OF ITS LANES ARE EMPTY,
EXCEPT FOR ONE TRUCK.
THIS IS WHAT'S CALLED A PROVING GROUND--
A PLACE WHERE AMERICA'S AUTOMAKERS
PUT THEIR LATEST VEHICLES THROUGH TOUGH TESTS
BEFORE ROLLING THEM OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
IT WAS THE AUTOMOBILE THAT TRANSFORMED MICHIGAN
INTO ONE OF THE GREATEST MANUFACTURING CENTERS
IN THE WORLD.
AND MUCH OF THAT CREDIT BELONGS TO ONE CAR KNOWN AS THE MODEL T.
IT ALL STARTED HERE IN DEARBORN,
JUST A FEW MILES WEST OF DETROIT.
IN 1908, THE FIRST MODEL T
ROLLED OFF HENRY FORD'S ASSEMBLY LINE.
THIS HORSELESS CARRIAGE WAS THE FIRST LIGHTWEIGHT,
RELIABLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, INEXPENSIVE CAR EVER MADE.
TO HELP CONVINCE ORDINARY FAMILIES TO BUY HIS $850 CARS,
FORD FAMOUSLY OFFERED TO DOUBLE MANY OF HIS OWN WORKERS' WAGES
SO THEY, TOO, COULD AFFORD THE CARS THEY BUILT.
THE MODEL T WAS AN UNIMAGINABLE SUCCESS.
OVER THE NEXT 19 YEARS,
15 MILLION AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY BOUGHT MODEL Ts,
AND AMERICA'S LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE AUTOMOBILE WAS BORN.
THIS MAY BE THE BEST PLACE TO IMAGINE
WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE BACK IN THE DAYS
WHEN THE FIRST AUTOMOBILES ROLLED OUT
ONTO AMERICA'S STREETS.
IT'S A PLACE KNOWN AS GREENFIELD VILLAGE.
HENRY FORD WASN'T JUST OBSESSED WITH CARS,
HE WAS FASCINATED WITH ALL KINDS OF INVENTIONS,
AND CREATED AN ENTIRE VILLAGE JUST TO CELEBRATE THEM.
AT THE HEART OF GREENFIELD VILLAGE
LIES THOMAS EDISON'S INVENTION FACTORY.
IT WAS IN THIS MENLO PARK COMPLEX
WHERE EDISON FIRST DEMONSTRATED HIS INCANDESCENT LIGHT BULB.
FORD MOVED THE SURVIVING BUILDINGS FROM NEW JERSEY
AND RECREATED THE REST.
NEXT DOOR LIES THE HENRY FORD MUSEUM.
IT HOUSES ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE AUTOMOBILE COLLECTIONS
IN THE WORLD.
INSIDE THIS VAST COMPLEX IS THE LIMOUSINE
IN WHICH PRESIDENT KENNEDY WAS ASSASSINATED,
THE BUS IN WHICH CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST ROSA PARKS
REFUSED TO GIVE UP HER SEAT,
THE FIRST FORD MUSTANG, AND THE LAST MODEL T EVER MADE.
BY 1914, 1,000 MODEL Ts
ROLLED OFF FORD'S ASSEMBLY LINES EVERY DAY,
WHICH MADE HIM A VERY WEALTHY MAN.
HE BOUGHT 1,300 ACRES OF LAND AND COMMISSIONED A NEW HOME--
FAIR LANE ESTATE.
HE WARNED HIS ARCHITECTS THAT HE ONLY WANTED TO SPEND $250,000
ON THIS 56-ROOM HOUSE.
BUT AFTER HUNDREDS OF MASONS, CARPENTERS AND OTHER ARTISANS
WORKED AROUND THE CLOCK FOR TWO STRAIGHT YEARS,
THE FINAL BILL CAME IN AT NEARLY TWO MILLION.
WHAT MADE THE ESTATE UNIQUE
WAS THAT IT HAD ITS OWN HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION.
FORD HAD DESIGNED IT
WITH HELP FROM HIS GOOD FRIEND, THOMAS EDISON.
BUILT ON THIS STRETCH OF THE ROUGE RIVER
THAT RAN THROUGH HIS PROPERTY,
FORD INSTALLED TWO GENERATORS THAT POWERED THE ENTIRE ESTATE
AS WELL AS THE HOMES OF 2,000 RESIDENTS OF WEST DEARBORN.
A 300-FOOT-LONG UNDERGROUND TUNNEL CARRIED STEAM,
ELECTRICITY AND WATER FROM THE PLANT TO HIS RESIDENCE.
ODDLY ENOUGH, THE MAN MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR A WORLD OF CARS
LIVED IN A HOME THAT WAS PRACTICALLY CARBON NEUTRAL.
MEANWHILE, GAS-POWERED VEHICLES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
WERE ROLLING OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINES OF FORD, GENERAL MOTORS,
OLDSMOBILE, AND OTHER EARLY AUTOMAKERS.
THIS NEW INDUSTRY TRANSFORMED MICHIGAN,
AND THERE'S NO BETTER PLACE TO SEE THAT TRANSFORMATION
THAN DOWNTOWN DETROIT.
IN 1927, THE SEVEN FISHER BROTHERS,
WHO OWNED THE COMPANY
THAT FIRST MASS-PRODUCED THE AUTOMOBILE BODY,
COMMISSIONED THIS SKYSCRAPER FOR THEIR NEW HEADQUARTERS.
THEY GAVE MICHIGAN'S GREAT ARCHITECT ALBERT KAHN
A BLANK CHECK TO DESIGN A TOWER
THAT WOULD GRACE THE CITY LIKE NONE HAD BEFORE.
WHEN IT WAS COMPLETED IN 1928,
MANY CALLED IT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUILDING IN THE WORLD,
A "CATHEDRAL TO COMMERCE."
AT FIRST, REAL GOLD COVERED ITS TOWER,
BUT THAT WAS REMOVED DURING WORLD WAR II
FOR FEAR THAT THE FISHER BUILDING WOULD BECOME THE TARGET
OF ENEMY BOMBERS.
AS DETROIT'S SKYLINE EXPANDED IN THE 1920s, ITS CULTURE THRIVED.
THE FOX THEATRE OPENED ITS DOORS IN 1928.
FUNDED BY MOVIE PIONEER WILLIAM FOX,
IT WAS THE FIRST IN THE WORLD
TO HAVE BUILT-IN EQUIPMENT FOR SOUND.
LATER, IT BECAME A VENUE FOR LIVE SHOWS.
SINATRA, ELVIS,
AND NATIVE DETROITERS THE TEMPTATIONS AND EMINEM
HAVE ALL PERFORMED HERE.
BY THE 1970s, THE FOX HAD FALLEN INTO DISREPAIR,
BUT A $12.5 MILLION RENOVATION HAS RECENTLY RESTORED
THIS ART DECO LANDMARK.
NOT ALL OF DETROIT'S GREAT ARCHITECTURE
FROM ITS HEYDAY IN THE 1920s HAS BEEN SO LUCKY.
THIS IS MICHIGAN CENTRAL STATION--
OR WHAT'S LEFT OF IT.
WHEN IT OPENED IN 1913,
IT WAS THE TALLEST RAILWAY STATION IN THE WORLD.
ROMAN BATHS INSPIRED THE DESIGN
OF ITS GRAND STATION ON THE LOWER FLOORS.
DURING THE HEYDAY OF RAIL TRAVEL,
UP TO 200 TRAINS ARRIVED AND DEPARTED FROM HERE EVERY DAY.
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WASN'T THE ONLY FAMOUS PASSENGER
TO DISEMBARK HERE.
THREE PRESIDENTS DID, TOO--
ROOSEVELT, HOOVER AND TRUMAN.
THE LAST TRAIN LEFT MICHIGAN STATION MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO.
ITS PLATFORMS STAND EMPTY--
PLATFORMS THAT WERE ONCE THE LAST STOP
FOR THOUSANDS OF WORKERS SEEKING JOBS
ON DETROIT'S ASSEMBLY LINES.
AND THEY CAME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
AS THE DEMAND FOR CARS ROSE ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
AUTOMAKERS NEEDED LABOR TO BUILD THEM.
TENS OF THOUSANDS FLOCKED TO MICHIGAN LOOKING FOR WORK,
MANY FROM AS FAR AWAY AS THE MIDDLE EAST.
TODAY, DEARBORN IS HOME TO THE LARGEST MOSQUE
IN THE UNITED STATES.
THAT'S BECAUSE ONE THIRD OF ALL DEARBORN RESIDENTS
CLAIM ARAB-AMERICAN HERITAGE.
DEARBORN'S POPULATION OF IMMIGRANTS FROM LEBANON
AND SYRIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST
GREW RAPIDLY IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.
MOST WERE CHRISTIAN, BUT LATER,
INCREASING NUMBERS OF MUSLIM ARABS ARRIVED.
AND IN 1963, THE COMMUNITY BUILT THIS MOSQUE,
THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF AMERICA.
ALONG WITH LABOR,
THE BIG AUTOMAKERS ALSO NEEDED SOMETHING ELSE
TO KEEP THEIR ASSEMBLY LINES MOVING...
RAW MATERIALS.
AND THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THESE WAS STEEL.
TO ENSURE HIS FACTORIES HAD A STEADY SUPPLY,
FORD BUILT THIS PLANT.
FIRST FIRED UP NEARLY A CENTURY AGO,
THIS FACILITY ONCE SUPPLIED THE STEEL FOR MODEL Ts.
NOW IT'S BEING UPGRADED
TO TURN OUT LIGHTWEIGHT, RUST-RESISTANT BODY PANELS
FOR NEW MODELS OF CARS.
IT'S OWNED BY SEVERSTAL,
ONE OF RUSSIA'S LARGEST STEEL COMPANIES.
STEEL IN MICHIGAN REMAINS A BURNING HOT BUSINESS.
THIS FIERY LIQUID, CALLED SLAG,
IS A BYPRODUCT OF TURNING IRON ORE INTO STEEL
AND WILL BE USED TO BUILD ROADS.
THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY HAS DRIVEN MICHIGAN'S ECONOMY
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.
BUT OUT BEYOND ITS ASSEMBLY LINES AND TOWERS OF INDUSTRY,
MICHIGAN IS A VERY DIFFERENT LAND,
A LAND DEFINED SINCE ITS EARLIEST BEGINNINGS BY WATER.
IT'S SAID THAT EVERY RESIDENT IN THE STATE
IS LESS THAN 85 MILES
FROM ONE OF FOUR OF AMERICA'S GREAT LAKES--
ERIE IN THE SOUTHEAST,
HURON TO ITS EAST,
SUPERIOR TO THE NORTH,
OR MICHIGAN ON ITS WEST COAST.
ONCE THIS AREA WAS COVERED BY A GREAT SHEET OF ICE
CALLED THE WISCONSIN GLACIER.
AFTER THAT ICE MELTED ROUGHLY 14,000 YEARS AGO,
PALEO INDIANS ARRIVED.
THEY HUNTED MASTODONS AND MAMMOTHS, CARIBOU AND BEAVER.
MORE RECENTLY, DESCENDANTS OF THESE EARLY TRIBES
EXPLORED THE AREA'S WATERWAYS IN DUGOUT CANOES,
FISHING THE MANY INLETS
THAT STILL LINE MICHIGAN'S COAST TODAY.
FROM THE AIR, THIS IS AS VARIED A SHORELINE
AS ANY IN NORTH AMERICA.
ENDLESS BEACHES,
REMOTE PINE FORESTS THAT REACH RIGHT DOWN TO THE WATER,
MILES OF MARSH,
AND A GIANT WALL OF SAND TOWERING ABOVE LAKE MICHIGAN.
IT'S CALLED SLEEPING BEAR DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE...
...AND IS OFTEN RANKED AMONG THE NATION'S TALLEST SAND DUNES.
BUT THAT'S NOT QUITE ACCURATE.
THIS ISN'T A TYPICAL DUNE.
THE SAND ON ITS SURFACE ACTUALLY RESTS ATOP A BLUFF
OF ROCK AND GRAVEL LEFT BY A GLACIER,
WHICH IS WHY IT'S CALLED A PERCHED DUNE.
BUT SCIENTISTS SAY THAT IT MAY NOT BE PERCHED HERE FOR LONG.
WESTERLY WINDS OFF LAKE MICHIGAN ARE MOVING SLEEPING BEAR DUNE
INLAND AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF TWO FEET PER YEAR.
IT'S 450 FEET HIGH FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.
CLIMBING BACK UP CAN BE HARD WORK.
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR CARL SANDBURG
HAS SAID THAT THESE DUNES "ARE TO THE MIDWEST
WHAT THE GRAND CANYON IS TO ARIZONA
AND THE YOSEMITE TO CALIFORNIA--
A SIGNATURE OF TIME AND ETERNITY."
ONCE, NATURAL LANDMARKS LIKE THIS ONE ON MICHIGAN'S COAST
HELPED GUIDE THE NATIVE AMERICANS AND EUROPEAN EXPLORERS
WHO FIRST NAVIGATED THE GREAT LAKES,
JUST AS MICHIGAN'S LIGHTHOUSES DO FOR SHIP CAPTAINS TODAY.
THERE ARE MORE THAN 120 LIGHTHOUSES
ON MICHIGAN'S SHORES.
THAT'S MORE THAN IN ANY OTHER STATE, INCLUDING MAINE.
EFFORTS ARE UNDER WAY TO SAVE THESE HISTORIC STRUCTURES
SINCE MANY OF THESE BEACONS ARE NO LONGER IN SERVICE,
AT LEAST FOR SHIPS.
TODAY, THIS ONE ON BIG SABLE POINT
IS BEING USED TO POP THE QUESTION.
ONE REASON THERE ARE SO MANY LIGHTHOUSES IN MICHIGAN
IS BECAUSE THIS STATE HAS A VERY LONG COAST--
MORE THAN 3,200 MILES,
MAKING IT THE LONGEST FRESHWATER COAST OF ANY STATE.
NOT THE EASIEST SHORELINE TO MAP IN A CANOE!
BUT THAT'S WHAT A FRENCH JESUIT PRIEST TRIED TO DO IN THE 1670s.
HOPING TO FIND A PASSAGE TO CHINA
AND CONVERT A FEW NATIVE AMERICANS ALONG THE WAY,
FATHER JACQUES MARQUETTE SET OFF WITH A PARTY IN TWO CANOES
TO EXPLORE AND MAP THE SHORES OF THE GREAT LAKES.
HE NEVER FOUND HIS PASSAGE,
BUT BY THE TIME THE EXPEDITION WAS DONE FIVE MONTHS LATER,
HE HAD DOCUMENTED MORE THAN 2,000 MILES OF SHORELINE.
HE ALSO FOUNDED A JESUIT MISSION
ON WHAT'S NOW THE CANADIAN BORDER
IN THE NORTHERNMOST PART OF THE STATE.
THAT SETTLEMENT BECAME THE CITY OF SAULT SAINTE MARIE,
WHICH IS AMONG THE OLDEST CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES
AND HOME TO THE SOO LOCKS.
ALL FREIGHTERS SAILING FROM NEW YORK, CHICAGO OR DETROIT
TO LAKE SUPERIOR
HAVE TO TRAVEL THROUGH THESE LOCKS.
THE REASON THE LOCKS ARE NECESSARY
IS BECAUSE THE WATER LEVEL IN LAKE SUPERIOR IS 21 FEET HIGHER
THAN THAT IN LAKE HURON.
IN THE OLD DAYS, CARGO HAD TO BE CARRIED AROUND NEARBY RAPIDS.
BUT IN 1853,
THE STATE OF MICHIGAN COMMISSIONED THESE LOCKS
SO A SINGLE VESSEL COULD TRAVEL THROUGHOUT ALL THE GREAT LAKES
WITHOUT HAVING TO TRANSFER ITS CARGO.
THIS BULK CARRIER, THE INDIANA HARBOR,
IS ON ITS WAY SOUTH.
IT ARRIVED IN THE LOCK AT THE LEVEL OF LAKE SUPERIOR.
NOW WATER FROM THE LOCK IS BEING RELEASED,
LOWERING THE SHIP 21 FEET TO THE SAME WATER LEVEL AS LAKE HURON.
FROM HERE, THIS 1,000-FOOT-LONG VESSEL
WILL CARRY ITS CARGO OF IRON ORE DOWN TO STEEL PLANTS IN MICHIGAN
AND OTHER MIDWESTERN STATES.
TO LOWER A SHIP THIS SIZE, IT TAKES JUST 12 MINUTES.
AND WORKERS HERE KNOW THAT THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE.
10,000 VESSELS PASS THROUGH THE SOO LOCKS EVERY YEAR,
MAKING IT THE BUSIEST LOCKS IN THE WORLD.
THE SOO LOCKS LIE ON MICHIGAN'S UPPER PENINSULA,
A PLACE THAT USED TO BE COMPLETELY SEPARATED
FROM THE MICHIGAN MAINLAND,
UNTIL A REMARKABLE FEAT OF ENGINEERING
BROUGHT THE TWO MICHIGANS TOGETHER.
IT'S NOT A TYPICAL MORNING IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN.
HIGH ABOVE THE STRAITS OF MACKINAC,
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE ON THE MOVE.
BUT THEY'RE NOT TAKING PART IN A MASS PROTEST
OR MAKING A MORNING COMMUTE.
THIS IS THE ANNUAL LABOR DAY CROSSING
OF MICHIGAN'S "MIGHTY MAC" BRIDGE.
EVERY YEAR, THOUSANDS COME FROM ACROSS THE STATE
TO CELEBRATE THE ROLE OF THIS BRIDGE
IN LINKING MICHIGAN'S UPPER AND LOWER PENINSULAS.
ONCE, THIS DIVIDED STATE WAS PART OF A SINGLE LANDMASS
UNTIL IT WAS SEVERED BY RETREATING GLACIAL ICE.
AS SURROUNDING WATERS FLOWED IN,
THEY FORMED THE STRAITS OF MACKINAC
THAT NOW DIVIDE MICHIGAN INTO TWO VERY DIFFERENT PIECES.
THE ONLY WAY TO CROSS THE STRAITS WAS BY AIR OR WATER,
BUT IN 1957, THE MACKINAC BRIDGE WAS COMPLETED.
ITS SPAN MEASURES IN AT 26,372 FEET,
MAKING IT THE LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE
IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.
ITS TWO MAIN CABLES ARE SUSPENDED FROM TOWERS
THAT SOAR OVER 500 FEET INTO THE AIR.
G. MENNEN WILLIAMS,
THE MICHIGAN GOVERNOR WHO OVERSAW THE PROJECT,
ANNOUNCED THAT THE BRIDGE "RANKS WITH THE PYRAMIDS,
THE GREAT HYDROELECTRIC DAMS, THE SKYSCRAPERS OF MANHATTAN,
AND THE PANAMA AND SUEZ CANALS."
BUT NOT EVERYONE UP HERE IS SO HAPPY ABOUT THE MIGHTY MAC.
ON THE NORTHERN END OF THIS CONSTRUCTED MARVEL
IS MICHIGAN'S BELOVED NATURAL ONE,
THE UPPER PENINSULA,
ALSO KNOWN AS THE U.P.
THE U.P. MAKES UP ALMOST A THIRD OF THE STATE,
BUT IS HOME TO ONLY 3% OF MICHIGAN'S POPULATION.
U.P. RESIDENTS, WHO CAN OFTEN BE IDENTIFIED
BY DISTINCTIVE ACCENTS,
REFER TO THEMSELVES AS "YOOPERS."
SOME OF THEM WISH THE BRIDGE HAD NEVER BEEN BUILT
AND HAVE EVEN CALLED THOSE WHO LIVE BELOW IT "TROLLS."
SOME YOOPERS HAVE EVEN LAUNCHED MOVEMENTS FOR THE U.P.
TO SECEDE AND TO ESTABLISH ITS OWN 51st AMERICAN STATE,
TO BE CALLED "SUPERIOR," AFTER THEIR OWN GREAT LAKE.
IT MIGHT SOUND FAR-FETCHED, BUT ACTUALLY,
THE IDEA OF AN INDEPENDENT UPPER PENINSULA
MAY NOT BE SUCH A CRAZY ONE.
THE FACT IS, MOST OF THE U.P. WAS NOT ORIGINALLY INTENDED
TO BE PART OF MICHIGAN.
IN THE 1830s, THE POPULATION OF THE MICHIGAN TERRITORY
REACHED 60,000,
WHICH MEANT IT COULD NOW APPLY FOR U.S. STATEHOOD.
BUT AT THE TIME, MICHIGAN AND OHIO WERE IN A NASTY BATTLE
OVER A PIECE OF LAND SANDWICHED BETWEEN THEM,
WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN EACH STATE
POTENTIALLY LUCRATIVE SHIPPING ROUTES TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
THIS PIECE OF LAND IS NOW KNOWN AS THE TOLEDO STRIP.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FINALLY AWARDED
THE 468-SQUARE-MILE TOLEDO STRIP TO OHIO,
AND IN COMPENSATION GAVE 9,000 SQUARE MILES
IN THE UPPER PENINSULA TO MICHIGAN.
AT THE TIME, MANY HERE THOUGHT THAT THE U.P.
WAS "DESTINED TO REMAIN FOREVER A WILDERNESS."
LITTLE DID ANYONE KNOW, THEIR NEW LAND HELD BURIED TREASURE.
JUST FIVE YEARS AFTER MICHIGAN RECEIVED STATEHOOD,
VAST DEPOSITS OF COPPER AND OTHER PRECIOUS ORE
WERE DISCOVERED IN THE U.P.
SOON, THIS FORESTED REGION BUSTLED WITH MINERS
WHO PRODUCED MORE THAN FIVE MILLION TONS OF COPPER
BY THE MID-20th CENTURY.
THOSE DAYS ARE NOW GONE.
THE LAST COPPER MINES CLOSED HERE IN 1995.
AND THE FORESTS OF THE U.P. ARE QUIET AGAIN.
THE MIGHTY MAC BRIDGE FINALLY CONNECTED
MICHIGAN'S TWO PENINSULAS,
BUT JUST A FEW MILES TO THE EAST LIES AN ISLAND
THAT CAN STILL SEEM LOST IN TIME.
SURROUNDED BY WATERS RICH IN FISH
AND POSITIONED AT THE MOUTH OF THE STRAITS,
MACKINAC ISLAND WAS FIRST INHABITED BY NATIVE AMERICANS,
THEN FRENCH FUR TRADERS, AND LATER, THE BRITISH,
WHO ESTABLISHED THIS FORT HERE IN 1780.
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TOOK CONTROL OF THE ISLAND IN 1796,
BUT THEN LOST IT.
ON THE NIGHT OF JULY 17, 1812,
THE 30 AMERICAN TROOPS STATIONED HERE WERE ASLEEP
WHEN 300 BRITISH SOLDIERS AND NATIVE AMERICAN ALLIES,
WHO HAD SAILED FROM CANADA,
LANDED ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE ISLAND.
QUIETLY, IN THE DARK, THEY PULLED A CANNON UP THE HILL
AND AIMED IT AT FORT MACKINAC.
WHEN THE AMERICANS AWOKE TO DISCOVER
THAT THEY WERE STARING DOWN THE BARREL OF A CANNON
AND WERE OUTNUMBERED TEN-TO-ONE,
THEY SURRENDERED WITHOUT A FIGHT.
IT WAS THE FIRST LAND ENGAGEMENT OF THE WAR OF 1812.
BUT TWO YEARS LATER, AFTER BRITAIN LOST THAT WAR,
FORT MACKINAC WAS SAFELY RETURNED TO U.S. HANDS.
THE ISLAND'S RICH HISTORY AND ISOLATION IS ALSO ITS CHARM.
THE STORY GOES THAT SOMEONE ONCE BROUGHT A CAR TO THE ISLAND,
BUT AFTER IT SCARED THE HORSES HERE, IT WAS BANNED.
HORSE CARRIAGES AND BICYCLES ARE NOW THE ONLY VEHICLES
ALLOWED ON MACKINAC'S STREETS.
PERCHED HIGH ABOVE THE STRAITS IS THE GRAND HOTEL.
IT'S BEEN FULL NEARLY EVERY SUMMER SINCE IT OPENED IN 1887.
MARK TWAIN USED TO OFFER LECTURES TO THE HOTEL'S GUESTS
FOR $1 EACH.
THE GRAND 660-FOOT-LONG PORCH IS THE LONGEST IN THE WORLD.
ONCE IT WAS THE GATHERING PLACE
FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYONE ON THIS TINY ISLAND.
AND IT WAS ON THIS PORCH
WHERE ACTORS CHRISTOPHER REEVE AND JANE SEYMOUR
FILMED THE ROMANTIC CULT CLASSIC SOMEWHERE IN TIME.
BUT THIS ISLAND ALSO PLAYED A SMALL ROLE
IN A MUCH MORE EPIC TALE--
THE CREATION OF MICHIGAN'S GREAT CITY, DETROIT.
IN 1701, A FRENCH COMMANDER
NAMED ANTOINE DE LA MOTHE CADILLAC,
WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF MACKINAC ISLAND,
HEADED SOUTH AND ARRIVED ON THE BANKS OF THIS RIVER,
WHICH LINKS LAKE ERIE WITH LAKE HURON.
CADILLAC HAD BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION
FROM THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT TO BUILD A FORT HERE.
HE WANTED TO KEEP THIS VITAL WATERWAY OUT OF BRITISH HANDS
AND REAP PERSONAL PROFITS BY CONTROLLING TRADE,
ESPECIALLY TRADE IN RUM TO NATIVE AMERICANS.
HE CLAIMED HIS NEW FORT WOULD BE "THE PARADISE OF NORTH AMERICA."
IT WAS NAMED DETROIT AFTER THE FRENCH WORD "LE DETROIT,"
OR "THE STRAIT."
CADILLAC WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME RECOGNIZING THE PLACE TODAY.
AND HE MIGHT BE SURPRISED THAT MOST AMERICANS KNOW HIS NAME.
IN 1902, HENRY LELAND FOUNDED CADILLAC AUTOMOBILES,
WHICH GENERAL MOTORS TURNED INTO
ONE OF AMERICA'S BEST KNOWN LUXURY CARS.
DETROIT'S LOCATION ON A MAJOR SHIPPING ROUTE
AND ITS CLOSE PROXIMITY TO RAW MATERIALS
LIKE ORE AND TIMBER
HELPED IT GROW INTO AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRIAL AND FINANCIAL CENTER,
ONE THAT RIVALED SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY.
BUT DURING THE 1920s,
DETROIT HAD SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT
THAT THESE CITIES DIDN'T.
IN 1919, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BANNED THE SALE AND CONSUMPTION
OF ALCOHOL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
A FEW YEARS LATER, PROHIBITION WAS IN FULL SWING,
AND DETROIT WAS JUST A STONE'S THROW FROM CANADA
ACROSS THE RIVER, WHERE ALCOHOL WAS STILL LEGAL.
SOON THE CITY CRAWLED WITH LIQUOR SMUGGLERS AND THE MAFIA.
DETROIT HAD NO BRIDGES TO CANADA AT THE TIME,
ONLY THE MACARTHUR BRIDGE, WHICH LED TO BELLE ISLE
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DETROIT RIVER,
RIGHT ON THE CANADIAN BORDER.
WHAT MADE BELLE ISLE A PERFECT HUB
FOR THE BUYING AND SELLING OF LIQUOR
WAS THAT IT WAS ALREADY A POPULAR MEETING PLACE
AND RECREATION CENTER FOR DETROITERS.
IN THE LATE 1800s, DETROIT HAD HIRED FREDERICK LAW OLMSTEAD,
THE DESIGNER OF NEW YORK'S CENTRAL PARK,
TO PLAN A NEW PUBLIC PARK ON BELLE ISLE.
ARCHITECT ALBERT KAHN WAS COMMISSIONED TO DESIGN
THIS ELABORATE CONSERVATORY,
WHICH WAS INSPIRED BY PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON'S
VIRGINIA ESTATE, MONTICELLO.
IN THE 1950s,
THE CONSERVATORY WAS GIVEN A COLLECTION OF 600 ORCHIDS,
WHICH STILL REMAINS THE HIGHLIGHT
OF ITS BOTANICAL GARDENS TODAY.
BUT IN PROHIBITION DAYS,
THIS POPULAR ISLAND OFFERED THE PERFECT COVER
FOR RUM SMUGGLERS FROM CANADA TO MEET THEIR BUYERS FROM DETROIT.
BUT NOT ALL OF CANADA'S ***
CROSSED BELLE ISLE'S MACARTHUR BRIDGE.
VAST QUANTITIES OF RUM, *** AND WHISKEY
WERE SMUGGLED IN BOATS OR PULLED ACROSS THE RIVER ON CABLES.
WHEN THE DETROIT RIVER FROZE, SMUGGLERS WALKED ACROSS,
WITH BOTTLES STOWED IN THEIR HIGH BOOTS,
THUS, THE TERM "BOOTLEGGERS."
THERE WAS SO MUCH ILLEGAL LIQUOR FLOWING THROUGH DETROIT,
IT WAS THE SECOND BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE CITY AT THE TIME
AFTER AUTOMOBILES.
THE DETROIT RIVER CARRIED 75% OF ALL LIQUOR
SMUGGLED INTO THE UNITED STATES DURING PROHIBITION.
WHEN THE NEARBY AMBASSADOR BRIDGE OPENED IN 1929
AND CARS COULD DRIVE ACROSS THE BORDERS,
SMUGGLING ALCOHOL GOT A WHOLE LOT EASIER.
SECRETARIES WERE HIRED TO HIDE IT IN THEIR PURSES.
OTHERS STOWED IT IN FALSE TRUNKS.
ONE MAN WAS EVEN CAUGHT WITH A SHIPMENT OF EGGS,
EACH OF WHICH HAD BEEN EMPTIED AND FILLED WITH SCOTCH WHISKEY.
THE TECHNIQUES OF SMUGGLING LIQUOR IN THE 1920s
ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE USED BY TODAY'S DRUG COURIERS.
AND DETROIT'S PROXIMITY TO CANADA
STILL MAKES IT A HUB OF ILLEGAL TRADE.
THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE IS NOW THE BUSIEST INTERNATIONAL CROSSING
IN THE U.S. FOR GOODS.
SURPRISINGLY, THIS VITAL LINK
TO THE UNITED STATES' BIGGEST TRADING PARTNER
IS THE ONLY PRIVATELY OWNED BORDER CROSSING IN THE COUNTRY.
THE BRIDGE'S OWNER IS A BILLIONAIRE TRUCKING MAGNATE.
DETROIT'S PROXIMITY TO CANADA IS ONE OF THE REASONS
THAT IT'S NO LONGER THE STATE CAPITAL.
AFTER MICHIGAN RECEIVED ITS STATEHOOD IN 1837,
LEGISLATORS WANTED A MORE PROTECTED SITE
FOR THEIR CAPITAL CITY.
SO THEY MOVED IT FROM DETROIT TO A LITTLE-KNOWN INLAND SPOT
CALLED THE TOWNSHIP OF LANSING,
WHICH WAS SO SMALL AT THE TIME,
SOME SIMPLY CALLED IT "A HOLE IN THE WOODS."
THE STORY GOES THAT LEGISLATORS JOKED
WHEN THEY REACHED THEIR DECISION.
THEY COULDN'T QUITE BELIEVE THAT THEY HAD CHOSEN THIS TINY TOWN
OF FEWER THAN 20 PEOPLE TO BE THE CAPITAL OF THEIR NEW STATE.
BUT THEIR MORAL BELIEFS COULDN'T HAVE BEEN CLEARER.
THE FIRST ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE
WAS TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY,
MAKING MICHIGAN THE FIRST ENGLISH-SPEAKING TERRITORY
IN THE WORLD TO OUTLAW CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
TOLERANCE HAS BEEN A CORE PART OF MICHIGAN'S HISTORY
EVER SINCE.
IN THE 19th CENTURY, IT WAS A HAVEN FOR RUNAWAY SLAVES
FLEEING THE SOUTH ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
AND IT HELPS EXPLAIN WHY MICHIGAN IS HOME
TO A TOWN POPULARLY KNOWN AS LITTLE BAVARIA.
IN THE 19th CENTURY, GERMAN LUTHERAN MISSIONARIES
CALLED TO THEIR BRETHREN BACK HOME TO JOIN THEM
IN CONVERTING CHIPPEWA INDIANS TO CHRISTIANITY.
MANY WERE SHOCKED BY THE CONDITIONS HERE.
ONE WROTE HOME SAYING THAT,
"THE MOST MISERABLE VILLAGE IN GERMANY
HAS PALACES BY COMPARISON."
BUT SLOWLY THE LITTLE TOWN, FRANKENMUTH, GREW
AND NOW LOOKS MORE GERMAN THAN AMERICAN.
BUT IT DIDN'T ALWAYS LOOK THIS WAY.
FRANKENMUTH WAS A PRETTY TYPICAL MIDWESTERN COMMUNITY
UNTIL THE 1950s,
WHEN ENTERPRISING TOWNSPEOPLE RENOVATED IT
INTO LITTLE BAVARIA.
NOW, THREE MILLION VISITORS A YEAR COME HERE
TO SOAK UP THE OLD WORLD ATMOSPHERE
AND LOCALLY BREWED GERMAN BEER.
ONE REASON FRANKENMUTH IS SO POPULAR
IS BECAUSE MORE THAN TWO MILLION MICHIGANDERS
CLAIM GERMAN HERITAGE.
THE CROPS THAT GERMANS AND OTHER EARLY SETTLERS
FARMED IN MICHIGAN
HAVE GIVEN THE STATE
ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE CROP SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD.
BEANS, CHERRIES, SUGAR BEETS, BLUEBERRIES, AND WHEAT
ARE ONLY A FEW OF THE MORE THAN 200 COMMODITIES GROWN HERE.
AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY, A LOCAL MICHIGAN DOCTOR USED
ONE OF THE STATE'S MOST PLENTIFUL CROPS
TO DEVELOP A FOOD EMPIRE.
IN 1876, DR. JOHN HARVEY KELLOGG RAN THIS VAST SANITARIUM
FOR THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH HERE IN BATTLE CREEK.
PATIENTS FILLED ITS ROOMS HOPING TO BENEFIT
FROM DR. KELLOGG'S PRINCIPLES OF HEALTHY LIVING.
"EAT WHAT THE MONKEY EATS," HE PRESCRIBED,
"SIMPLE FOOD AND NOT MUCH OF IT."
DR. KELLOGG'S PRESCRIBED REGIMEN INCLUDED ABSTINENCE,
A VEGETARIAN DIET, COLONICS, AND CORN FLAKES.
MANY FAMOUS PATIENTS CAME FOR KELLOGG'S CURE,
INCLUDING PRESIDENT WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT,
THOMAS EDISON AND AMELIA EARHART.
SEVERAL YEARS EARLIER, DR. KELLOGG AND HIS BROTHER WILL
HAD DEVELOPED A METHOD OF PRODUCING FLAKES
FROM WHEAT AND CORN
BY FIRST STEAMING IT,
AND THEN USING HEAVY ROLLERS TO FLATTEN IT INTO FLAKES.
TIRED OF THEIR OLD PORRIDGE,
HIS PATIENTS LOVED IT,
AND KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES WAS BORN.
WILL WENT ON TO FOUND THE KELLOGG COMPANY.
TODAY, IT'S ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST RECOGNIZED BRANDS,
AND IT'S STILL HEADQUARTERED IN BATTLE CREEK,
WHICH IS ALSO KNOWN AS CEREAL CITY.
LOCAL LEGEND HAS IT THAT WHEN THE BUILDING'S ARCHITECTS
SURVEYED KELLOGG EXECUTIVES,
MOST SAID THEY WANTED A CORNER OFFICE,
WHICH IS HOW THE KELLOGG HEADQUARTERS
GOT ITS UNIQUE SHAPE.
THE CORN FOR KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES
NO LONGER COMES FROM MICHIGAN.
AND THESE DAYS, MICHIGAN FARMERS ARE EXPERIMENTING
WITH A NEW KIND OF CROP,
ONE THAT DR. KELLOGG WOULD MOST CERTAINLY DISAPPROVE OF.
THIS IS MICHIGAN WINE COUNTRY.
THERE ARE NOW 14,600 ACRES OF VINEYARDS IN THE STATE.
MOST GROW JUICE GRAPES,
BUT SOME 100 VINEYARDS NOW PRODUCE MICHIGAN WINE.
VINTNERS HERE ON THE OLD MISSION PENINSULA LIKE TO POINT OUT
THAT THEIR VINEYARDS LIE ON THE 45th PARALLEL--
THE SAME LATITUDE AS SUCH CELEBRATED FRENCH WINE REGIONS
AS ALSACE, BORDEAUX AND BURGUNDY.
FOR NOW, MOST WINEMAKERS HERE ONLY SELL LOCALLY,
BUT THEY'RE HOPING THAT WILL CHANGE.
MICHIGAN WINE COUNTRY ALSO LURES DETROITERS
AND OTHER CITY DWELLERS SEEKING A SUMMER ESCAPE.
AND WHEN THEY DO, THERE'S NO RUSH TO GET BACK HOME.
IN MICHIGAN, SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE SO TREASURED
THEY'VE EVEN BEEN WRITTEN INTO LAW.
THE NAME "MICHIGAN" IS A NATIVE AMERICAN WORD
MEANING "BIG LAKE."
BUT THAT DOESN'T JUST REFER TO THE FOUR GREAT LAKES
THAT BORDER THE STATE.
IT ALSO REFERS TO MICHIGAN'S MORE THAN 11,000 INLAND LAKES,
LIKE THIS ONE.
THESE ARE THE TURQUOISE WATERS OF THE LONGEST AND DEEPEST
INLAND LAKE IN THE STATE.
TORCH LAKE HAS BEEN CALLED ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
IN THE WORLD.
IT'S ONE REASON MICHIGANDERS SPEND THEIR SUMMERS
RIGHT HERE AT HOME.
THEY PARAGLIDE OVER THE SHORE BLUFFS OF BENZIE COUNTY
AND RIDE THE DUNES OF SILVER LAKE STATE PARK.
SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE SO IMPORTANT IN THIS STATE
THAT THE MICHIGAN LEGISLATURE WEIGHED IN AND MADE IT OFFICIAL.
SCHOOLS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO START CLASSES BEFORE LABOR DAY.
AND JUST BEFORE SCHOOL BEGINS,
TENS OF THOUSANDS LEAVE THEIR HOLIDAYS BEHIND
AND GATHER FOR AN ANNUAL LABOR DAY WEEKEND RITUAL...
THE OPENING GAME
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN'S WOLVERINES FOOTBALL TEAM.
NO UNIVERSITY, AND NOT EVEN ANY TEAM IN THE NFL,
CAN BEAT MICHIGAN'S BIG HOUSE--
THE LARGEST FOOTBALL STADIUM IN THE COUNTRY.
FOR YEARS, THE BIG HOUSE AND PENN STATE'S BEAVER STADIUM
BATTLED FOR THAT TITLE.
BUT IN 2010, THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SPENT $226 MILLION
TO MAKE THEIR STADIUM EVEN BIGGER,
AND SUCCESSFULLY BEAT OUT PENN STATE'S BY 3,329 SEATS.
OFFICIAL SEATING CAPACITY IS 109,901,
BUT ATTENDANCE AT MOST GAMES TOPS 110,000.
TODAY, ALL SEATS FOR THIS GAME AGAINST WESTERN MICHIGAN
ARE SOLD OUT,
WHICH IS WHY TICKETS WERE BEING SCALPED FOR UP TO $4,000.
WHAT MAKES THIS STADIUM SO UNIQUE FOR ITS SIZE
IS ITS UNDERSTATED DESIGN--
THERE'S NO GIANT DOME OR RETRACTABLE ROOF.
THE BIG HOUSE WAS BUILT IN THE 1920s
ON LAND THAT CONTAINED AN UNDERGROUND SPRING.
DURING CONSTRUCTION,
THE MOIST, UNSTABLE EARTH SWALLOWED A CRANE,
WHICH, ACCORDING TO LEGEND,
STILL REMAINS BURIED BENEATH THE FIELD.
TODAY'S PLAYERS ARE FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS
OF FOOTBALL LEGENDS TOM BRADY, TOM HARMON, DESMOND HOWARD,
AND EVEN PRESIDENT GERALD FORD,
WHO PLAYED CENTER FOR THE WOLVERINES IN THE 1930s.
PAST ATTENDEES COULD HAVE INCLUDED
GOOGLE CO-FOUNDER LARRY PAGE, ACTOR JAMES EARL JONES,
THE LATE DR. JACK KEVORKIAN, OR EVEN MADONNA,
ALL FORMER STUDENTS AT THE U OF M.
BUT FOOTBALL HASN'T BEEN THE ONLY HISTORY-MAKER
ON THIS CAMPUS.
IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 1960s,
A MUCH SMALLER GROUP OF MICHIGAN STUDENTS
GATHERED ON THESE STEPS OF THE STUDENT UNION
TO HEAR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOHN F. KENNEDY
DURING A MIDNIGHT CAMPAIGN STOP.
HE URGED THEM TO CONTRIBUTE PART OF THEIR LIVES TO AMERICA,
A PLAN THAT LATER BECAME THE PEACE CORPS.
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR YEARS,
THE CAMPUS WAS ALIVE WITH GATHERINGS
AND PROTESTS FOR PEACE.
MICHIGAN FACULTY LED THE COUNTRY'S FIRST "TEACH-IN"
IN 1965.
TWO YEARS LATER,
HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS OCCUPIED THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING,
IN OPPOSITION TO THE UNIVERSITY'S DEFENSE CONTRACTS.
THE STUDENTS WERE TAKING A CUE FROM MICHIGAN'S AUTOWORKERS,
WHOSE OWN SIT-DOWN STRIKE 31 YEARS EARLIER
HAD BROUGHT ONE THE WORLD'S BIGGEST INDUSTRIAL CORPORATIONS
TO ITS KNEES.
IT HAPPENED IN THE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING CENTER OF FLINT,
ABOUT 57 MILES NORTHWEST OF DETROIT.
THIS NOW-ABANDONED BUILDING WAS ONCE PART
OF GENERAL MOTORS' FISHER BODY PLANT NUMBER ONE,
WHERE WORKERS ASSEMBLED GM'S CARS.
AND IT WAS HERE ON THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 30, 1936,
THAT THOSE WORKERS LOCKED THEMSELVES IN AND SAT DOWN.
DAY AFTER DAY, THEY REFUSED TO WORK OR TO LEAVE,
DEMANDING BETTER PAY AND UNION RECOGNITION.
STRIKES SPREAD QUICKLY THROUGHOUT OTHER GM FACTORIES,
AND ASSEMBLY LINE WORKERS AND POLICE BATTLED.
44 DAYS LATER,
AFTER ITS ASSEMBLY LINES HAD STOPPED ALTOGETHER, GM GAVE IN.
THE COMPANY SIGNED AN AGREEMENT
RECOGNIZING THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS
AS THE SOLE BARGAINING AGENT FOR ITS EMPLOYEES,
USHERING IN A NEW ERA FOR LABOR AND INDUSTRY.
BUT WITHIN THREE YEARS, MANY OF AMERICA'S UNIONIZED AUTOWORKERS
WEREN'T MAKING CARS, BUT MACHINES OF WAR.
IN 1940, PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ORDERED AUTOMAKERS
TO RETOOL THEIR ASSEMBLY LINES FOR TRUCKS, TANKS AND BOMBERS.
AT THE TIME, THIS PLANE, THE B-17,
WAS ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST ADVANCED AIRCRAFT.
TO HANDLE PRODUCTION OF A NEW, LONGER-RANGE B-24,
HENRY FORD BUILT A REVOLUTIONARY ASSEMBLY PLANT--WILLOW RUN.
IT WAS THE WORLD'S LARGEST FACTORY AT THE TIME,
TURNING OUT ONE B-24 EVERY HOUR, AT ITS PEAK.
EACH NEW PLANE TOOK ITS FIRST FLIGHT FROM HERE,
THE WILLOW RUN AIRFIELD IN YPSILANTI.
BY THE WAR'S END,
WILLOW RUN HAD TURNED OUT MORE THAN 8,000 PLANES.
BOTH B-24s AND B-17s, LIKE THIS ONE,
SERVED AS AMERICA'S FRONT-LINE BOMBERS IN EUROPE.
FIVE YEARS EARLIER,
THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS' LEADER WALTER REUTHER
HAD ARGUED THAT AMERICA'S BATTLES "CAN BE WON
ON THE ASSEMBLY LINES OF DETROIT."
AND WORLD WAR II PROVED THAT HE WAS RIGHT.
DETROIT QUICKLY ADOPTED THE NICKNAME,
"THE ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY."
IN THE 1950s, BUSINESS BOOMED AGAIN,
AT LEAST FOR THE BIG THREE AUTOMAKERS.
FORD, GENERAL MOTORS AND CHRYSLER FLOODED THE MARKET
WITH STYLISH, CHEAPER MODELS,
AND SOLD 60 MILLION CARS IN ONE DECADE ALONE.
BUT DETROIT'S SMALLER CARMAKERS STRUGGLED.
THIS VAST INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
WAS ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED FACTORIES IN THE WORLD
WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN 1903.
NOT ONLY DID IT PRODUCE SOME OF AMERICA'S MOST LUXURIOUS
AND SOUGHT-AFTER CARS OF THE 1930s,
BUT IT ALSO INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO AN ARCHITECT
WHO WOULD TRANSFORM DETROIT'S SKYLINE--ALBERT KAHN.
KAHN, A GERMAN IMMIGRANT,
EMPLOYED THE REVOLUTIONARY BUILDING TECHNIQUE
OF REINFORCED CONCRETE,
INSTEAD OF STRENGTHENING ITS STRUCTURE WITH WOOD ALONE.
THE RESULTING FACTORY WAS STURDY, SPACIOUS AND EFFICIENT.
THE LEGENDARY PACKARD BROTHERS
STOPPED PRODUCING THEIR LUXURY CARS HERE IN 1956,
UNABLE TO STAY COMPETITIVE WITH THE BIG THREE.
THEIR NEARLY MILE-LONG PLANT HAS BECOME
ONE OF THE MOST VISIBLE SYMBOLS OF DETROIT'S DECLINE.
BUT WHILE DETROIT COMPANIES LIKE PACKARD WERE STARTING TO FALTER,
MUSIC BEGAN TO THRIVE.
MOTOR CITY WAS REBORN AS MOTOWN.
IN 1959, A YOUNG COMPOSER AND ENTREPRENEUR NAMED BERRY GORDY
BOUGHT THIS UNASSUMING HOUSE ON DETROIT'S GRAND AVENUE.
HE TURNED IT INTO THE HEADQUARTERS
OF HIS NEW MOTOWN RECORDS.
SOON, HISTORY WAS BEING MADE IN "STUDIO A,"
A CONVERTED BASEMENT
WHERE ROUND-THE-CLOCK RECORDING SESSIONS
PRODUCED THE DISTINCTIVE MOTOWN SOUND.
A STUNNING ARRAY OF LOCAL TALENT SANG AND SOCIALIZED HERE--
SMOKEY ROBINSON, DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES,
THE TEMPTATIONS, AND STEVIE WONDER.
GORDY'S STUDIO, ALSO CALLED THE "HIT FACTORY,"
PRODUCED MORE THAN 100 TOP TEN SINGLES.
TODAY, THESE HISTORIC STUDIOS
HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO THE MOTOWN MUSEUM,
AND THE MOTOWN LABEL IS NOW HEADQUARTERED IN NEW YORK.
GORDY SOLD IT TO MCA RECORDS IN 1988.
THE POPULAR SOULFUL TUNES OF MOTOWN
ECHOED ACROSS AN EVER-CHANGING DETROIT.
BY THE END OF THE 1960s, UNEMPLOYMENT WAS ON THE RISE.
NEWCOMERS LOOKING FOR WORK FACED HOUSING SHORTAGES.
WHITE POLICE ABUSE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOODS
FUELED EXISTING RACIAL TENSIONS.
BY 1967, IT HAD ALL REACHED A FEVER PITCH.
AND THEN, ON A HOT JULY NIGHT, THE CITY EXPLODED.
IT STARTED HERE AT THIS INTERSECTION
AT CLAIRMOUNT AVENUE AND 12th STREET,
JUST BLOCKS FROM THE MOTOWN STUDIO.
DOZENS OF PEOPLE HAD GATHERED AT A SMALL BAR
FOR AN AFTER-HOURS PARTY TO CELEBRATE TWO VIETNAM VETS.
BUT THE POLICE RAIDED THE GATHERING
AND VIOLENCE BROKE OUT.
A RIOT BEGAN.
BUSINESSES WERE LOOTED, BUILDINGS BURNED,
AND THE VIOLENCE QUICKLY SPREAD.
EVEN THE NATIONAL GUARD WAS UNABLE TO BRING ORDER.
BY THE TIME THE FAMOUS DETROIT RIOTS SUBSIDED FIVE DAYS LATER,
43 PEOPLE WERE DEAD AND THOUSANDS INJURED.
IT'S BEEN MORE THAN 40 YEARS SINCE THE RIOTS,
BUT DETROIT STILL STRUGGLES WITH UNEASY RACE RELATIONS,
POVERTY, AND CRIME--
PROBLEMS THAT ARE SYMBOLIZED BY ONE FAMOUS CITY STREET--
8 MILE.
THIS LONG, STRAIGHT ROAD IS THE DIVIDING LINE
THAT MARKS THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE CITY OF DETROIT
AND ITS NORTHERN SUBURBS...
BETWEEN ITS POORER NEIGHBORHOODS AND ITS WEALTHIER ONES.
MANY KNOW 8 MILE TODAY AS THE TITLE OF A 2002 FILM
STARRING THE DETROIT HIP-HOP ARTIST EMINEM.
BORN MARSHALL MATHERS,
EMINEM LIVED JUST NORTH OF 8 MILE AS A TEENAGER,
BUT CROSSED THIS BOUNDARY
TO TAKE PART IN DETROIT'S FREESTYLE RAP BATTLES.
"MUSIC," EMINEM SINGS, "IS THE ONLY WAY THAT I KNOW
HOW TO ESCAPE FROM THIS 8 MILE ROAD."
EMINEM'S SUCCESS DID ENABLE HIM TO BREAK FREE FROM 8 MILE.
BUT HE DIDN'T GO FAR.
HE NOW LIVES IN THIS 29-ROOM HOME NEAR ROCHESTER HILLS
JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN.
EMINEM HASN'T BEEN THE ONLY FAMOUS ARTIST
TO PUT MICHIGAN ON THE BIG SCREEN.
IN THE 1980s, A SCRAPPY MICHIGAN FILMMAKER ARRIVED IN DETROIT
AND TURNED HIS EXPLORATION OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY
INTO A CULT CLASSIC.
IN 1988, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER MICHAEL MOORE,
ARMED WITH A CAMERA, KNOCKED ON THE GROUND FLOOR ENTRANCE
OF THE GENERAL MOTORS' FORMER HEADQUARTERS,
WHICH THEN STOOD A FEW MILES AWAY
FROM ITS PRESENT LOCATION HERE IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT.
HE WAS HOPING TO HAVE A MEETING WITH GM'S CHAIRMAN, ROGER SMITH.
BUT INSTEAD, HE WAS ESCORTED OUT AGAIN AND AGAIN,
WHICH BECAME THE STORY OF HIS FILM, ROGER AND ME.
GENERAL MOTORS' CURRENT HEADQUARTERS,
A COMPLEX KNOWN AS THE RENAISSANCE CENTER,
WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT TO HELP PULL DETROIT UP
AFTER ITS DEVASTATING 1967 RIOTS.
BUT BY THE TIME MICHAEL MOORE ARRIVED IN TOWN,
MICHIGAN'S AUTO INDUSTRY WAS ALSO FACING HARD TIMES,
OR AT LEAST ITS WORKERS WERE.
THINGS WERE PARTICULARLY BAD IN MOORE'S HOMETOWN, FLINT,
WHERE GM WAS BORN.
FLINT HAD LOST 40,000 AUTO JOBS
AS CARMAKERS MOVED THEIR WORK OVERSEAS,
WHILE GM ITSELF WAS RECORDING RECORD PROFITS.
ON TOP OF THIS GIANT SLAB OF CONCRETE
WAS ONCE THE BUICK ASSEMBLY LINE.
IT HOUSED 28,000 WORKERS DURING PEAK PRODUCTION
IN THE MID-1980s.
NOW, THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF THIS PLANT IS THE GREEN LAWN
THAT GREETED EXECUTIVES AS THEY ARRIVED FOR WORK.
MOORE NEVER GOT THE MEETING HE WANTED WITH ROGER,
BUT HE DID SUCCEED IN HIGHLIGHTING THE CORPORATE GREED
THAT LED TO THE LAYOFFS,
AND TURNED ONCE-THRIVING FACTORIES LIKE THIS ONE
INTO TOXIC CLEANUP SITES.
AND FLINT HASN'T BEEN THE ONLY PLACE IN MICHIGAN TO SUFFER.
WITH THE DECLINE OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY,
DETROIT HAS LOST NEARLY A MILLION RESIDENTS
IN THE LAST 60 YEARS.
AND THE EXODUS CONTINUES.
BETWEEN 2000 AND 2010,
MICHIGAN WAS THE ONLY STATE IN AMERICA TO LOSE POPULATION.
THE VAST FACILITIES OF THE AUTOMAKERS ARE DISAPPEARING
OR BEING REBORN.
THE PACKARD PLANT IS NOW A GIANT CANVAS
FOR SOME OF THE WORLD'S BEST-KNOWN GRAFFITI ARTISTS.
AFTER ONE, KNOWN AS BANKSY, TAGGED HERE,
A LOCAL GALLERY OWNER CUT OUT HIS WORK
FROM THE PACKARD PLANT'S WALL,
SO HE COULD SHOW IT IN HIS GALLERY.
ENTIRE CITY BLOCKS HAVE BEEN VACATED.
AND EMINEM HAS FEATURED DETROIT'S RUINS
IN HIS MUSIC VIDEOS AND MOVIE.
BUT, DESPITE THE DECAY,
THERE ARE MANY WHO WOULD NEVER LEAVE DETROIT
NO MATTER HOW HARD TIMES GET...
...LIKE DIEHARD FANS OF THE DETROIT TIGERS,
WHO PLAY HERE AT COMERICA PARK.
FOR YEARS, THIS PARK ALSO HAD THE REPUTATION
OF BEING A RIGHT-HANDED HITTER'S NIGHTMARE.
PLAYERS AND FANS ALIKE COMPLAINED
ABOUT THE FARTHER-THAN-USUAL LEFT FIELD WALL.
SO IN 2002, THE TEAM MOVED THE WALL
25 FEET CLOSER TO HOME PLATE,
AND THAT YEAR, THE TIGERS HIT 77 MORE HOME RUNS.
BUT THE NEXT YEAR, THEY HAD AN IMPRESSIVE LOSING STREAK,
ONE OF THE WORST IN AMERICAN LEAGUE HISTORY.
BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO STOP TIGER FANS FROM COMING.
AND THERE ARE THOSE WHO LIVE FOR THE CITY'S ANNUAL JAZZ FEST,
ONE OF THE LARGEST FREE JAZZ GATHERINGS IN THE COUNTRY.
TODAY, MICHIGAN'S ECONOMY IS STILL STEP IN STEP
WITH THE REVENUES OF ITS AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY.
AND THESE DAYS,
THOSE FORTUNES DEPEND INCREASINGLY ON SALES OVERSEAS,
IN EUROPE, CHINA AND OTHER EMERGING MARKETS.
BUT PRODUCTION AT HOME CONTINUES.
EVERY DAY, AT FORD'S DEARBORN TRUCK PLANT,
UP TO 800 F-150s ARE LOADED ONTO TRAINS
AND SHIPPED ACROSS THE U.S.
THE F-150 REMAINS THE BEST-SELLING VEHICLE IN AMERICA,
34 YEARS RUNNING.
OUT ON THE PROVING GROUNDS,
NEW VEHICLES ARE PUT TO THE TEST EVERY YEAR.
THEIR QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE MAY HAVE A BIG IMPACT
ON MICHIGAN'S FUTURE FOR YEARS TO COME.
BUT THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN MUCH MORE TO THE WOLVERINE STATE
THAN THE AUTOMOBILE...
THE TOWERING DUNES THAT LINE ITS COAST,
THE PRISTINE WATERS OF ITS INLAND LAKES...
THE BRILLIANCE OF ITS SKIES.
AND MICHIGAN'S PEOPLE, WHO TRANSFORMED THIS ANCIENT LAND
WITH THE SIMPLE TOOLS OF WATER, TIMBER, STEEL,
AND A SPIRIT THAT'S STILL ALIVE TODAY,
HIGH ABOVE ITS MACKINAC STRAITS,
CELEBRATING THE LAND THAT IS...
MICHIGAN.