Celebrating Detroit’s 325th birthday

Happy birthday, Detroit! 325 years ago today, one of America’s most iconic cities was born right here on the banks of this river.  On July 24, 1701, French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac paddled up the Detroit River with 100 Frenchmen and 100 Algonquian allies, planted a flag on the riverbank, and built a fort. He called it Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit -- Detroit being the French word for “the strait.” And just like that, a city was born. Detroit changed hands from France to Britain to the United States. In 1805, a massive fire wiped out most of the city. But the city rebuilt. By the late 1800s, Detroit had grown into a busy commercial and industrial hub powered by the Great Lakes and westward expansion. Before the Civil War, Detroit became a beacon on the Underground Railroad with freedom seekers crossing into Canada right along this river. Then came the 1900s, and Henry Ford, who put the city on wheels. The moving assembly line transformed Detroit into the center of the industrial world. By 1920, it was the fourth largest city in the United States. The Great Migration brought hundreds of thousands of Black Americans from the South, building the culture that gave us Motown and defined this city’s soul. In World War II, Detroit became the arsenal of democracy, building tanks for the war. By the 1950s, the city’s population hit one point eight million. Then the 1960s brought the Civil Rights Movement, and Detroit was at the center of it. And the music -- Motown, Techno -- Sounds that changed the world were born right here. Detroit did not just grow; it changed the world. But like any great city, it faced real heartbreak: The 1967 riots, factory closures, population loss, and in 2013, the largest municipal bankruptcy in United States history. But the city is back. Two straight years of population growth, leading Michigan for the first time in decades. 325 years in, and Detroit is still writing its story. Jeremy Dimick, curator of collections at the Detroit Historical Society, which is also celebrating a milestone of its own: 75 years, joined Local 4 Live to help us mark this 325th birthday.