Issue No. 51

Welcome Home, {{first_name|default:Michigander}}!

🎟️ The Detroit Zoo made History in 1928

Digest Exclusive: Prior to the August 1, 1928 opening, an earlier attempt to establish a zoo in Detroit failed in 1883 when a short-lived private enterprise in Corktown collapsed due to financial losses.

To ensure long-term stability for the 1928 Royal Oak facility, the Detroit Zoological Society structured the park as a public-private partnership owned by the City of Detroit and operated by the nonprofit society.

🚙 The 1st Woodward Dream Cruise

Digest Exclusive: Initial planning for the project began on January 26, 1993, when Nelson House convened a committee to raise funds for the Kids Dream Field at Martin Road Park in Ferndale.

The resulting 1995 car show generated sufficient capital to construct the soccer field while establishing an annual parade that now spans 9 municipal jurisdictions along M-1 (aka Woodward Avenue).

🏭 Oldsmobile: The 1st Auto Assembly Line

Digest Exclusive: Olds Motor Works relocated to Detroit in 1899 but returned production to Lansing following the catastrophic 1901 plant fire.

Local business leaders raised capital and donated 52 acres of land to secure the facility, which produced over 35,000 vehicles before General Motors acquired the brand in 1908.

Tip: Click the underlined title for any moment to watch on YouTube for free!

“Asian elephants lived at the Detroit Zoo from 1928 to 2005”
— Santi from Facebook

Santi’s comment led us to do some additional research and find some interesting history about the Asian elephants at the Detroit Zoo!

In May 2004, the Detroit Zoo announced it would become the first major U.S. zoo to voluntarily give up its elephants on ethical grounds.

Zoo director Ron Kagan recognized that cold Michigan winters and confined spaces could not meet the complex physical, social, and emotional needs of Asian elephants.

Wanda and Winky, two Asian elephants, were moved from the Detroit Zoo to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in California.

On August 25, 1840, U.S. Deputy Surveyor William Austin Burt established the northern terminus of the Michigan Principal Meridian in Sault Ste. Marie.

Located in the Upper Peninsula, this key geographical benchmark anchored the primary north-south axis line from which township and range land surveys across both peninsulas were legally measured.

Burt's survey provided the legal baseline for real estate titles, township and county boundaries, land division, and natural resource development statewide.

Dedicated to Lansing’s most prominent automotive entrepreneur, Ransom Eli Olds, this sprawling collection features over eighty historic vehicles and thousands of rare artifacts, highlighted by the 1897 Olds Motor Wagon, the first vehicle produced by the Olds Motor Vehicle Company.

Today, visitors can walk the expansive showroom floor in person or navigate a comprehensive virtual tour from home to experience Michigan's early transportation history.

Plan your visit or launch the virtual tour at the R.E. Olds Museum website.

Michigan has a rich automotive history, but I never realized just how much of it happened in August!

We’ve got the Woodward Dream Cruise, Michigan's first automaker (Olds Motor Vehicle Company), and the birth of the assembly line. And we didn’t even dive into Henry Leland founding Cadillac on August 22, 1902, from the remnants of an early Henry Ford venture.

The sheer pace of innovation between 1897 and 1910 alone is mind-boggling. It’s no wonder Michigan is home to the Motor City.

Until next week, thank you for reading Michigan History Digest.
— Zac and the Welcome Home History Team.

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