Pre-dating Rosa Parks, but equally as important: Bois Blanc steamers must be fair
The questionable admission practices employed by the former Detroit, Belle Isle and Windsor Ferry Company (renamed the Bob-Lo Excursion Company after about 1939), would continue as late as 1945. If a person was of the wrong color, they would not be allowed on either the Columbia or St. Claire to travel to Bois Blanc Island and park. Newspapers of the day still were not making much fuss over the issue, until June of 1945, near the tail end of World War II.
The dawning of a Downriver civil rights movement proceeded the story of Rosa Parks by nearly a decade. Sarah Elizabeth Ray, a member of the U.S. Army on a break from training, was denied entry aboard the Bois Blanc steamers in the summer of 1945 due to her race. Initially refusing to move from her seat, she decamped when ship personnel threatened to force her off the boat. She would file suit in Detroit court for racial discrimination.
The dawning of a Downriver civil rights movement proceeded the story of Rosa Parks by nearly a decade. Sarah Elizabeth Ray, a member of the U.S. Army on a break from training, was denied entry aboard the Bois Blanc steamers in the summer of 1945 due to her race. Initially refusing to move from her seat, she decamped when ship personnel threatened to force her off the boat. She would file suit in Detroit court for racial discrimination.
The Bob-Lo Excursion Company, as the operating organization was then known, was found guilty and fined a total of $25.00. They protested this on the grounds they were a Canadian operation not subject to statutes of American law. The case would wind up in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, which would eventually rule in favor of Ms. Ray and her supporting interests. The Supreme Court decreed that the amusement park (in particular) was "adjunct" to the city of Detroit and was therefore subject to American interpretation of the law. Further penalties would be forthcoming.
The Bob-Lo Excursion Company was initially found guilty of violating the State Civil Rights Act, and fined $25.00. The company would end up appealing, classifying their operations as "foreign commerce," meaning they were tied to Canadian, not American, rules and regulations, and the case would end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled in favor of Sarah Elizabeth Ray's interests, as the Court ruled the Bob-Lo territory, except the 1837 lighthouse and three cottages, "economically (and) socially an amusement adjunct of the city of Detroit." Within a few years, equality would finally begin making its way into Bois Blanc operations.
The Bob-Lo Excursion Company was initially found guilty of violating the State Civil Rights Act, and fined $25.00. The company would end up appealing, classifying their operations as "foreign commerce," meaning they were tied to Canadian, not American, rules and regulations, and the case would end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled in favor of Sarah Elizabeth Ray's interests, as the Court ruled the Bob-Lo territory, except the 1837 lighthouse and three cottages, "economically (and) socially an amusement adjunct of the city of Detroit." Within a few years, equality would finally begin making its way into Bois Blanc operations.
Busses would literally replace the old interurban, and price disputes abounded
In the days before SEMTA (and later, SMART) bus service, Greyhound Lines was a more obvious fixture Downriver than it is today. Having monopolized several local routes, they decided to raise rates for the general public. The announcement was made October 5, 1944, with the increases slated to take effect 30 days later. This produced much press coverage for this time, as the local steelmakers (presumably from Ecorse and River Rouge) took out a quarter-page ad protesting these actions, believing any additional profits would go directly into Greyhound's corporate coffers. In November 1944, the News-Herald declared that the second phase of a "multi-phase battle" had in effect been won by the public, as the proposed rate increases were canceled. A planned hearing to discuss the rate hikes, scheduled for November 29, was also canceled. The regular bus routes (with the old fares) were resumed, with fares guaranteed until January 5, 1945.
Such a news story would be perfect for Charles Brethen's announcement of a new idea untried in the Downriver area before: FM radio in Wyandotte. In November, Brethen announced his plans to construct a fully-operational FM studio. Construction would start once the official decision came from the Federal Communications Commission. A thousand-watt transmitter would be erected just west of the downtown Wyandotte area, promising much clearer, less-distored signals than AM radio could provide, while providing a wide listening area. The idea for an FM station was originally the brainchild of Strauss Gantz, then the General Manager of the News-Herald. Within a week, the front page of the News-Herald was filled with letters of congratulation and best wishes.
A view from Wyandotte on a "typical" Friday night
Bar-room brawls were likely as commonplace or as significant in the mid-1940s as they may have been before and after Prohibition, but the News-Herald of November 26, 1944 detailed a skirmish at Matt's Tavern (3355 Biddle Avenue) the prior Friday. "Shades of the wild and wooly west" involved three individuals from the Cleveland area ("the friendly city across the lake") visiting via a freighter docked at Pine Street, who "proceeded to tear the place apart." Three individuals by the names of Begwich, Graffner and Helley were arrested and tried before Judge Arthur Decker, who fined them to the tune of $139.10. Considering the odd amount, the news article questioned where the extra ten cents may have come from... it was attributed to the cost of a glass of beer which had been "tipped out" of the hands of a bystander.
Dangerous tornado strikes River Rouge: June 17,1946
Wyandotte's radio station dreams were still being thought of when one of Downriver's rare direct tornado hits occurred in the summer of 1946, and it would affect downtown River Rouge directly.
The tornado is known as the 1946 Windsor-Tecumseh Tornado. The majority of the damage by the F-4 tornado was done across the border, but the first touch-down was in River Rouge. Two people would directly witness the proceedings: Jim Thompson and Barbara Ayotte Brown, who recalled their stories in 2011. |
"I was inside the Lancaster theatre the night of the tornado," Brown recalled. "I thought it was the end of the world when we heard noises that sounded like a train coming through the entrance lobby. Then we heard glass breaking. People panicked and started screaming and running to get out of the building. The force of the wind took the roof off the theatre and dropped pieces of it several blocks away... My father's car, that had been parked on Jefferson, had the marquee of the Lancaster fall on his car. When we finally got outside it was total chaos and debris everywhere."
" I was surprised to see trash all over Jefferson Avenue," as Thompson remembered, "I couldn't go the the Lancaster (Theater) because there had been a lot of damage done to it. By the way, as not to spend a wasted afternoon, I went to the Rouge Theater a block or so from the Lancaster and enjoyed part of a movie when I was yanked out of my seat by my Uncle Whitie. He (dragged) me from the theater and (told) me that my parents were worried sick about me. At that point my greatest fear was the storm I would be in when I got home."
Wonderland Park becomes first massive outdoor crowd-drawer Downriver
Sometime after the court proceedings dampened the Bois Blanc spirit, a small competitor for the entertainment dollar would spring up in Ecorse Township. The actual date and year of Wonderland Park's opening may forever be lost to history, but it is known it was fully in operation by 1947 at the latest.
Here sat a smaller version of the Bois Blanc amusement park on vastly less acreage, but to the transportation-conscious, Wonderland was easier to reach. It had a roller coaster, Tilt-A-Whirl and a hand-cranked car ride (a remnant of which is pictured at left), plus a miniature golf course and trampoline area. It was built as a permanent exhibition unlike the traveling shows of today. Business at the Fort-Pennsylvania-Trenton location was virtually guaranteed, as photos of the day showed only the future site of the Fort George Drive-In as a neighbor of substantial size.
Here sat a smaller version of the Bois Blanc amusement park on vastly less acreage, but to the transportation-conscious, Wonderland was easier to reach. It had a roller coaster, Tilt-A-Whirl and a hand-cranked car ride (a remnant of which is pictured at left), plus a miniature golf course and trampoline area. It was built as a permanent exhibition unlike the traveling shows of today. Business at the Fort-Pennsylvania-Trenton location was virtually guaranteed, as photos of the day showed only the future site of the Fort George Drive-In as a neighbor of substantial size.
Acquisition of Chicago ingot factory prompts steel company to consider Trenton for expansion
The southern Downriver industrial landscape would officially change for the forseeable future on June 24, 1948, thanks to a small ingot plant in East Chicago. That plant, whose industrial affiliation is not known, was acquired by Detroit-based McLouth Steel with a winning bid of $1,207,327.40, outdistancing two other bidders. As part of their specific deal, an option was automatically put into play - courtesy of Highland Oil and the Walter Haas estate - which involved the potential development of 201.5 acres of land bordering the Trenton Channel. The process itself was considered landmark at the time for its speed, as just two weeks prior, talks had opened up between representatives of McLouth and Trenton's Zoning Board of Appeals and Adjustments to discuss zoning restrictions and other matters pertaining to the Trenton Channel plot of land. Within a few years, McLouth would join Great Lakes Steel upriver, as well as Wyandotte Chemical's North and South Works facilities as the sources of major industry in our area.
Richard Hollingshead Jr., though not a household name alone, was credited with the invention of the Drive-In theater back in 1933. following a year of various experiments at his New Jersey home. Michigan's first would be in 1938, but it would take Downriver ten more years to start witnessing the new outdoor movie craze. But when it arrived, it did so with aplomb in the form of the Michigan Drive-In on July 22, 1948.
Billed as the largest Drive-In theater in the country, and renowned for the shape of the screen itself (which resembled a stone tablet from the outside), the Michigan's opening bill, as seen by the newspaper ad at left, was "The Swordsman" and "It Had To Be You," plus a Marx Brothers romp, "Copacabana." Unlike movie houses of today, this drive-in changed movies three times weekly, which brought it an increased audience throughout the week. The Michigan, when completed, was only of only twelve drive-ins in the state of Michigan in operation at that time.
Billed as the largest Drive-In theater in the country, and renowned for the shape of the screen itself (which resembled a stone tablet from the outside), the Michigan's opening bill, as seen by the newspaper ad at left, was "The Swordsman" and "It Had To Be You," plus a Marx Brothers romp, "Copacabana." Unlike movie houses of today, this drive-in changed movies three times weekly, which brought it an increased audience throughout the week. The Michigan, when completed, was only of only twelve drive-ins in the state of Michigan in operation at that time.