French explorers called the Ecorse River the river of bark, or Ecorces, because the Huron Indians who lived in the villages surrounding it wrapped their dead in the bark of the birch trees that grew along its banks. White pioneers settled on French ribbon farms along the Detroit River, and a small village called Grandport sprang up where the Ecorse River met the Detroit River. By 1836, Grandport, now known as Ecorse, had grown into a fishing and farming center, and, by the 1900s Ecorse had gained fame as a haven for bootleggers during Prohibition, an important shipbuilding center, and the home of several championship rowing teams.

French explorers called the Ecorse River the "river of bark," or Ecorces, because the Huron Indians who lived in the villages surrounding it wrapped their dead in the bark of the birch trees that grew along its banks. White pioneers settled on French ribbon farms along the Detroit River, and a small village called Grandport sprang up where the Ecorse River met the Detroit River. By 1836, Grandport, now known as Ecorse, had grown into a fishing and farming center, and, by the 1900s Ecorse had gained fame as a haven for bootleggers during Prohibition, an important shipbuilding center, and the home of several championship rowing teams.

Ecorse, the oldest downriver community, was the site of many critical battles from the French and Indian War through the War of 1812 as French and English settlers forged new homes in the Michigan wilderness. By 1827, the scattering of settlers had developed into a small community, and the township of Ecorse was formed. During the Prohibition era, the peaceful riverfront was transformed into hideouts for rumrunners and other nefarious lawbreakers. From a prosperous shipbuilding industry to a championship rowing club and the Detroit River runs made by the Bob-Lo boats, Ecorse's maritime history is one that continues to engage residents and impel the community forward.

Catalog of art work by JeeYeun Lee about Detroit made 2016-2018

Readers of Detroit history and urban studies will be drawn to and enlightened by these powerful essays.

Scholars of the Underground Railroad as well as those in borderland studies will appreciate the interdisciplinary mix and unique contributions of this volume.

Grand River Avenue details the history of this historical Michigan roadway, which has served as a footpath, wagon rut, and ultimately a two-lane highway. Grand River Avenue, or Michigan US-16 as it was ultimately designated, is one of Michigan's true Blue Highways--an original two-lane, blacktop road still serving as a direct path through roadside America. Originally a Native American trail, this ancient path has been a westbound route from the Straits of Detroit to the eastern shores of Lake Michigan for more than 1,000 years. Over time, it has served as a footpath, horse trail, wagon rut, stagecoach route, plank road, and ultimately a two-lane highway that gave some of America's earliest motorists their first taste of long-distance automobile travel.

Since the 1920s, Art Deco, or "The Modern Style," has delighted people with its innovative use of materials and designs that capture the spirit of optimism to create the style of the future. Although the Detroit metro area is primarily known as an industrial region, it boasts some of the finest examples of Art Deco in the country. Art Deco in Detroit explores the wide-ranging variety of these architectural marvels, from world-famous structures like the Fisher and Penobscot Buildings, to commercial buildings, theaters, homes, and churches. Through a panorama of photographs, authors Rebecca Binno Savage and Greg Kowalski take readers on a fascinating tour of this influential movement and its manifestations in and around Detroit. The grandeur evident in some of the major buildings reflects a time when artisans and architects collaborated to craft structures that transcend functionality-they endure as standing works of art.