Henry Ford's "Utopian" Towns | Alberta, Michigan
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มิ.ย. 2023
- When Henry Ford needed wood and iron ore, he turned to Michigan's Upper Peninsula - and ended up buying and building entire towns in the process. This is the story of Alberta and of Henry Ford's Northern Michigan Operations.
Learn more about the Ford Center, including the conference center and vacation rentals: bit.ly/3Xj3tfp
Learn more about volunteering with or donating to the sawmill restoration efforts by contacting the Baraga County Historical Society: bit.ly/3Nfnj6F
Special thanks to Dave Stimac and Bob Kreipke for their contributions to this video!
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#Michigan #Ford #history
Correction:
03:35 While this is the story reported by Kreipke, it must have happened earlier than 1934. Thomas Edison passed in 1931.
I am a 76 year old man who has lived in Michigan all of his life. Today, I learned something for the first time. Thankyou for a very informative piece of history.
A little bit of trivia--the highway that runs past Alberta (US 41) also runs through Fort Myers, Florida where Henry Ford and Thomas Edison had estates next to each other. I have often wondered if Ford might have had some influence in the routing of that highway as it does not fit the grid established in 1927 by what was then the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO, now AASHTO). Odd numbered highways were to run north and south with the lowest number (1) on the East Coast and get higher as you got further west. By that logic US 41 should have ended in Mississippi or Louisiana because it is west of US 31 which runs from Michigan to Alabama, but it does not. Instead it makes a long diagonal southeast through Tennessee then down through Georgia before ending in Florida, making it the second longest north-south US highway (1990 miles). Another oddity is that it runs east and west at both ends (Copper Harbor and Miami). Contrary to public belief, the US highway system was not a federally mandated system as is the Interstate System; it came about because transportation officials and others saw a need for a uniformly marked system of highways. It would make sense that influential people like Ford would want to have a say in where these new highways went. A little off-topic but something I thought you might be interested in.
WOW! As a former Fort Myers, FL resident, I knew that I-75 goes to Michigan, but I had no idea that Us41 goes there as well!😀
The automotive industry had major influences on the routes and designs of interstate highways. For trucks and busses competing with the railroads. The lobbyists from from Ford and other manufacturers had a major influence on highway legislation.
Anyone try ZuPoo yet
Very interesting, thank you for sharing it.
For some reason my dad's dad came from Germany fleeing Nazis rising in 1924 at age 24 through Canada by Railway through Sault Ste. Marie to Keweenaw Copper mines for 3 years for Citizenship and move to Detroit to work at Ford. My dad worked for Ford and his oldest brother sold Ford cars locally in Lapeer County Michigan, where I was born in 1963.
I wonder what role Ford played in my dad's dad becoming an American citizen, and possibly helping prominent German Jews escape by converting to Lutheran anc and working for him or other American Industrialists?
@@timjohnson8725shut up Tim
Awesome show! I received MTU Forestry Technology degree at Alberta. Back then students spent 2 years, full-time at Alberta, including one summer. Thank you and keep up the great work!
Dave is a true Michigan legend and treasure. If you have a chance to go to Alberta, seek him out. He has the life experience of 10 men. A truly lovely man.
That he is !! When we logged up on the Pesheekee Grade we would give Dave our
birdseye culls & longbutts & he would turn them into works of art!
Joe "Johnson" from Wisconsin....
Would he have knowledge of other work camps, and perhaps work camps for Keweenaw copper mines in 1920s?
We always hear about Fordlândia or the fleet of ore ships owned by Ford but this is never spoken about.
Always amazing learning something new.
Thank you!
Fordlandia was a disaster!
The way you described the homeowner standards of cleanliness and yard keeping is exactly how you have to maintain your property when living in "on-post" housing in the US Army! Love your content!
A modern version of this is the town of Celebration, owned & run by Disney for Disney World employees in Florida. There are regulations against drugs & alcohol, even swearing.
As a Michigan Tech grad and a some-time Yooper transplant, I love these videos that illuminate the places I know
As an MTU grad (1984, Physics) who works at Ford, I really appreciate your video and your straightforward approach to the flaws of Henry. I can think of modern-day analogs . We need to be vigilant in not confusing success with some sort of moral superiority.
Love your videos and your enthusiasm for learning. The UP is a special place, but as a resident of Ann Arbor living about a mile from the site of one of your recent videos, I can attest to the amazing things you can find in even the “boring” parts of Michigan. Thank
Hey, thank you so much! And I hear you. People are complex, and sometimes people who do great things in one area of life aren't kind or positive in others.
Also, Ann Arbor is a joy! ☺️ It's a whole different world than the UP, but might be my favorite city in the state.
Ferris grad here, great campus you have at MTU, loved playing on that football field.
That wind was a howler though.
MTU is a really great school. I'd be very happy if my children went there.
I'm an MTU grad (2020, CNSA) who also works at Ford :)
We also need to be diligent in monitoring our own moral superiority over people of the past, who came from different times and cultures. As the content creator of this channel mentioned, people are complex. For example, the same Henry Ford who was anti-semitic was also the first American industrialist who hired black workers at the same pay rate as white workers and had both groups work along side of each other in his factories. Many, many black southerners moved to the Detroit area as a result, and that legacy is still apparent in the city today.
My grandmother grew up in Old Hickory, Tennessee. It was a DuPont owned and operated town. You lived in DuPont homes, shopped at DuPont owned stores, DuPont owned theater. When the depression hit, they shut down the plant, and let the workers live for free. Didn’t fire anybody. When they opened back up, the workers came back.
Dave did a great job on the tour. Awesome episode.
He really did! He was a joy to work with on this, and I'm grateful for his expertise.
That’s my uncle Dave. I grew up visiting there as kid in the summer. Haven’t seen um in a long time now. Awesome show.
Alexis, you have done a beautiful job of covering Alberta. Your explanations are completely understandable to someone with no knowledge of the subject. As a historian of all things to do with Henry Ford, I find it mind boggling the amount of money he spent to insure that nothing and no one got in the way of his car manufacturing.
But to say he had the money to do it is a mild understatement!
My mother was born in Baraga...and being part Chippewa Indian did not help when it came to getting a job, so she moved to Muskegon, and then Detroit (where I am now)
Thank You for a nice job...keep up the docs, I really enjoy them!
Mark.
As a person who was born and raised in Michigan, I love your videos! Thank you so much.
The Husky Statue at Husky plaza is my favorite dog so beautiful to stare at it early in the morning with snow and those lights surrounding it awesome! If I weren't 62 years old I would attend that university it looks like such a fantastic community of people.Alberta looks like a great place to visit and I will now thanks I didn't know about it.
Never too late.
"Now can I swear?" LOL, love it.
Dave is a gem!
@@AlexisDahlwhy can't you just keep this a cool non biased documentary why do you have to throw in capital letters anti sametic you don't know ford personally I quit watching right away
@@MrCoconutcatprobably for the best, wouldn’t want facts to get in the way of your being able to whitewash history in your mind. It’s not like Ford’s anti-semitism (the correct spelling btw) was well documented and common knowledge not requiring being his personal friend to know. Oh wait…it was. And relevant when discussing someone’s personal project to build an utopia, that not everyone was welcome.
Wonderful historical story told by a very intelligent lady - I graduated from Tech and whenever I pass through Alberta to visit Houghton each year, I appreciate just what when on here and appreciate my time as an engineer with the great Ford Motor Co.
Well thank you Miss in my 57 years living I didn't know this always learning something new I'm going to check out your other videos thank you for the beautiful content
Thanks for a very informative vid! Met Dave and his wife last summer. Great conversation. His birdseye furniture is amazing. He also has a great shop for rock hounds there.
Alexis, great post!!! This practice was no different than most mining and manufacturing industries of the time - and continues to this day. Whether it was coal, iron ore, copper, steel, timber, gold, silver, lead, etc., in West Virginia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, California, etc., the Company 'provided' everything. But, they also owned 'everything'. The house you lived in, the stores you purchased from, the police force, the mayor, etc., were owned by your employer. If you, as a worker, died in an accident, your family was evicted from the very rural area home to make room for your replacement.
Also, the reason for shuttering this plant had nothing to do with Ford's physical condition. It was the discontinuation of the use of wood products in vehicles. Much of the vehicles were fabricated of wood (which was very labor intense) and steel replaced it due to its superior durability, cost, safety and strength. Only laminates were needed.
I understand that Ford is a legend in Michigan, and that he fed many mouths, but ol' Henry wasn't worried about anything but the bottom line.
Every time I drove back up to college, I drove right by Alberta and that Ford sign, and it's both amusing and happy to me to see it get some more recognition. Thank you for the information on a town I always drove by but never really stopped by to learn too much about!
Thanks for this presentation. I’m a lifelong Detroit resident with roots in Houghton County. Traveling back and forth to the U P I passed this place many, many times. It’s very nice to get the back story on Alberta and insight into Ford’s activities in upper Michigan.
One could spend a lot of time visiting Ford locations all over southeastern Michigan at locations such as Fairlane, The Henry, Ford World Headquarters along with several small towns Ford created for his workers where they made parts for his auto industry. Each location has a unique history and shows the indelible mark he made on Michigan, the USA and the world.
Thanks again for this presentation.
Thank you, I spent my summer of 1974 in Alberta, Lots of great memories. I learned a lot about Forestry and the science behind it. Thanks again.
My buddy at MTU spent a semester in Alberta for his Forestry program
I went to Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn in the Museum/Greenfield village which was pretty unique. We learned a lot about Fords lesser known projects. Getting a nice new laptop every year was cool, seeing every imax movie first and free was cool. When they first found the Rosa Parks bus they brought the whole school out to let us on and sit in Rosa's actual seat before it was torn out for remodeling. The reason the Ford focus got a nice stereo and every cheap model after that because they brought the prototype to the school to let the students check it out. We filled out forms with recommended changes. The stereo dominated those and so it was upgraded. I walked past the Lincoln chair and Kennedy car every time I used a particular restroom and the significance was never lost on me. All kinds of cool memories there. He contributed hugely to the preservation of history in Michigan. graduated 2006
as a kid i was always so jealous of the kids who went to school at the museum!
Ms. Dahl: Really enjoyed your recent post on the village of Alberta. While you mentioned E. G. Kingsford, charcoal and Henry Ford, there’s an actual town in the U.P. named Kingsford. Kingsford is where Ford set up a factory to build wooden station wagon bodies and a WWII glider factory that made more than 4,000 wooden frame Waco military gliders; some of which were used during the D-Day invasion of Europe. There’s also an interesting history behind making charcoal and the foundation of the Kingsford Charcoal Company. Perhaps in a future video you can also follow up on some of this interesting U.P. history. Respectfully, W.S.
Great show educating the world on Michigan's wonderful UP!
Very informational coverage of this place. I drive by it often in my travels. I'd love to see you do a video on Kingsford itself. Thats where I live.
I love this type of history! It’s so important to preserve and document it.
Your genuine enthusiasm and seemingly unquenchable curiosity makes this a fantastic channel!
I’m surprised The Henry Ford Museum hasn’t wanted to reclaim it and help with the upkeep to make it into a museum. They have gone so far as to break down buildings and bring them to the Greenfield Village. It’s sad to think this huge part of Michigan history could be lost just because Henry’s family didn’t want to carry out his wishes.
That’ll never happen. Michigan Tech owns and maintains it.
Greenfield Village, the place you are talking about associated with the Henry Ford Museum, was mostly put together by Henry himself. The entire complex in Dearborn is known as the Edison Institute. Henry started Greenfield Village roughly the same time as Alberta was established.
YOU CAN TELL HOW MUCH HE CARED ABOUT THE WORK.. I WISH INDUSTRY WAS STILL LIKE THIS.
sorry for the caps
You mean ran by fascist? Yeah, no. I for one, am extremely *thankful* for _UNIONS_
@@brycmtthw I'm talking about the former employee... unions in principal are a great idea for huge companies or certain trades the problem is they also restrict companies autonomy and they can create a real issue for consumers when issues arise.
@@brycmtthw really reaching calling titans of business fascists. i suppose you would prefer to live without modern amenities, or perhaps in a socialist utopia. people that look back on history and try to apply modern ideals are wasting time and missing any lessons to be learned from the past. ford actually was a very controversial figure for his personal beliefs but he did things for the american worker that no political figure or business owner did before he increased benefits and pay more than anyone in his time.
@@jadeproctor8312 People love to only look for the flaws. Ford established the 40 hour work week, for double the wages of the 80-100 hour work weeks people were working previously.
Thanks for doing another great video about U.P.
My brother was a forestry student at Tech and spent time at Alberta.
I know Dave from when the State regulated the water supply there. Dave’s wood craftsmanship is amazing. Great guy to talk to about the place.
There is a town in my home state in Brazil called Fordlandia . Ford bought hundreds thousands of rain forest to grow his own rubber tree plants and tried to establish another utopia in the jungle .
Grew up spending summers on Drummond Island. I love all your michigan videos, keep up the great content!
Awesome video! I'm currently getting a Wildlife Ecology degree at tech, Dave's always a blast to talk to.
Oh, my gosh, amazing! Also, right? Dave is a joy. I'm grateful we got to meet as part of all this.
In case anyone isn't familiar with Fordlândia, there's another case of Henry Ford wanting to single-source one of his components, so he decided to setup a rubber plantation in Brazil. His management approach that Alexis so eloquently broke down was even less popular with the local Brazilians, and on top of that Ford was not very successful at growing rubber trees. There's an excellent podcast from 99% Invisible that breaks it all down.
I read a book on Fordlandia a few years back. Crazy of him to think he could just plop a Midwest style town in the middle of the amazon.
Info has been out forever and Netflix or Discovery had a show about it
My family has a cabin in Big Bay. It's cool to learn how it was founded.
Geez, from HS right through grad school, I worked in a millwork shop. Kinda takes me back. We got rough cut stuff in. He is right that the guy making those decisions on how to cut the boards can make or break the operation. You have to see in the wood all the possible products: all the grades of lumber, all the various common thicknesses, what to cut to absolutely maximize the use of the wood. Seems easy enough maybe, until you try to do it. That is where I learned that intelligence doesn't just equal academics.
Excellent job! I would like to nominate you to be Michagan's official historian. You do a great job.
You're too kind! Thank you. 🙂
Alexis, You have the outstanding ability to to make anything interesting and fun. Thanks for sharing your gifts with the world! Tony.
Thanks, Tony! I appreciate that a bunch.
Hey Alexis, I really can't tell you how much I enjoyed this video. Though I was raised in Toledo, Ohio, I come from a Michigan family and Dad grew up right across the state line on a farm in Bedford, MI. My grandfather worked at the Jeep plant in Toledo at Willy's Parkway (not in Michigan, but close enough and so might be a good idea for a video for you to do some day!) Anyway, my grandfather and father were both big fans of Henry Ford and I grew up going to the Ford Museum. I showed my father your video here and he just got the biggest kick out of it. I've been following your channel for a while. Keep up the good work ❤.
Aw, that's so wonderful! Thanks for such a sweet comment - and for sharing this with your dad! That's too kind. I'm glad you both enjoyed it!
You always manage brighten my day with your videos, and even though I'm not living in Michigan, I enjoy learning about the state. Your attention to details and your perky demeanor really make your videos enjoyable. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much! That's really kind of you, and it means a lot to hear you're enjoying the videos from out of state!
I lived in lanse Michigan for a long time and when I was young I got to talk to people who worked for ford when he had operations in the up thought it was interesting to learn that Ford would not let the people living in Alberta park there cars in the front of the houses he had garages built behind the houses to put their cars in
Great video AD, as a generational michigander thank God for Henry & Thomas keep digging there's so much more !!!
I was part of the small group of MCCC members that had the privilege of living here during our service term. What a great area for a 20-something to explore, swim, and hike. Holds a very special place in my life.
Ford also had an interest in Big Bay, MI. There’s a hotel there called the Thunder Bay Inn that Ford would vacation in. His favorite room is kept in that condition and is marked with his namesake on the door. I believe you can rent the room and stay the night, at least a few years ago that was the case.
I 'found' Alberta on one of my visits back home from Montana a few years ago and loved the little lake and trail there. I didn't visit the town but I'm glad for the peaceful place to pull off and walk my dog. I was there again last week and again we stopped and walked around the lake. Love these mixed tree woods. As a note, the picnic table right near the Ford sign is getting dangerously weathered and should not be used, I'm sure someone would like to donate a replacement or NMU could replace it, maybe with one built from some of the mill's product.
In 2000 my wife, daughter, and I spent 3 weeks roaming the UP. A favorite vacation for certain for history nerds such as myself. On our way to Copper Harbor I spotted the Ford logo from the corner of my eye and knew we needed to add a stop on our return Southbound. The building was still open for public tours then. Impressive little operation. I hope its future as a museum and public site can be achieved.
Henry Ford is one of my favorite persons for his vision of improving life and preservation of history. To be sure he is a controversial figure but arguably he put wheels under America and caused a paving revolution and mobility revolution still thriving today. I’m sure there were caveats and unpleasantries in working for Ford but those who worked then most likely had a much better life than most.
A great video!!!! Thanks for sharing 😊
I did fall camp at Alberta from Tech for Forestry :) Awesome place!
Thanks for another great video. As a child I lived on K.I. Sawyer AFB followed by living on CR 557 near Gwinn. Gwinn was the "Model Town" long before Ford created Alberta. Indeed GHS calls itself the "Model Towners."
Iron Mountain (an NMO) is where my g-grandfather lived and had his first 2 children. He quit around the time of the mining strike you covered, and bought land in Wisconsin.
I lived there for a few months in 1993. Part of MTUs forestry program. Great memories.
Another super interesting video! As in all of Ford's company towns the rules, as others have stated, were strict. No alcohol, no smoking, no gambling, and everyone must attend church on Sunday. Violation of these rules cost one their jobs.
How interesting. Wife and I just came back form a camping trip in the U.P. Saw this video being available but did not get the chance to watch it yet. Drove by the Ford sign next to the road as we passed through the are. Both my wife and I wondered why it was there. Had I watched this video sooner we might have stopped to see more for ourselves. Regardless at least now we know. Another one of life's mysteries solved. Thanks
It is such a pleasure having you teach us new things! Thank you, Alexis! Keep it up! ❤
I live in Kingsford,Michigan . We owned a home in Ford addition and have ridden past Alberta many times . Have known the history of the Kingsford plant and Ford Addition but this is the first I've learned about the similarities of the two cities. Ive read history books with stories how many companies did this and why.
so awesome for Mich Tech to support this video! (MTU grad '11)
Henry Ford was an interesting guy, he really was involved in quite a bit of Michigan History. I volunteer at the Old Mill Museum in Dundee Michigan. Built in 1848, he saved it in the early 30s from being torn down, he used it as a manufacturing facility. I believe he had 7 mills at one time.
I appreciate your representation of our state in your descriptions, research, narration and passion that shines in your videos. Thank you for the content and the wonderful information you put out in these videos. You are doing us all proud!!!
You do an excellent job and you are so pleasant to listen to! Thanks for your work.
Loved this video as well as all your other videos. Thank you!
That was fascinating, thanks so much for all the care and enthusiasm you put into your research!
Funny i ran into this video. In 1952 my parents left Europe after W.W.II after going through all the hurdles to immigrate to Canada from the country liberated by Canadians. And were to, Alberta Canada. Then some 60 years later while photographing the UP of Michigan I end up finding Alberta Michigan. A wonderful place to visit especially in the fall.
Henry did some impressive work. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for sharing
Thank you for this video!
Your videos are always so enjoyable and informative. I grew up in a Ford home in Dearborn, MI in the shadows of the Ford engineering center. Great to hear about other Ford homes!
So glad I found your channel today! Thanks for letting me travel along with you. The UP is on my list of places to spend some time exploring and visiting a friend who lives up there now.
As usual Alexis a story well told! Fascinating history, thanks for the info on Ford's Utopian town:)!!
heaps of thanks for posting this. Very informative and great to know about Ford's major influence and investment in the Upper Peninsula.
Well done Alexis!!
Very nice report, thank you for putting it together!
Interesting video, thank you. It drew my attention because of Alberta. I live in the province of Alberta.
Thank you, very cool!
Love your videos! Great presentation and expert editing. Keep up the great work!
A fantastic slice of past history which built America.
I've driven by there dozens of times over the years working LSPR, but never had the time, during the rallies, to stop and take a closer look! Thanks for sharing!
The gent at the end knew what he was talking about. Y'all couldn't have found a better human to talk about what happened at the mill. What a beaut.
This is one of my favorite videos. The history is interesting.
Awesome! Thank you😊
Kinda makes me wonder what Alberta and the other NMOs would have been like if Ford had lived longer. Also it reminds me of Walt Disney's plans to build an "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow." EPCOT's original concept was also more or less abandoned after Disney's death too.
Interesting topic! Dave Stimac was very entertaining to listen to! And I'm glad Alberta has a second life with Michigan Tech! As always, such a great video!
Hey, thanks! 🙂 Also, man, me, too. Or if his relatives had been on board with the idea and kept the facilities operating for longer. Also, I didn't know that about EPCOT! That... sounds like a wild ride.
Yeah... it's a shame. But it is a testament to how much of a force of nature Ford could be that he could just decide to make a town where people would live. Money talks I guess.
Truly. Money talks real loud. 😅
Great episodes.thanks
Love your work, Alexis!
Very informative and interesting to learn more about the history of a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! Thank you for another great video!
Fascinating history. I really enjoy your explorations
Great history, thanx Alexis! 👍
Awesome video. Thanks for showing us something I didn't know. 👍
Great info .
I love your videos, Alexis! I always learn so much!
Go back to the little lake you were standing next to during the fall, when the water is calm, the reflection is immaculate
I really enjoyed this video it was put together great!!
Absolutely love your videos!! Thank you so much for making and sharing them with us.
Thanks, Sheila! It's a lot of fun, but also a big time investment, so it's so encouraging to hear that folks enjoy them!
This is really cool! Love learning about lesser known Michigan history from your videos!
This was really interesting to learn. Thank you Alexis.
Just spent the summer there, awesome place
Wonderful account of history!
That saw mill is So Cool!!!
I thought so, too!!
A great video! You should also investigate Pequaming, Michigan. It was also established by Ford and is considered a ghost town.
The UP is pretty much Utopia. I moved up here 7 years ago, and I'm not regretting it.
Love to hear such history. Especially since I've been considering moving to Michigan.
Being an industrial mechanic I find this machinery and production process fascinating. Well done to all involved.