Editing Detroit River (section)

==History==
[[File:Yard and ferry.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Aerial view of a [[classification yard]] and two [[train ferries]], 1943]]
Europeans first recorded navigating the Detroit River in the 17th century. The [[Iroquois]] traded [[Fur clothing|furs]] with the [[Dutch Empire|Dutch colonists]] at [[New Amsterdam]] by traveling through the Detroit River.<ref name=detnews/> The [[French colonial empire|French]] later claimed the area for [[New France]]. The famed sailing ship ''[[Le Griffon]]'' reached the mouth of the Detroit River in mid-August 1679 on its maiden voyage through the [[Great Lakes]].<ref>{{Cite web |first = Ken |last = VanEseltine |url = http://my.net-link.net/~vaneselk/ussgryphon/name.htm |date = August 26, 2008 |title = ''Le Griffon'' is a Meaningful Name |access-date = June 16, 2009 }}</ref> Later, when the French began settling in the area, they navigated the river using [[canoe]]s made of [[birch]] or [[elm]] bark. Handcrafted vessels were a common mode of travel across the river, and [[pirogue]]s and [[bateaux]] were also used. 

As the [[North American fur trade]] intensified, European settlers expanded their trade westward into uncharted territories. French explorer [[Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac]] sailed up the Detroit River on July 23, 1701. The next day, he established [[Fort Detroit|Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit]], which developed as Detroit.<ref>{{Cite web |first = T. |last = Granzo |url = http://www.historydetroit.com/people/antoine_cadillac.asp |year = 2008 |title = History of Detroit: Antoine de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac |access-date = June 16, 2009 }}</ref> The French named the river as ''Rivière Détroit''. ''Détroit'' is [[French language|French]] for "[[strait]]". The river was known literally as the "River of the Strait".

When [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] defeated the French in the Seven Years' War (known as the [[French and Indian War]] on the American front), it took over control of the Detroit River, as well as other French territory east of the Mississippi River. The newly formed [[United States]] claimed this territory during the [[American Revolution]], but the British did not transfer it until 1796. 

During the [[War of 1812]], the Detroit River served as a major barrier between the American [[Michigan Territory]] and British [[Upper Canada]], especially during the [[Siege of Detroit|Battle of Fort Detroit]] in August 1812. Detroit briefly fell to the British.<ref>{{Cite web |first = J. |last = Rickard |url = http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_detroit.html |date = November 21, 2007 |title = Battle of Detroit, 16 August 1812 |access-date = June 16, 2009 }}</ref> After the completion of the [[Erie Canal]] in 1817, which opened up easier travel to Lake Erie from the [[East Coast of the United States]], connecting the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and the port of New York City, the Detroit River became a route for many migrating settlers traveling to northern Michigan. Detroit rapidly attracted a share of new residents. Following the [[Patriot War]], in which British regulars and Michigan militia nearly came to armed conflict on the ice-covered Detroit River, the United States built [[Fort Wayne (Detroit)|Fort Wayne]] at Detroit to counter Britain's riverside [[Fort Malden]] at Amherstburg across the river.

The Detroit River served as a final stop on the [[Underground Railroad]] and was the most active entry point along the United States–Canada border for fugitive slaves.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last = Frost |first = Karolyn Smardz |display-authors = etal |title = A Fluid Frontier: Slavery, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad in the Detroit River Border Land |publisher = Wayne State University |year = 2016 |location = Detroit |pages = xii }}</ref> 

Escaping slaves often chose to cross through the Detroit River rather than flee to Mexico because of the river's location near free states made it less risky than traveling through slaveholding states that border Mexico. The strong Underground Railroad networks in the Canadian border region also assisted Blacks hoping to flee from the U.S. once the [[Fugitive Slave Act of 1850|Fugitive Slave Act]] was strengthened in 1850.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title = One of American History's Worst Laws Was Passed 165 Years Ago |url = https://time.com/4039140/fugitive-slace-act-165/ |access-date = December 11, 2020 |magazine = Time }}</ref> Canada also granted legal immigration status to Blacks, while Mexico did not for many years. 

Individuals and organizations assisted escaping slaves hoping to cross the Detroit River from the United States into Canada. The [[Second Baptist Church (Detroit, Michigan)|Second Baptist Church of Detroit]] and First Baptist Church of Amherstburg coordinated ferrying thousands of Blacks across the Detroit River into Canada, and Detroit's Colored Vigilant Committee assisted over 1,500 fugitives in crossing into Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Aboard the Underground Railroad-- Second Baptist Church |url = https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/mi2.htm |access-date = December 11, 2020 |publisher = National Park Service }}</ref> Famous abolitionists and Underground Railroad conductors including [[George DeBaptiste]] and William Lambert worked individually and with these organizations to assist fleeing slaves and condemn slavery.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Detroit Anti-Slavery Society  |publisher = Detroit Historical Society |url = https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/detroit-anti-slavery-society |access-date = December 11, 2020 }}</ref>  

There was considerable transnational fluidity between the Canadian and American sides of the river until the middle of the 19th century.<ref name=":1" /> The 1833 [[Blackburn Riots]] in Detroit, which erupted after slave hunters detained couple Lucie and Thornton Blackburn, marked the end of hundreds of years of a nearly porous border between Canada and the United States on the Detroit River. Detroit's African American population protested and helped the Blackburns escape across the Detroit River to Upper Canada, where the British colonial government in Canada declared former slaves could not be extradited to be returned to their owners.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Frost |first = Karolyn Smardz |date = June 17, 2007 |title = 'I've Got a Home in Glory Land' (Published 2007) |language = en-US |work = The New York Times |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/books/chapters/0617-1st-fros.html |access-date = December 11, 2020 |issn = 0362-4331 }}</ref> With their freedom in Canada secured, crossing the Detroit River out of the United States became an imperative for escaping slaves. 

During the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865), the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] feared the seceded [[Confederate States of America]] (CSA) would plan a northerly attack from Canada, which was controlled by the British Empire and remained neutral in the war. The Union feared the CSA would cross the Detroit River to launch this attack. For that reason, Union forces regularly patrolled the Detroit River and the fortification at Fort Wayne improved, although it was far removed from any major combat. A Confederate plot to capture the U.S. Navy warship, [[USS Michigan (1843)|USS ''Michigan'']], and liberate Confederate prisoners from [[USS Michigan (1843)#American Civil War|Johnson Island]], in western Lake Erie, was narrowly averted only after the Confederates had captured two passenger steamships.<ref name="detnews" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/wolverine-i.html |title=''Wolverine'' |author=Naval History and Heritage Command |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=January 25, 2015 |ref={{sfnref|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: ''Wolverine''}}}}</ref>

At the beginning of the 20th century, Detroit's industrialization took off on an unprecedented scale. The Detroit River became the world's busiest commercial river and in 1908 was dubbed "the Greatest Commercial Artery on Earth" by ''[[The Detroit News]]''. In 1907, the Detroit River carried 67,292,504 tons (61 billion kg) of shipping commerce through Detroit to markets all over the world. By comparison, [[London]] shipped 18,727,230 tons (16 billion kg), and [[New York City|New York]] shipped 20,390,953 tons (18 billion kg).<ref name="detnews" />

===Prohibition===
{{Further|Rum-running in Windsor}}
From 1920 to 1933, the United States (US) enforced the [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition era]]. The sale, manufacture, and transportation of [[alcoholic beverages|alcohol]] for consumption were nationally banned. Detroit, as the largest city bordering Canada, where alcohol remained legal during Prohibition, became the center of a new industry known as [[rum-running]], smuggling liquor into the US.

No bridges connected Ontario, Canada and Michigan, US, until the [[Ambassador Bridge]] was finished in 1929 and the [[Detroit–Windsor Tunnel]] in 1930. Smugglers used boats of varying sizes to transport alcohol across the river during the summer, and during the winter months, rum-runners traveled back and forth across the frozen Detroit River by car. In some cases, overloaded cars fell through the ice. In the 21st century, car parts from this era are occasionally still found on the bottom of the river.<ref name=":0" /> [[Rum-running in Windsor]] and production of bootleg liquor became common practices. American mobsters such as [[the Purple Gang]] of Detroit used violence to control the route known as the "Detroit-Windsor Funnel," and continue to gain lucrative returns from the trade. The name parodied the newly built tunnel between the cities and nations.<ref>{{Cite web |first = Mark |last = Gribben |url = http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/gang/purple/1.html |year = 2008 |title = The Purple Gang: Bootlegger's Paradise |access-date = June 16, 2009 }}</ref> The Detroit River, [[Lake St. Clair]], and the [[St. Clair River]] are estimated to have carried 75% of all liquor smuggled into the United States during Prohibition. Government officials were unable or unwilling to deter the flow.

The rum-running industry died when prohibition was repealed in 1933 by the [[Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twenty-first Amendment]].<ref name=detnews/><ref>{{Cite book |first = Michael D. |last = LaFaive |first2 = Patrick |last2 = Fleenor |first3 = Todd |last3 = Nesbit |chapter-url = http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=10016 |date = December 3, 2008 |chapter = Appendix B: Prohibition in Michigan and the Avenue de Booze |title = Cigarette Taxes and Smuggling: A Statistical Analysis and Historical Review |access-date = June 16, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first = Philip |last = Mason |url = http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/2008/marapr/couldnt_get_drink.html |date = Sep–Oct 1994 |title = Anyone Who Couldn't Get a Drink Wasn't Tryin' |work = Michigan History |access-date = June 16, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090805093913/http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/2008/marapr/couldnt_get_drink.html |archive-date = August 5, 2009 }}</ref>

===Submerged objects===
Because of the booming businesses and long history of [[Metro Detroit]] and [[Windsor, Ontario]], the Detroit River has been the site of many artifacts, some lost with sunken ships and others abandoned, such as murder weapons or stolen bronze statues. A [[DMC DeLorean]] has also been recovered from the river.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/01/11/detroit-river-artifacts-ambassador-bridge/2545900002/ |title = Reports: Archaeologists find 30,000 artifacts along Detroit River |last = Siacon |first = Aleanna |website = Detroit Free Press |language = en |access-date = December 27, 2019 }}</ref> The artifacts recovered are well preserved due to the river's [[fresh water]] but low visibility makes them difficult to find.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url = https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2017/02/01/guns-cannons-cars-history-detroit-river/96833680/ |title = Detroit River's muddy bottom conceals cannons, cars, guns |last = Allen |first = Robert |website = Detroit Free Press |language = en |access-date = December 27, 2019 }}</ref>

A 1940s-era bronze statue depicting a classical nude woman was originally installed to overlook a reflecting pool in the [[Grosse Pointe War Memorial]]. It was nicknamed "The Nude," and, in 2001, was believed to have been successfully stolen for display in some art collector's private cache. During a police diving exercise near a submerged [[Jeep]], the statue was found in 2009, restored, and returned to the memorial.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.secondwavemedia.com/metromode/devnews/warmemorialstatue0116.aspx |title = Grosse Pointe War Memorial to restore, display recovered statue |date = May 14, 2009 |website = Metromode |language = en |access-date = December 27, 2019 }}</ref>

Anchors from the ''SS Greater Detroit,'' a luxury [[steamship]] that toured the Detroit River from 1924 to 1950, and the famed ''[[SS Edmund Fitzgerald]]'', a [[lake freighter]] that sank in a terrible 1975 storm, have notably both been recovered from the river. The 6,000-pound anchor of the ''SS Greater Detroit'' was raised in November 2016. It was installed at the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority Building. The lost anchor of the ''SS Edmund Fitzgerald'' was recovered during a July 1992 project, and the anchor was installed in the yard of the [[Dossin Great Lakes Museum]] on [[Belle Isle Park (Michigan)|Belle Isle]].<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.glmi.org/Default.htm |title = Great Lakes Maritime Institute |website = www.glmi.org |access-date = December 28, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/11/15/greater-detroit-anchor-river-steamship/93876838/ |title = Historic anchor pulled from Detroit River |last = Allen |first = Robert |website = Detroit Free Press |language = en |access-date = December 28, 2019 }}</ref>

Since the 1980s, divers have recovered a total of six 1700s-era [[cannon]]s from the river. The last was found in 2011 near the [[Cobo Center]]. They are believed to have been part of the pre-[[War of 1812]] inventory kept by the [[British Armed Forces|British garrison]] in this area. Historians believe another three cannon may still be in the river. Inventory documents record a total of 17 cannons and 14 have been accounted for. It is believed that the British dragged the cannons onto the frozen river so they would sink with the spring thaw, and be kept from use by the American enemy. Another seven, larger cannons may have fallen off a [[barge]] closer to [[Amherstburg]], [[Ontario]], and may yet be found in the river.<ref name=":0" />

===Pollution and conservation efforts===
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   | alt1      = The Detroit River
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   | image2    = Detroit_River_Recovery.jpg
   | alt2      = Detroit River Recovery
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Much of the land that surrounds the Detroit River is urbanized and, in some places, has been used for industrial purposes for more than 100 years. There has been excessive [[water pollution]] of the river from the long-term, unregulated dumping of chemicals, industrial waste, garbage, and sewage. Much of the Detroit River and its shoreline were polluted and unsafe for recreational use. Thousands of migrating birds died each year because of the oil slicks and contaminated water around the mouth of the Detroit River at [[Lake Erie]]. The river's oxygen levels were depleted to the point where fish could not inhabit its waters. Because this pollution often drained into and affected Lake Erie, the lake was considered "dead" and unable to support aquatic life.<ref name=hartig>{{Cite web |first = John |last = Hartig |url = https://www.espn.com/outdoors/hunting/columns/story?columnist=swan_james&page=g_col_swan_det_river |date = July 17, 2007 |title = The Detroit River's amazing comeback |publisher = [[ESPN]] |access-date = June 16, 2009 }}</ref><ref name=swan>{{Cite web |first = James |last = Swan |url = http://www.glu.org/news/2009/03/return-of-the-detroit-river%E2%80%99s-charismatic-megafauna/ |date = March 19, 2009 |title = Return of the Detroit River's Charismatic Megafauna |access-date = June 16, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090922140030/http://www.glu.org/news/2009/03/return-of-the-detroit-river%E2%80%99s-charismatic-megafauna/ |archive-date = September 22, 2009 }}</ref>

In 1961, a congressional order founded the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge. That began the government's placing tighter restrictions on industries; substantial government funding at various levels has been allocated to clean up the river. In this early period, opponents believed that such efforts would adversely affect Detroit's industry and economy. In 1970, toxic levels of [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] in the water resulted in the total closing of the [[fishing industry]] in the [[St. Clair River]], [[Lake St. Clair]], the Detroit River, and Lake Erie. Finally, a massive conservation effort was initiated to clean up the Detroit River.<ref name=hartig/> For years, the multi-million dollar cost of removing pollutants from the river and the political influence of nearby industries, hindered conservation efforts.<ref name=swan/>

In 1998, the Detroit River was designated as an [[American Heritage Rivers|American Heritage River]] by the US [[Environmental Protection Agency]] and in 2001 as a [[Canadian Heritage Rivers System|Canadian Heritage River]].<ref name="AHRS">{{Cite web |work = [[American Heritage Rivers]] |url = http://www.epa.gov/rivers/98rivers/detroit.html |date = October 19, 2006 |title = Detroit River (MI): An American Heritage Designated River |publisher = Environmental Protection Agency |access-date = June 16, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090722101841/http://www.epa.gov/rivers/98rivers/detroit.html |archive-date = July 22, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="CHRS">{{Cite web |work = [[Canadian Heritage Rivers System]] |url = http://www.chrs.ca/Rivers/Detroit/Detroit_e.htm |title = Detroit River, Ontario: A Unique International Heritage |access-date = June 16, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090802233729/http://www.chrs.ca/Rivers/Detroit/Detroit_e.htm |archive-date = August 2, 2009 }}</ref>  It is the only river in North America to have such dual designations.

In 2001, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge was absorbed into the larger [[Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge]], a cooperative effort between the United States and Canada to preserve the area as an ecological refuge. The millions of dollars spent since that time to dredge pollutants out of the Detroit River has led to a remarkable restoration, although problems remain.<ref name="hartig" /> Today, many species of native animals that had been driven out by human development are returning to the area. The river is home to a growing number of bird species such as [[eagle]]s (including reintroduced [[bald eagle]]s), [[osprey]]s, and [[peregrine falcon]]s. Large numbers of [[lake whitefish]], [[sturgeon]], [[silver bass]], [[black bass]], [[salmon]], [[perch]], and [[walleye]] are again thriving in the river.<ref name="swan" /> 

The Detroit River and its recovery efforts were listed as a [[Michigan State Historic Preservation Office|Michigan State Historic Site]] in 2007.  A historic marker was erected along the river in a park that now serves as the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge visitor center in the city of [[Trenton, Michigan|Trenton]].<ref>{{cite web |work = MichMarkers.com |url = http://www.michmarkers.com/default?page=S0704 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201206011138/http://michmarkers.com/default?page=S0704 |url-status = usurped |archive-date = December 6, 2020 |title = Detroit River / Recovery: Registered Site S0704 |date = 2021 |accessdate = May 16, 2021 }}</ref>