Frontier Metropolis: Picturing Early Detroit, 1701-1838

Abstract

Fascinating glimpses of detroit in the years before photography. Despite its inland location, Detroit's origins as a French outpost make it older than many other cities of the eastern United States. A vivid iconographic record survives for early Detroit, created by those who studied the city for military or commercial purposes. These pictures and maps are tantalizing windows into the past of this colonial metropolis of the Great Lakes during its French, British, and early American periods. Frontier Metropolis illustrates and describes all known images of Detroitin the pre-photographic era - from its founding in 1701 to 1838 - to provide a nearly complete visual chronology made by people who knew the city. Brtan Leigh Dunnigan has arranged these maps, plans, and views to show the evolution of Detroit and its community life over its first 137 years. Culled from a variety of archives and private collections, images were selected that recorded contemporary scenes, avoiding those that were made later to recapture an earlier period. Chapter introductions review issues faced by Detroit residents during the years covered, while text accompanying the images places them in their historical context and adds the descriptive words of people from the past. No other book so vividly depicts Detroit's growth from struggling agricultural community and trading post to industrial giant. Presented in a handsome, large-format design and illustrated in full color, Frontier Metropolis is a unique and captivating look at the city's rich and diverse heritage.

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