Making of America

On July 24, 1701, Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac stood in the heart of the wilderness on a bluff overlooking the Detroit River and claimed this frontier in the name of Louis XIV; thus began the story of Detroit, a city marked by pioneering spirits, industrial acumen, and uncommon durability. Over the course of its 300-year history, Detroit has been sculpted into a city unique in the American experience by its extraordinary mixture of diverse cultures: American Indian, French, British, American colonial, and a variety of immigrant newcomers. Detroit: A Motor City History documents the major events that shaped this once-small French fur-trading outpost across three centuries of conflict and prosperity. Through informative text and a variety of imagery, readers experience firsthand the struggles of the nascent village against raiding Indian tribes and the incessant political and military tug of war between the colonial French and English, and then American interests. Like many other major cities across the United States, Detroit played a pivotal role in establishing the country's economic and industrial power in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, serving as a center for its well-known civilian and military mass-production resources. This visual history provides insight into Detroit's rapid evolution from a hamlet into a metropolis against a backdrop of important community and national affairs: the decimating fire of 1805, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and both world wars.

Terre Haute's storied past from 1811 to the present.

From the days of French explorers and the establishment of Fort Harrison in 1811 to the rise of the ""Pittsburgh of the West"" and beyond, Terre Haute's history is a study in paradox. Home to prominent schools, railroads, and distilleries as well as social reformers, national figures, and corrupt politicians, the city that grew up along the Wabash suffered devastating setbacks but also soared to spectacular achievements.

With its selection as Indiana's capital in 1821,
Indianapolis was destined to become a major
Midwestern hub. Through the decades that
followed, the Circle City led Indiana into its golden
age, when the state was one of the largest
industrial and agricultural producers in the nation.
Forced to reinvent itself after the decline of heavy
industry, Indianapolis now supports a diverse
technology- and service-based economy and
proudly proclaims itself the amateur sports capital
of the world.

Resting on the shores of Lake Michigan, Cedarburg, Wisconsin has been defined by its natural resources and its pioneering settlers since its earliest days. Native Americans once hunted wildlife drawn to the pristine springs in the region, and in the 1840s, "Old Lutheran" immigrants built a thriving town on the same spot, eventually grafting a dynamic Teutonic culture by constructing hundreds of magnificent stone buildings in a unique German craftsman style. The striking landscape of Cedarburg today, so carefully preserved, is a testament to the unyielding spirit of the men and women who fashioned this unique place out of the wilderness.

Farmington, one of Detroit's oldest suburbs, was originally inhabited by the Potawatomi and was ceded to the government for sale to settlers beginning in 1820. Established as Quakertown and incorporated as Farmington, this "Crossroads Community" developed around a literal railroad stop, flourishing from an agricultural center to a thriving business district. A sense of community, family, and home inspired residents to overcome natural and social obstacles to carve a substantial and influential niche in the Michigan landscape.

Well known as the home of the National Football League's Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio sports a rich and diverse history reaching back much further than the founding of the NFL here in 1920. Home to President William McKinley and world-famous industries such as Hoover and Diebold, Canton was also once proudly hailed as the agricultural equipment capital of the world.

Surrounded completely by the city of Detroit, Hamtramck is today home to 24,000 residents, but its small size-just 2.1 square miles-belies its expansive history and the influence this remarkable community has had far beyond its borders.

Founded as a township in 1798, Hamtramck remained primarily a rural area until the early twentieth century, when auto pioneers John and Horace Dodge opened a factory on the south end of town. In just 20 years, the city's population increased by a staggering 1,600 percent. The majority of these newest residents were Polish immigrants, who brought with them a strong work ethic, a rich culture, a genuine joy for living, and an intense appreciation for democracy. Legendary to this day for its fiery politics, the solidly Democratic Hamtramck openly flaunted Prohibition, received a visit from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, strongly supported the early labor unions, and even served as a key headquarters for the Communist Party in North America. In Hamtramck: The Driven City, an engaging narrative combined with more than 100 black-and-white images will take readers on a fascinating journey into the past and breathe new life into the memorable characters and events, the conflicts and scandals that formed the city's distinctive identity.

Now a bustling city of more than 50,000 residents, Cleveland Heights, situated just six miles from Cleveland's Public Square, boasts a history that begins well before its own incorporation. The region was once home to Native American tribes including the Erie and Seneca, and stalwart pioneers established settlements in the area as early as the late eighteenth century. In the post-Civil War period, as Cleveland was becoming an industrial metropolis, affluent residents began moving to the newly developed "garden suburbs," anxious to live closer to nature and farther from the smoky city and its increasingly diverse population. Born of this same desire, Cleveland Heights was founded in 1901. Here, in this isolated countryside owned by substantial families like the Silsbys, Minors, Comptons, and Taylors, entrepreneurs and city officials envisioned a clean and comfortable suburb for Cleveland's elite. Officially designated a city in 1921, Cleveland Heights quickly became not the homogenized suburb envisioned by early developers, but a community of widely divergent neighborhoods and people. Newcomers belonged to varying class, religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. A century after its founding, Cleveland Heights has become an "inner-ring urban suburb," boasting gracious homes of architectural distinction and attractive parks, but also facing the modern challenges of a dwindling population and commercial districts in need of economic revitalization. This new volume illustrates, in both word and image, the evolving life of Cleveland Heights from its beginning as part of East Cleveland Township, one of the region's first suburbs, to the present day.

Located only a short distance from the cacophony and activity of Detroit's metro area, Northville has maintained its unique small-town charm and identity across the passing decades. Even before the town's official incorporation in 1955, Northville's citizens worked tirelessly to preserve their picturesque setting in rural western Wayne County, to maintain the elegant Victorian architecture in their homes and businesses, and to carve out a prosperous community, marked by excellent schools and a high quality of life. Northville, Michigan brings to life, through word and image, the different events and eras that shaped this small town's history and recalls the area's notable personalities and influences, such as auto industry legend Henry Ford, aviation pioneer Eddie Stinson, and Wayne County Road Commissioner Edward Hines, and their impact on the general character of the community. Most importantly, this volume highlights the everyday person's existence in the Northville of yesteryear, providing today's readers a rare opportunity to glimpse into the lives and worlds of their ancestors and to experience firsthand how they worked, how they worshiped, and how they played.

Truly a model community of the best that small-town America offers, Salem, Ohio, represents good values, a peaceful setting, and a host of men and women grounded in prudence, integrity, and resolve. The combination of Quaker spirituality and pioneer resourcefulness helped its first settlers in the beginning of the nineteenth century to carve out a lasting home in America's beckoning wilderness. Against a backdrop of two centuries, Salem evolved from a simple Quaker outpost into a thriving community—one that would participate and influence many major events in our nation's history. Salem: A Quaker City History documents the town's unique story over the past 200 years, beginning with Elisha Schooley's cabin in 1801 and spanning the town's evolution over the succeeding decades. Within these pages, readers meet the town's earliest citizens and its founding fathers, Zadok Street and John Straughan, and experience firsthand the changing landscape through the struggles and triumphs of Salem's new settlers seeking opportunity and freedom. This devotion to freedom is at the very heart of the town's identity, having served as an outspoken advocate for emancipation and woman's suffrage and providing legions of its young men in service to the country in times of military conflict.

The early west-central Indiana town of Crawfordsville saw the passage of several Native American tribes, as well as French traders and missionaries, traveling along Sugar Creek. Flourishing as the county seat, the city was buoyed by the railroad, horses, and higher education, and is most well known for Wabash College, outstanding American authors such as Lew Wallace (Ben Hur), and the Federal Land Office. Overcoming hardships along the way, the residents' fortitude and commitment to the city's growth enabled them to persevere and establish this lucrative and charming community.

From early encounters with Native Americans to today's thriving tourism industry, Watertown, Wisconsin has proven itself a friendly and welcoming city. The large German population belies the fact that New Englanders actually began the process of taming the Rock River and the land that would become Watertown. This land, surrounded by an oxbow in the Rock River, began calling to American pioneers such as Timothy Johnson in 1836, a siren song of rolling hills and grand rapids. Sawmills, plank roads, and the railroad spurred the town's growth and prosperity, but the people still had obstacles to overcome. Watertown's resolute citizens now work hard to preserve their history while encouraging growth and change.

Watertown: A History is the story of how a serene village became a center for industry, shopping, and recreation while focusing on its best asset-the energetic and hardworking people who lived the Watertown story. Readers will discover how riots broke out when politics took center stage just before the Civil War due to strong anti-Republican sentiments. The bond scandal only decades later is highlighted as the event that plunged Watertown into her darkest days. This volume recounts these stories and more through both images and narrative, fostering a deep respect for the commitments and sacrifices made by its residents of today and yesterday.

The citizens of Auburn, Indiana ensure that their city is truly special among the 22 Auburns in the United States. From the time of foraging hogs and cows roaming its streets to nude swimming at the YMCA pool, the landscape of this small town is ever changing and often surprising. Auburn's past is full of many exceptional instances of residents fighting against injustice, including hosting stops along the Underground Railroad and raising Company K of the 44th Indiana Volunteer Infantry to serve the Union during the Civil War. Even before Auburn became a city in 1900, her devoted people displayed how difficulties can be turned into opportunities, and they have always risen to the challenge.

Auburn: The Classic City reveals these stories and much more about this big-impact city with the small-town feel. Once called "Little Detroit," Auburn featured prominently in the automobile era, producing 24 different makes of cars before 1937, a heritage now preserved in its world-class museums. This lush transportation history also earned the town the name "Home of the Classics." Featured here are highlights from this time as well as such tales as the raid on the police department by John Dillinger's gang. Readers journey alongside the persistent people who transformed this community into the DeKalb County seat where the tree-lined streets, historic residences, and beautiful city parks belie the city's illustrious tradition of industry and innovation. In Auburn: The Classic City, more than 100 never-before-published photographs accompany the artful narrative.

South Bend, Indiana stood at the crossroads of several major Native American trading routes long before the Europeans, led by the French, arrived from Canada and the East Coast to trade for furs.

The city on a bend of the St. Joseph River soon became an important commercial center for settlers moving west. Eventually, the University of Notre Dame and Studebaker would call the growing community home.

For over 200 years, Cincinnati citizens created a vibrant, if at times volatile, urban culture that frequently harkens back to its remarkable past in an effort to shape its future.

Once known as a great commercial port and pork-packing center, Cincinnati developed a diverse industrial economy in a bid to remain the West's Queen City. It is a community familiar with change as new transportation systems evolved, commercial activity shifted, and poor race relations periodically erupted in unrest.

The history of Chicago Heights mirrors the growth and struggles of the entire nation. From determined settlers to visionary industrialists, from the power of rail to the vast intercontinental highway system, this Illinois city of hard workers and dynamic ethnic groups persevered through overwhelming obstacles to claim its place at the center of the Industrial Revolution.

When pioneer families from the East moved into Ohio around the turn of the nineteenth century, one of the first lands of promise they discovered was the area that would become Carroll County. The region grew into a major farming center that witnessed the march of time from Native American attacks to the building of the Sandy-Beaver Canal. Home to the "Fighting McCooks," who sent five generals to the Civil War, the county is also believed to be the site of a Johnny Appleseed orchard.

Ed Lentz takes readers on a photographic journey of the Arch city through history from National Road to capital city.

From the enigmatic Moundbuilders who left their mark in the heart of the Buckeye State to the National Road and Ohio Canal that drew an influx of settlers to the burgeoning capital, Columbus blossomed into an industrial hub that became the world's largest producer of buggies. The Arch City--with its illuminated streetcar arches curving gracefully through downtown--struggled through social and political unrest to thrive on its economic success and grow into a diversified capital city.

Since 1850, Chicago has felt the benefits of a vital Italian presence. These immigrants formed much of the unskilled workforce employed to build up this and many other major U.S. cities. From often meager and humble beginnings, Italians built and congregated in neighborhoods that came to define the Chicago landscape. Post-World War II development threatened this communal lifestyle, and subsequent generations of Italian Americans have been forced to face new challenges to retain their ethnic heritage and identity in a changing world. With the city's support, they are succeeding.