One thing that Michigan is greatly known for, is all of its land. About 37 million acres make up this state (1), from shorelines, to dunes, to vast open space perfect for creating a life built around agriculture. As the Industrial Era began to pick up speed, railroads make it possible to commute back and forth; however, tax breaks, new loan programs and incentives led people to leave their farms for work in Detroit's new manufacturing plants (1). To put it into perspective, 86% of people lived in the country, relying on farming to support themselves in the late 1800s, yet that number had dropped drastically to 26% after the industrial craze rushed through (2). |
This was what made Detroit such a great city to work in, with its abundance of space for automotive industries to set up plants. By 1924, the Ford company had finished making its 10-millionth Model-T car for the public, off of its assembly line that had cut the time to make a car to be 1/6 of what it was before. Michigan had mining opportunities that also required lots of land to be available to dig out the twenty-one different minerals found right there in the state (3). |
With all of the growing manufacturing going on, the government of Michigan worked to keep the integrity of the area that made up rural Michigan. The Inland Lakes and Streams Act, Great Lakes Shorelands Act, Wetlands Act, Wilderness Act, and Sand Dune Act were all created in the 70s to help maintain the land when environmental awareness became a larger topic (3).
WORKS CITED:
1.http://www.michiganinbrief.org/edition06/text/issues/issue-42.htm
2.http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/ag_history.htm
3.http://www.michiganinbrief.org/edition06/text/issues/issue-42.htm
1.http://www.michiganinbrief.org/edition06/text/issues/issue-42.htm
2.http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/ag_history.htm
3.http://www.michiganinbrief.org/edition06/text/issues/issue-42.htm