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Introduction

 Presented here is a montage of historical photos of Woodward Avenue with a focus on Detroit and Birmingham, Michigan, my hometown.   Photos were chosen based on their connection to Woodward Avenue.  Most photos are arranged in chronological order unless it made sense to group them by subject (e.g., most of the drive-in restaurants will be grouped together by name because many image dates are unknown).   When photo dates were unknown, an educated guess was made. 

 

 Photos were compiled from numerous websites.  I am especially grateful to members of Facebook groups "You Know You're from Birmingham" and "If You Grew Up in the 13 Mile and Woodwarad Area."  It was their members' photos that inspired me to bring together these Woodward Avenue-related images.

Note: I'm still working on the "1950s - today" component.  NF

Indian Trails
(Source: Michigan Highways From Indian Trails to Expressways)
Introduction

Saginaw Trail Map: 1827

Source for 1827 Map: Saginaw Trail Movie - Gene Autry (1953)

Woodward Avenue Follows Same Route as the Saginaw Trial

 Michigan's first roads were built by Indians who roamed the forests of the state thousands of years before the coming of the white man.  Their trails, which were merely narrow footpaths 12- to 18-inches wide, crisscrossed the state. [1]

 

Woodward Avenue was created after the Detroit Fire  of 1805.  It follows the route of the Native American Saginaw Trail, which linked Detroit with Pontiac, Flint, and Saginaw.  [2]

 

On December 7, 1818,  the Michigan Territorial government authorized the building of a road from Detroit to Saginaw along the Saginaw Trail. The paving was rudimentary, involving planks or logs, and the trail was not improved.   In 1822, the Michigan Legislature again approved a plan, this time to pave the trail from Detroit to Pontiac.  Once again, there was no money for this investment in the territory’s infrastructure. In 1826, the legislature asked the federal government for funding to improve Saginaw Trail. On March 2, 1827, Congress appropriated funds.  The Detroit to Flint paving was completed in 1833, and just eight years later, the paving was extended all the way to Saginaw.   [3]

 

Sources: [1] Michigan Highways From Indian Trails to Expressways: Manual to Accompany Filmstrip, prepared by Philip P. Mason for the Michigan Historical Commission through the Munson Michigan History Fund, Detroit, October 1959.  [2] Wikipedia. [3] detroit1701.org)

Saginaw Trail in Michigan

The old Saginaw Trail is highlighted in red and labeled with its modern name/designation.

 

Saginaw Trail Route

To drive the old Saginaw Trail today, drivers would take the following route.  

  • The old Saginaw Trail begins at Woodward Avenue (M-1), which starts in Downtown Detroit at Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. 

  • At 8 Mile Road, Woodward Avenue (M-1) crosses out of Detroit. 

  • Woodward Avenue (M-1) continues north  passinging through the suburbs of Ferndale, Royal Oak, BIRMINGHAM, and Bloomfield Hills. 

  • In Bloomfield Hills, the M-1 designation ends at Square Lake Road. 

  • The old trail continues north towards Pontiac as part of Business Loop I-75 (BL 1-75) and BUS US 24  into downtown Pontiac.

  • From north of Pontiac, the trail continues as Dixie Highway (U.S. 24) to Clarkston.

  • From Clarkston, the trail continues as the Dixie Highway, a set of various county roads that were previously US 10, to near Grand Blanc.

  • From near Grand Blanc, the trail continues as Saginaw Road and Saginaw Street through Grand Blanc, Burton, and Flint to north of Mount Morris.

  • From north of Mount Morris, the trail continues as Dort Highway (M-54) into Saginaw County.

  • In Saginaw County, the trail is also known as Dixie Highway, except in the City of Saginaw where it is known as Genesee Avenue.  

  • The old Saginaw Trail ends at Washington Avenue in Downtown Saginaw.

 

(Sources: [1] Wikipedi and [2] Saginaw Trail sourced from World Heritage Encyclopedia via www.gutenberg.us)

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