Detroit, MI

DETROIT, city, and seat of justice of Wayne co., Mich., occupies a pleasant and commanding situation on the west bank of Detroit river, 18 miles from Lake Erie, and 7 miles from Lake St. Clair. Between the two great lakes, Huron and Erie, upon both of which, its vessels carry on an extensive trade, through Lakes Superior and Michigan, and with Canada, Pennsylvania, and New York. It is an important metropolis of the western states, and is destined to a still higher rank than it now holds. (Fanning's, 1853)
Place Unit Type
City or Town
Containing Unit
Date Type
Canada's Grand Trunk Railway links Montreal with Detroit Business/Industry
Detroit hosts world championship billiards match Education/Culture
In Detroit, a steam-tug explodes while in dock, killing five of seven crewmembers Crime/Disasters
In Detroit, Michigan Republicans endorse the Chicago nominations and choose Austin Blair for governor Campaigns/Elections
In Detroit, Michigan, a fire destroys much of the main building at the Michigan Central Railroad Depot Crime/Disasters
In Detroit, Michigan, Democratic Party giant Lewis Cass dies at the age of eighty-three. Personal
- In Detroit, the Board of Trade hosts a Commercial Convention of North American business interests Business/Industry
In New York Harbor, convicted Confederate spy and New York City arsonist Captain Robert Cobb Kennedy is executed Battles/Soldiers
Landing in Detroit, Prince Albert begins his historic visit to the United States US/the World
Large boiler explosion in Detroit, Michigan results remarkably in no serious injuries Crime/Disasters
Michigan Republicans meet in Detroit and nominate Henry H. Crapo for governor. Campaigns/Elections
- Michigan State Fair in session in Detroit Business/Industry
On Lake Erie, a Detroit grain ship explodes its boiler and sinks in Lake Erie, killing two crewman Crime/Disasters
President Buchanan invites the Prince of Wales to visit the United States US/the World
S.S. Kresge, the architect of the KMart retailing chain, is born in Pennsylvania. Personal
Senator W.H. Seward speaks in Detroit on a campaign swing for Republicans in Michigan Campaigns/Elections
The Detroit Board of Trade proposes hosting a Commercial Convention of nationwide business interests Business/Industry
- The Prince of Wales is in Hamilton, Ontario, his last stop in Canada before entering the United States US/the World
Residents in 1860
Burial Place of
Name Type
Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, MI Location or Site
Date Title
Seth Concklin to William Still, February 18, 1851
Louisville (KY) Journal, "Freight on the Underground Railroad," January 21, 1854
New York Herald, “A Singular Slave Case in Indiana,” December 18, 1854
Charleston (SC) Mercury, "Underground Railroad," August 25, 1856
Washington (DC) National Era, "The Southern Press," April 30, 1857
New York Times, "A Phase of Slavery," January 13, 1859
New York Herald, "A Kentucky Planter Selling His Daughter," January 14, 1859
(Omaha) Nebraskian, “Ossowatamie [Osawatomie] Brown,” April 2, 1859
New York Herald, “The Late Scattering Elections,” April 6, 1859
Chicago (IL) Press and Tribune, “The Beginning of the Presidential Campaign,” April 7, 1859
Milwaukee (WI) Sentinel, “Sleeping Cars on the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway,” June 15, 1859
Chicago (IL) Press and Tribune, “Is a Bowling Alley a Nuisance?,” September 26, 1859
New York Herald, "The Underground Railroad and Its Victims," January 5, 1860
New York Times,“The Colored People and John Brown’s Widow,” January 23, 1860
Boston (MA) Herald, “A Conflict of the Races in Canada,” January 23, 1860
New York Herald, "The Colored Refugees in Canada," February 6, 1860
Charleston (SC) Mercury, "Depot of the Underground Railroad in Detroit," May 2, 1860
Cleveland (OH) Herald, “Enthusiasm over the Nomination,” May 19, 1860
New York Times, “Senator Seward in Michigan,” September 5, 1860
Savannah (GA) News, “The Governor of Michigan Advocating Coercion,” January 9, 1861
Memphis (TN) Appeal, "The Underground Railroad," April 9, 1861
William H. Hardwick to William Still, September 17, 1862
Resolutions, Republican Party of Michigan in Convention, August 30, 1866, Detroit, Michigan.
How to Cite This Page: "Detroit, MI," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/9163.