National Heritage Areas (Non-Units) - Michigan

Automobile National Heritage Area

4/14/2006 Picked up car and quickly over to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Got tickets, quick lunch in the café, then strolled around the Henry Ford Museum [in Edison Institute NHL]. Remembered a bunch of stuff, saw new things. At 1:30 got on the Rouge Plant Tour bus. About a 20 minute drive to the huge factory complex [Ford River Rouge Complex NHL]. In its early heyday it was 1 ½ miles long, ¾ miles wide and employed 100,000. It did everything – took, coal, wood, ore in the front, made the steel, etc. and delivered cars out the back. At the visitor center first saw a good 3 screen historical film, then an excellent 360°, 7 screen multimedia presentation on making the F-150. Great music, thunderous rumbles from the steel presses, “spray” from the paint sprayer, etc. From there to the observation deck to see the spread of the complex and some of the “green” engineering they’re doing. Back down to the main F-150 assembly line. Although the line was down (Good Friday) it was still very interesting with good video presentations. Finished up at the gift shop and then the bus back. A little more around the museum, a popcorn snack, then an excellent 3-D IMAX film on NASCAR. This whole thing is part of the Motor Cities (Automobile) NHA.

The museum sign

Lotus race car

Auto history

Nice DC-3

Monster tractor

Sign on the Rouge tour bus

The Rouge factory

Some more Ford history