Photo tours of Detroit

http://detroityes.com/0tourdetroit.htm#The_Fabulous_Ruins

some great photos here, thought id share

Tax Resistance and Resistance Tax

I came accross a blog regarding the issue of resistance and how it relates to geographical borders. According to Steve Pile, in the book 'Introduction to Geographies of Resistance,'

"Since resistance opposes power, it hardly seems worth mentioning that acts of resistance take place through specific geographies: in the spaces under the noses of the oppressor, on the streets, outside military bases, and so on"

Stories of smuggling rings out of Dearbourn are examples of how geograohy and borders play out in acts of resistance. Refusing to pay taxes is a very common form of resistance that many of us that choose to cross the border try and take advantage of.

Organized crime in Canada and the US purchase large amounts of products such as cigarette in the States where taxes do not exist (North Carolina, Kentucky, Indian reservations etc.) and sell them for profit.

Read more on this discussion on the blog: http://www.borderculture.org/blogger/2006/03/tax-resistance-and-resistance-tax.html

Lets focus on something nice in the D

i just wanted to show you something i've found in my searches, everyone focus on the decay of detroit and i thought it would be nice to show some of the nice areas.

Grandmont-Rosedale
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=153119

Indian Village
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=indian+village+detroit&sll=42.366503,-82.981281&sspn=0.009512,0.04549&ie=UTF8&ll=42.363871,-82.99716&spn=0.037734,0.090981&z=14&iwloc=addr

http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&safe=active&q=indian%20village%20detroit&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Lafayette Park - Designed by Mies van de Rohe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_Park,_Detroit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OROh-5c92Ag

Windsor / Detroit Attractions

Im starting an ongoing list of great places that are unique to Windsor or Detroit. They can be resturants, bars, coffee shops, stores, parks, other public areas, etc etc.

I'll start... please contribute freely!

Fenton's Resturant - As big of a dive as they come, $3.50 breakfeast: really really good
3448 Walker Road, Windsor

Phog Lounge voted number 1 live music venue in Canada

I know this has nothing to do with "border culture" but it does have something to do with our class, sort of...
I've been interning at the Windsor Star for the past week so I've been oddly in touch (more than normal for me who manages to live in my own little "student" bubble) with whats going on in Windsor these days.
Anyways, I thought I should point out that Tom Lucier's Phog Lounge was voted #1 live music venue in Canada in a CBC Radio 3 contest today, beating out 100 other venues. I thought it was interesting because I was in the newsroom when one of the reporters read it on Twitter (a new phenomenon I still don't think I really get). Anyway, seeing as how he is giving us a talk tomorrow in class I thought it might be good if we all knew and maybe congratulated him. I promise I'll post something relevant asap. If you want to read the article here's the link http://www.windsorstar.com/Entertainment/Phog+voted+Canada/1328871/story.html (you might have to copy and paste)
GO WINDSOR!

Are Photographers Really a Threat?

Justin posted a link in the comments of the last post (here) about people no longer being allowed to photograph police.

It reminded me of a very interesting article I read a while back about photographers being harassed and having their film taken away/deleted by authorities since 9/11, especially if they're seen photographing things like bridges, etc. that could be construed as some kind of reconnaissance for 'terrorist attacks.'

We all know this kind of stuff happens. Many people around here have had issues simply taking pictures of the Ambassador Bridge. The great thing about this particular article is that they clearly point out that the fear authorities have is false: it is based on movie plots!

Please read the article here for a little more insight into the false idea people have of terrorists & photographers alike.

De Plane, de plane! Fantastic Fun at the Manitoba Border

Our neighbourly neighbours to the south have decided that the wild frontier of Manitoba is just not safe enough and have begun to use unmanned drone airplanes for surveillance along the Manitoba – Minnesota / North Dakota border.

This is a similar operation as along the U.S. – Mexico border and began last Monday.

Here is the Article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/02/16/drones-border.html

Based at a military facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the $10-million Predator B drone aircraft are equipped with sensors capable of detecting a moving person from 10 kilometers away.

The aircraft is able to fly at an altitude of 6,000 meters and can remain in the air for 18 hours.
The planes will gather information as they fly along the 400-kilometre border and transmit it to operators who will in turn contact border agents. The drones will not carry weapons, such as missiles or laser-guided bombs, and the U.S. will need permission to send them into in Canadian airspace.

Manitoba has 12 official border crossings — only two are open 24 hours a day. Much of the land in between the crossings is swampland, lakes or farmers' fields.
U.S. authorities are concerned that the border has areas that could potentially be exploited by drug smugglers, migrants and terrorists.

"They will try to find the weakest link, and the weakest link is clearly the long border between the U.S. and Canada," North Dakota Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan said. "It's very hard to patrol every square mile."

RCMP Staff Sgt. Ron Obodzinski said the surveillance planes will be a big help in the fight against the smuggling of drugs, alcohol and people.

"The program is going to enhance our relationship between our American partners and the Canadian agencies," he said.

U.S. border protection official Michael Kostelnik said that in these "dangerous times," it's more important than ever for both countries to know who and what is crossing the border.

"There are vast parts of the border where, on any given day, we're not sure what's going on, so part of this is to try to deal with the unknown and not be surprised," Kostelnik said.

Similar drones patrol the skies in Iraq and Afghanistan. The aircraft are also used along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Is this what we need along the U.S. – Canada border?

While I can understand the need for surveillance and security, at what point does Canada step in and take responsibility? If this becomes a complete U.S. operation, then what say will the RCMP have in the management of the border? Currently, the drones do not fly in Canadian air space, though what would Canada do if the U.S. decides to test the limits? Is Canada in a position to take action if something like this should happen? Would the RCMP even care?

It is clear that there is a problem, but at what point will Canada become a functioning part of this relationship and not stand by and nod their head in approval? Would we want spy planes patrolling the Detroit/Windsor border? The launching of this program raises an incredible amount of questions.

Thoughts?

A great opportunity

correction: 2009 02 21 - due to extreme lack of grammatical editing before posting

I will start off with a short list of some Major US chain stores that are NOT in Detroit.

Walmart, Target, Kroger, Meijer, Safeway, Best Buy, JC Penny, Sears, Home Depot, etc etc

This is extremely unique of any major US city. Though big box stores have been generally taking over cities in the US and Canada and driving out the little guy, Detroit's entire lack of almost any major us shopping centre, weather it is a supermarket or department store is creating problems.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070705/METRO/707050349

As mentioned in the article above some Detroit residents state "You can't buy quality food in the city anymore." This is a HUGE problem for the people living in Detroit. To do almost any shopping, one needs to leave the city.

Through discussions with friends of mine, some of which live in Detroit and others who work and live in the suburbs, I started thinking about how this may be the start of a good thing.

I feel Detroit may be the only US city able to build itself up again with quality neighborhood supermarkets, hardware stores, clothing retailers, and all types of independent businesses. If a strategic plan was set out to encourage this, Detroit may be the only US city with a totally unique economic situation! This could be the beginning of an almost Utopian urban setting with job creation, and an amazing sense of community in the city.

Bogged Down at the Border

The National recently had a feature (link provided) which addresses border security issues along the Canada/U.S. border. With the Obama Presidency, Brian Stewart investigated the situation at hand, analyzing what this means for the relationship between us and our neighbour.

"There may be legitimate security concerns, but some fear the U.S. Congress will tighten border security as a form of economic protectionism, and slow imports from Canada."

http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/special_feature/the_obama_visit/bogged_down_at_the_border.html

Windsor's Community Archives

The Border Culture class travelled to the Windsor Public Library's yesterday to view the Windsor Community Archives. Led by archivist Michael Fish, the class saw some of the first maps of the city and aisles of ceiling high shelves containing documents dating to as early as 1804. Pictured above, a photo of the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel dated July 4, 1953.

The Archives are open to the public and contain a staggering amount of documents and photographs (there's over 10,000 photos alone). You can view, copy, and photograph nearly everything with the help of the archivist and since the archive remains largely not-digitized, the archivist can guide you to find the materials you need.

After spending a brief time in the viewing room, we got to move to the back where many of the archives are stored. The entire facility felt like an archive of a functioning public archive, with posters celebrating the importance of the library and the archive from the mid-90s and earlier, the typewriter stationed at a desk in the back, and tables and shelves made of real wood.

Most of the archives were stored in acid-free boxes, but there were many that were lying on shelves, as pictured above, due to the lack of space in the basement. Perhaps most alarming was the actual space in which the archives were contained. Located beside the water main for the building and under a ventilation system (sans filter), the archives seem to be in a precarious position, to say the least.

A close-up of some of those un-boxed documents.

Many of these shelves contain documents that by law have to be in the public archive. City Council minutes dating back to the incorporation of the City of Windsor in 1854. According to the Wikipedia entry on Windsor, citing the Windsor Star, as previously noted by Devon, there was a naming controversy in 1892 for what was then the town of Windsor—among the candidates for the name of our city was South Detroit.

I'm not sure the last time I saw aged paper and a pink eraser.

The storage of what I imagine must be architectural drawings or maps in the Windsor Archives.

Tucked under some bristol board, maps peak out.

Lee asked about the possibility of going through entire boxes (you are allowed to do this).

Archivist Michael Fish, pictured right, points out the concession roads of Windsor to Steve Daigle, on one of the oldest maps of Windsor.

And for your information, pictured above are the hours to access the archive, though Michael did note that you can request materials via email. As well, there are other great (and even larger) archives in Detroit, though other than the University of Michigan, I can't remember where or the names of them. Could someone fill in those gaps in the comments?

It was really incredible to visit this basement in which essentially the entire history of Windsor sits, uninsured. But what do you do with all this material? Where on the city's funding priority list should all of this history sit? 

Here are a few interesting links that I'd like to share. They are from last weeks group presentation on "Detroit Digital: On Tourists in the Apocalypse" by Marcel O'Gorman (http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=586)

Detroit Blog- http://www.detroitblog.org/; politics, urban exploration, news, photos and commentary about the city

Paint Cans and Politics- http://www.paintcansandpolitics.com/index2.html; documentary film following two grafiti artists in Detroit, Michigan; I've looked at Blockbuster and Rogers Video for it but I still haven't found it. If anyone is interested in seeing and finds it somewhere let us know so we can also watch it :)

Bodies and Code: Detroit Digital/Serial Consign- http://serialconsign.com/2007/12/bodies-and-code-detroit-digital; blog, references the article as well

Wooster Collective- www.woostercollective.com; graffiti art from around the world

I was doing some research on the hostory of Windsor and I found this aerial map of Windsor from 1931. I find it interesting to see how Windsor has changed over time. Here is an article of the history of Windsor.-->

Prior to European exploration and settlement, the Windsor area was inhabited by the First Nations and Native American people. Windsor was first settled in 1749 as a French agricultural settlement, making it the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Canada west of Montreal. The area was first named Petite Côte (Little Coast), and later became known as La Côte de Misère (Poverty Coast) because of the sandy soils near LaSalle. Windsor's French heritage is reflected in many French street names, such as Ouellette, Pelissier, Francois, Pierre, Langlois, Marentette and Lauzon. There is a significant French speaking minority in Windsor and the surrounding areas. Many of them are in the Lakeshore, Tecumseh and LaSalle areas. The current street system of Windsor (grid with elongated blocks) may reflect the French method of agricultural land division where the farms were long and narrow, fronting along the river; it is also consistent with the British system for granting land concessions.

In 1794, after the American Revolution, the settlement of Sandwich was founded. It was later renamed to Windsor, after the town in Berkshire, England. The Sandwich neighbourhood on Windsor's west side is home to some of the oldest buildings in the city including Mackenzie Hall, originally built as the Essex County courthouse in 1855. Today, this building functions as a community centre. The oldest building in the city is the Duff-Baby House built in 1792. It is owned by Ontario Heritage Trust and houses government offices. The François Baby House was built in 1812 and houses Windsor's Community Museum, dedicated to local history.

The City of Windsor was the site of the Battle of Windsor during the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837, and was also a part of the Patriot War, later that year.
Windsor was established as a village in 1854 (the same year the village was connected to the rest of Canada, by the Grand Trunk Railway/Canadian National Railway), then a town in 1858, and ultimately gained city status in 1892.

A fire consumed much of Windsor's downtown core on October 12, 1871, destroying over 100 buildings.[1]

On October 25, 1960, a massive gas explosion destroyed the Metropolitan Stores building on Ouellette Avenue. Ten people were killed and at least one hundred injured.[2] The 45th anniversary of the event was commemorated by the Windsor Star on October 25, 2005 and later reenacted on History Television's Disasters of the Century.

What's in a name? The Windsor Star Centennial Edition in 1992 covered the city's past, its heyday as a railway centre, and its contributions to World War I and World War II. It also recalled the naming controversy in 1892, when the town of Windsor wanted to become a city. The most popular names listed in the naming controversy were "South Detroit", "The Ferry" (from the ferries that linked Windsor to Detroit), Richmond (the runner-up in popularity), and Windsor (which won out over the others). Windsor was chosen over the others because of its English name (to promote the heritage of many English settlers in the city), and so that it would be named after Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. However, Richmond was a popular name used until the Second World War, mainly by the local Post Office.

Amalgamations Sandwich, Ford City and Walkerville were separate legal entities (towns) in their own right until roughly 1935. They are now historic neighbourhoods of Windsor. Ford City was officially incorporated as a village in 1912. It became a town in 1915, and became a city in 1929. It only lasted a few years, as it was amalgamated into Windsor in 1935, along with several other nearby villages. Walkerville was incorporated as a town in 1890, and was merged into Windsor with Sandwich and Ford City in 1935. Sandwich was established in 1817 as a town with no municipal status. It was incorporated as a town in 1858 (the same time as neighbouring Windsor was incorporated as a town). It lasted until 1935. The nearby village of Ojibway was incorporated as a town in 1913, and was annexed by the City of Windsor in 1966, at the same time as the town of Riverside. Riverside was incorporated in 1921, and was merged into Windsor in 1966.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor,_Ontario

Here is a cool video on Exploring Windsor, Ontario: Willistead Manor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYa5XS6domc


Devon

I was doing some research on the Windsor archives, because of the upcoming field trip and book assignment. History is an important element in boarder cities.





Facts:

• archives contain over 7,500 photographs and 20,000 sets of architectural drawings, maps and plans.


• 1854 was the year Windsor was incorporated as a village.

I found some aerial photos of Windsor from 1931, that I found fascinating. The map makes me think about the different identities or phases the city has gone through from generation to generation.

Here is an article on the history of Windsor:

Prior to European exploration and settlement, the Windsor area was inhabited by the First Nations and Native American people. Windsor was first settled in 1749 as a French agricultural settlement, making it the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Canada west of Montreal. The area was first named Petite Côte (Little Coast), and later became known as La Côte de Misère (Poverty Coast) because of the sandy soils near LaSalle. Windsor's French heritage is reflected in many French street names, such as Ouellette, Pelissier, Francois, Pierre, Langlois, Marentette and Lauzon. There is a significant French speaking minority in Windsor and the surrounding areas. Many of them are in the Lakeshore, Tecumseh and LaSalle areas. The current street system of Windsor (grid with elongated blocks) may reflect the French method of agricultural land division where the farms were long and narrow, fronting along the river; it is also consistent with the British system for granting land concessions.

In 1794, after the American Revolution, the settlement of Sandwich was founded. It was later renamed to Windsor, after the town in Berkshire, England. The Sandwich neighbourhood on Windsor's west side is home to some of the oldest buildings in the city including Mackenzie Hall, originally built as the Essex County courthouse in 1855. Today, this building functions as a community centre. The oldest building in the city is the Duff-Baby House built in 1792. It is owned by Ontario Heritage Trust and houses government offices. The François Baby House was built in 1812 and houses Windsor's Community Museum, dedicated to local history.
The City of Windsor was the site of the Battle of Windsor during the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837, and was also a part of the Patriot War, later that year.
Windsor was established as a village in 1854 (the same year the village was connected to the rest of Canada, by the Grand Trunk Railway/Canadian National Railway), then a town in 1858, and ultimately gained city status in 1892.

A fire consumed much of Windsor's downtown core on October 12, 1871, destroying over 100 buildings.[1]
On October 25, 1960, a massive gas explosion destroyed the Metropolitan Stores building on Ouellette Avenue. Ten people were killed and at least one hundred injured.[2] The 45th anniversary of the event was commemorated by the Windsor Star on October 25, 2005 and later reenacted on History Television's Disasters of the Century.

What's in a name? The Windsor Star Centennial Edition in 1992 covered the city's past, its heyday as a railway centre, and its contributions to World War I and World War II. It also recalled the naming controversy in 1892, when the town of Windsor wanted to become a city. The most popular names listed in the naming controversy were "South Detroit", "The Ferry" (from the ferries that linked Windsor to Detroit), Richmond (the runner-up in popularity), and Windsor (which won out over the others). Windsor was chosen over the others because of its English name (to promote the heritage of many English settlers in the city), and so that it would be named after Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. However, Richmond was a popular name used until the Second World War, mainly by the local Post Office.

Amalgamations Sandwich, Ford City and Walkerville were separate legal entities (towns) in their own right until roughly 1935. They are now historic neighbourhoods of Windsor. Ford City was officially incorporated as a village in 1912. It became a town in 1915, and became a city in 1929. It only lasted a few years, as it was amalgamated into Windsor in 1935, along with several other nearby villages. Walkerville was incorporated as a town in 1890, and was merged into Windsor with Sandwich and Ford City in 1935. Sandwich was established in 1817 as a town with no municipal status. It was incorporated as a town in 1858 (the same time as neighbouring Windsor was incorporated as a town). It lasted until 1935. The nearby village of Ojibway was incorporated as a town in 1913, and was annexed by the City of Windsor in 1966, at the same time as the town of Riverside. Riverside was incorporated in 1921, and was merged into Windsor in 1966.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor,_Ontario

Devon

Detroit Digital: Presentation Follow-up

As promised here are a few links that were mentioned in our presentation on the 5th of Feb.

For those of you that missed it, this video is a documentary about the creation of techno music. It gives a really cool insight into the relationship between techno music and its birth place, Detroit. The video has a really positive out look on the cultural development in Detroit. The riots of 1967 and the economic downturn of the automobile industry didn't stop the inventiveness of Detroiters. Techno, brought internation attention to the city.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-195672552584716914

This second clip is an exerpt from a discovery channel episode on the Windsorite DJ known as Plastikman. Richard Hawtin, a.k.a Plastikman is an English-Canadian electronic musician. He played a major role in the development of the Detroit techno scene in the early 1990's. According to Wikepedia, Hawtin spent most of his life in Lasalle, Ontario and attented Sandwich Secondary High School.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj4wPEaJrjU

Flooded London

I thought I'd post the link to more of the images from the series Flooded London that I mentioned in the presentation last week (which I discovered from an article in Adbusters)

Squint/Opera

Out of curiosity, what do the rest of you think about this being a reality someday? Personally I think their vision is that weird kind of balance we're looking for in the cities.
And what do you think about the possibility of survival in the cities after a natural disaster?

The Ontario government provides extensive archives on an array of historical themes. I've provided the link to the page which discusses French Ontario in the 17th and 18th centuries, specific to the Detroit region. There are an overwhelming amount of primary documents, inclusive of journal accounts, land claims, and surveyor maps in addition to brief historical analysis of the provided papers. If you are at all interested in the history of the region, it is defiantly worth checking out. I'm providing the link directly to the Detroit page, however you can navigate across to a variety of different topics.

http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/franco_ontarian/detroit.htm