Detroit turns 320 on July 24th and Beacon Park is celebrating Family Fun Day.
The Beacon Park birthday party will include lawn games, handicrafts and a Detroit-themed performance of “Black on Broadway” by the Detroit Youth Choir.
Family Fun Day, free and open to everyone, takes place on July 25th from 1pm to 5pm. The doors to the virtual choir premiere will open at 6 p.m. and the show will start screening at 7 p.m.
Lighthouse Park:Downtown Detroit’s parks come alive with summer activities and free Wi-Fi
Detroit Lions make it official:Ford Field will be hosting capacity constraints in the 2021 NFL season
Family Fun Day features do-it-yourself handicrafts and on-stage performances by the Mosaic Youth Theater on July 18.
To celebrate Detroit’s birthday, here are five things you should know about Motor City:
The Mile Roads are measured from Campus Martius
The history of Campus Martius, which translates as “Field of Mars”, goes back to the English and French settlers in Detroit. Michigan Radio reported that indigenous peoples had made tracks in a spoked wheel pattern. The center of the roads and the city eventually came to be known as Campus Martius. Today the park serves as the starting point for the Mile Roads.
Davison is the world’s first urban freeway, completed in 1942
The freeway was named after Jared Davison, an English immigrant and settler whose farm, according to the Detroit Historical Society, bordered what would become Davison Avenue. This one road cut the travel time to and from the city by up to 15 minutes.
Belle Isle is the largest island park in the United States
Located on the Detroit River between the United States and Canada, this 982-acre park is just a five-minute drive from downtown. In the 18th century, French settlers called it “Hog Island,” and the public used the space to keep animals, according to the Detroit Historical Society.
Detroit was originally the capital of Michigan
Before Detroit got its namesake as Motor City, it held the title of state capital from 1837 to 1847. The city’s courthouse was then used as a public school and library until it burned down in 1893, according to the Michigan Senate. At one point the Union School was the only high school in Detroit.
The Free Press is the oldest continuously operating company in Detroit
The first edition of the Detroit Free Press was published on May 5, 1831 under the name The Democratic Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer. This year the newspaper celebrated its 190th birthday.
Contact Minnah Arshad: [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @minnaharshad.
Support local journalism here.
Comments are closed.