DETROIT – Ahhhh, how good it feels to turn 313!
In a city that uses the area code "313" as a trademark, the 313th birthday celebration for the city of Detroit is special. A lot has changed since the 1700s, hasn't it? Let's take a look back at some of the early history of Detroit.
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1701 - The city of Detroit is settled by French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
1765 - Detroit's fur trading business takes off, increasing the population to 800 people.
1783 - The Treaty of Paris is signed, giving the newly recognized United States control of territory that included Detroit.
1802 - Detroit is incorporated as a town by the legislature of the Northwest territory at Chillicothe, Ohio.
1805 - The Michigan territory is established as a separate territory with Detroit as the capital. On June 11, a fire destroys nearly all of Detroit. U.S. Congress, being pushed by Gov. William Hull and Justice Augustus B. Woodward, approves an act to add an additional 10,000 acres to Detroit.
1806 - Detroit becomes a city.
1812 - During the War of 1812, Gov. William Hull surrendered Detroit to a smaller British force. In 1813, the U.S. Army recaptured Detroit after the British abandoned it and used it as a base to invade Canada.
1863 - The Detroit Race Riot happens on March 6th, as Irish and German Catholics resisted the mandatory draft laws. At the time, it was reported as "the bloodiest day that ever dawned upon Detroit." During that day, 35 buildings were burned to the ground, and least two people were killed.
1888 - Globe Tobacco builds a manufacturing facility close to downtown. The rise of manufacturing leads to a new class of wealthy industrial, entrepreneurs and professionals.
1910 - Henry Ford's Highland Park Ford Plant revolutionizes automobile manufacturing and creates the concept of the assembly line for mass production. Ford also begins paying workers $5 a day, about double the going rate at rival companies.
1923 - The Detroit Institute of Arts is built.
1930 - Detroit's population soars to over 1.5 million.
There's obviously SO MUCH more history when it comes to Detroit. Share your favorite Detroit memories on Twitter using #Detroit313 or on our Facebook page.
