© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

TECHNOTE: Thu 9/4/25 Radio broadcast interruptions during tower work 9am-5pm

Not just the Motor City: Detroit’s boat and shipbuilding past

Detroit River channel photo
Scott Pohl
/
WKAR
This channel into the Detroit River used to serve as the launching point for Detroit's shipbuilders.

Detroit has a rich shipbuilding heritage. For our final stop at Detroit historical sites for this summer, we talk with Jack Dempsey at Milliken State Park along the Detroit River.

This past weekend, the Detroit River roared with the sound of the fastest boats in the world. Hydrofest marked its 100th year of racing in Detroit, a reminder that Detroit isn’t just the Motor City. Detroit’s manufacturing history stretches beyond the confines of America’s highways to America’s waterways.

In the last of our summer visits to historic sites in Detroit, Current State's Scott Pohl talks with Jack Dempsey, president of the Michigan Historical Commission, about Michigan’s boat and shipbuilding heritage.

Scott Pohl has maintained an on-call schedule reporting for WKAR following his retirement after 36 years on the air at the station.
Related Content
Together we’ve already reduced WKAR’s $1.6 million budget gap created by the loss of federal funding. With your sustaining support we can close the remaining $500,000 gap and keep trusted public media strong for mid-Michigan. The best way to support WKAR is to become a sustainer. Already a sustainer? Please consider upgrading your current monthly gift.