Water attracted the early settlers of Detroit and water fueled its growth. Now it’s an important asset to the city’s recovery.
Join us over these next five weeks, as our regular Tuesday Knight segment will explore the challenges and opportunities associated with Detroit’s waterfront through our series "Detroit's Water Renaissance."
Our first story goes back to the days before industrialization, when the city of Detroit was a maze of fresh waterways.
In 1702, Antonie de la Mothe Cadillac sent Louis the XIV a letter From the New World. In it he described Detroit as a “country, so temperate, so fertile and so beautiful that it may justly be called the earthly paradise of North America." Current State’s Emanuele Berry explores the disappearing waters that once flowed through the Eden of Detroit.
This story was produced by Current State and Great Lakes Echo with support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.