Oct. 14 Day 53 Monroe, Michigan (outside Detroit)
I verified all my information today before we left for The Henry Ford in Dearborn. The Henry Ford campus includes the museum, the Greenfield Village, the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, an IMAX Theatre, and the Benson Ford Research Center. Senior admission to the museum is $15, plus $5 for the car. It is very well maintained and has wonderful exhibits, so it is worth the price.
Seeing the original 1952 Weinermobile brought back fond childhood memories. (Picture 1) We sped past the dollhouse section, the farm machinery, oil wells, power, furniture, and "Made in America" manufacturing, all of which were beautifully exhibited and explained. However, we could see by the size of the museum that we were going to have to pick and choose the areas where we had real interest.
We saw the bus that Rosa Parks was riding on when she refused to cede her seat. (Pictures 2, 3, 4, 5). After the boycott ended, the riders were instructed by their leadership to follow Martin Luther King's non-violence. Rules are listed on this chart that was posted in their center. (Picture 6) I was surprised to see the whole Ku Klux Klan costume and the honest, forthright explanations. They had wonderful displays throughout the "With Liberty and Justice for All" section about the struggle for equality experienced by all groups that have been discriminated against.
The aircraft section was fascinating. I didn't know that Edsel Ford, Henry's only child, got him involved with planes. From 1925 to 1928, Henry experimented with a small, economical airplane that would be the "Model T of the Air." Charles Lindbergh took him on his first flight, and he only flew a few times. He said, "I would rather build a big plane and learn something, even if it didn't fly, than build a smaller one that worked perfectly and not learned anything." He could see that it was the transport of the future, and he developed the Flivver. (Picture 7) However, a special young man, who Henry treated almost as a son, died at age 25 flying an experimental Flivver, and that killed some of Henry's desire.
Henry Ford did develop an all-metal aircraft, "The Tin Goose". The Ford Trimotor (Picture 8) had rugged durability. The display had a standard sheet of aluminum and the same thickness of corrugated aluminum so you could feel how much stronger and less flexible the corrugated aluminum was. Its success opened a whole new era in commercial aviation in the late 1920's.
Henry Ford's involvement in aviation helped make passenger flights practical, but his aviation division was only in full operation from 1925 to 1932. He lost over $5.5 million in that time, and he never turned a profit.
Using the plans from the 1903 Wright Brothers' plane, Ken Hyde built this replica to the same specifications with exactly the same materials for the 100th anniversary for the museum. (Picture 9)
The "Heroes of the Air" taught me a lot. Planes originally were used mostly to ferry mail, not people. A pilot named Jack Knight waited in North Platte, Nebraska to transfer mail sacks from San Francisco and take them on to Omaha. By the time he transferred the sacks, it was 10:45 P.M. Citizens along his route lit bonfires to guide him in his effort to prove that airplanes could be flown at night. He said that without the farmers' bonfires, he'd be completely lost. The idea was to get the mail across the country in a continuous relay. However, when he got to Omaha, he found out that his relief pilot was snowed in over in Chicago. He was so determined to make it, that he hopped back into the plane and headed for Des Moines, which he found snowed in. So, he continued on, hoping to make it to Iowa City before his fuel ran out. He stayed on course by looking at his map with his flashlight. He circled the place where Iowa City was supposed to be. But, with a snowstorm coming, all the citizens had put out their bonfires and gone home! One night watchman heard his engine and lit a fire just in time. He landed, refueled, and went on to Chicago--after taking a catnap and warming up his frozen feet. Knight together with the San Francisco pilot and the Chicago pilot--made it cross-country to New York in less than half the time it took by any other mode of transportation.
Navigation was a mammoth headache. Sometimes the pilots followed train tracks, rivers, and landmarks. Pilots taped several maps to their pants and made their own books, recording landmarks on the route they usually flew. Landmarks they noted were tall church steeples and golf courses. People across the U. S. wanted to help. If people heard of a plane in trouble, they would rush out to light bonfires along a path and on the nearest landing field. Pilots made a list of farmers who would let them use their phones in an emergency. In 1920 the US Post Office compiled this into the Book of Directions. In the 1920's in order to promote all-night flying, the Post Office set beacon lights along routes at 10-25 mile intervals. They rotated in every direction and could be seen 40-100 miles away.
Another pilot wanted to get from New York to Cleveland for a romantic evening. He was so desperate that he talked one of his buddies into taking him. The plane was full of mailbags, so he laid down on top of the wing and held onto the wires the whole way!
As a young mail pilot, Charles Lindbergh ran out of gas, was caught in bad weather, and unable to see the ground. Thinking quickly, he rose to 5,000 feet, jumped overboard, and parachuted through the fog while the plane circled around him out of control. Once on the ground, he took off to find his wrecked plane. The plane was destroyed, but the mail was undamaged, so he walked it to the nearest post office.
When Admiral Byrd chose to fly over the North and South Poles, he had to fight the cold. Oil can get sticky. In order to keep the plane running, he built fires around the oilcans to heat the oil to a liquid so he could pour it into the engines. He kept the engines warm through the use of canvas sacks and gas-powered stoves. I wonder how he prevented a big explosion! There is a big debate about whether he actually made it to the North Pole. I don't think he made it. What do you think? (Picture 10) I can't imagine flying this tiny metal plane in such weather. (Picture 11)
Dean and I were in college when President Kennedy was assassinated, and we were devastated. We have been to the Texas Book Depository Museum, which is outstanding. Seeing the actual 1961 Lincoln limousine that he was riding in when he was killed touched heartstrings. (Picture 12)
The1972 Lincoln that Ronald Reagan sought refuge in when John Hinckley shot him is on display (Picture 13). We could see the place where a bullet ricocheted. Like all presidential cars after Kennedy's death, it is completely armored and has a permanent roof and bulletproof glass. But, in a concession to the presidents' desire to be seen, the sunroof can be opened so two people can stand up and wave. It had a flip-down bumper for the agents to stand on. (Picture 14)
Their auto collection was like a timeline. It started with horse-drawn carriages and went into the future with the prototype for the electric Ford Fiesta. Remember the Corvair? (Picture 15)
The 1948 Tucker sedan (Picture 16) with its swooping fenders and 6 exhaust pipes looks like a Buck Rogers comic book rocket ship. The center light turns with the front wheels to illuminate corners. You can see the taillights from the side for safety. The doors curve into the roof for easier access, and the grilles on the rear fenders feed cooling air to the rear-mounted engine. It had a huge trunk. Only 51 cars were sold before financial troubles killed the company.
There was a section on the evolution of the RV. Henry Ford gave this trailer to his friend Charles Lindbergh in 1942. (Picture 17) Charles and his wife used it as a home on the road and as a spare room and study at home.
This 1975 FMC motorhome (Picture 18) was used by Charles Kuralt when he taped the show, "On the Road", which lasted 27 years. It carried a 3-man TV crew on America's back roads, where they inspired others to travel and camp. No one ever slept in it. His crew modified the interior, creating storage for equipment and film. It was like a rolling studio. They went to all 50 states and traveled more than 1,000,000 miles. The motorhome cost $27,000 when the average wage was $8,632.
There were a lot of huge trains on exhibit. The 1601 was an "articulated engine," which is a more powerful engine. (Picture 19) I know Dean thought the Canadian train (Picture 20) was really special, but he's in bed, so I can't tell you what is special about it. Maybe I can get him to comment tomorrow.
Our grand finale was a trip to the IMAX to see "Rocky Mountain Express" about the Canadian train and building the railway. We only paid $4.50 each because after the first admission, each subsequent admission is 50% off. Dean really isn't into visiting period houses, but I've heard that their Greenfield Village is the best attraction of all. I would recommend visiting the Henry Ford.
Staying at Sterling State Park--$132 + $29 for an annual pass (or $8/day) FHU, 50 amps, great satellite reception, paved roads and pads, grass, fire pits, right on Lake Erie, some smell from nearby smokestack, very accommodating rangers