Unearthed Marker Plotted Detroit's Future Growth

Long buried, 200-year-old pillar marks start of Detroit's mile roads.

1 minute read

May 21, 2003, 6:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

Almost 200 years ago, after Detroit had burned to the ground, Judge Augustus Woodward plotted out a new metropolis. As the linchpin, the city's first urban planners buried a 6-foot granite pillar at Woodward and Michigan, from which surveyors have extended streets, mile roads and the city limits for decades.

Thanks to J. Barrett

Read the full story: Buried pillar helped planners shape whole area

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 in The Detroit Free Press

History / Preservation Michigan

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