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Dateline History
1603: French lay claim to undefined territory in this region, naming it New
France.
July 24, 1701: Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and his soldiers first land at what
is now Detroit.
Nov. 29, 1760: British take control of this area from France.
1780: Pierre Dumais clears farm near what is today Morningside Street in
Dearborn’s South End. First non-Native American activity in present-day
Dearborn.
1783: United States annexes British territory around the Great Lakes and
southward.
1786: Agreed year of first permanent settler in present-day Dearborn.
1787: Territory of the U.S. north and west of the Ohio River is officially
proclaimed the Northwest Territory.
Dec. 26, 1791: Detroit and environs become part of Kent County in Upper Canada
(Ontario).
1795: James Cissne becomes first settler in what is now west Dearborn.
1796: Wayne County is formed. Original area is 2 million square miles,
stretching from Cleveland to Chicago and northwest to Canada.
May 7, 1800: Indiana Territory, which includes part of Michigan, including the
Dearborn area, created out of part of Northwest Territory.
Jan. 11, 1805: Michigan Territory officially created out of part of Indiana
Territory.
June 11, 1805: Fire destroys most of Detroit.
1812: Wayne County formally established by proclamation of governor of Northwest
Territory.
Nov. 15, 1815: Current boundaries of Wayne County drawn, county split into 18
townships.
Jan. 5, 1818: Springwells Township established by Gov. Lewis Cass.
Oct. 23, 1824: Bucklin Township created by Gov. Lewis Cass. The area ran from
Greenfield to approximately Haggerty and from Van Born to Eight Mile.
1826: Conrad Ten Eyck builds Ten Eyck Tavern at Michigan Avenue and Rouge River.
1827: Wayne County’s boundaries changed to its current 615 square miles.
April 12, 1827: Springwells and Bucklin townships formally organized and laid
out by gubernatorial act.
March 31, 1833: Greenfield Township created from north and west sections of Springwells Township, including what is today east Dearborn.
April 1, 1833: Dearborn Township created from southern half of Redford Township
south of Bonaparte Avenue (Joy Road).
1833-39: Detroit Arsenal built.
Jan. 26, 1837: Michigan admitted to the union as the 26th state. Stevens Thomas
Mason is first governor.
1837: Michigan Central Railroad extended through Springwells Township. Hamlet of
Springwells rises along railroad.
April 5, 1838: Village of Dearbornville incorporates. Village unincorporated May
11, 1846.
1849: Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Brooklyn Street.
Feb. 12, 1857: Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Grand Boulevard.
March 25, 1873: Springwells Township annexes back section of Greenfield Township
south of Tireman.
May 28, 1875: Postmaster general changes name of Dearbornville post office to
Dearborn post office, hence changing name of area to Dearborn.
1875: Detroit Arsenal officially closes.
1876: William A. Nowlin writes “The Bark Covered House” in honor of country’s
100th birthday.
June 20, 1884: Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Livernois.
1889: First telephone installed in Dearborn at St. Joseph’s Retreat.
March 24, 1893: Village of Dearborn incorporates.
1906: Detroit annexes another section of Springwells Township.
1916: Detroit annexes more of Springwells Township, forming Dearborn’s eastern
boundary.
1917: Rouge “Eagle” Plant opens.
Nov. 1, 1919: The first house numbering ordinance in Dearborn starts. Residents
required to place standard plate number on right side of the main house entrance
five feet up.
Dec. 9, 1919: Springwells Township incorporates as village of Springwells.
Dec. 27, 1923: Voters approve incorporation of Springwells as a city. It
officially became a city April 7, 1924.
Sept. 9, 1924: Village of Warrendale incorporates.
November 1924: Ford Airport opens.
April 6, 1925: Warrendale voters and residents of remaining Greenfield Township
approve annexation by Detroit.
May 26, 1925: Village of Dearborn annexes large portion of Dearborn Township.
Dec. 23, 1925: Springwells changes name to city of Fordson.
Feb. 15, 1926: First U.S. airmail delivery made, going from Ford Airport in
Dearborn to Cleveland.
Sept. 14, 1926: Election approves incorporation of village of Inkster.
Unincorporated part of Dearborn Township split into two unconnected sections.
Oct. 11, 1926: Only dirigible to moor in Dearborn docks at Ford Airport.
Feb. 14, 1927: Village of Dearborn residents approve vote to become a city.
June 12, 1928: Voters in Dearborn, Fordson and part of Dearborn Township vote to
consolidate into one city.
Jan. 9, 1929: Clyde Ford elected as first mayor of “new” Dearborn.
1929: Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village opens.
July 1, 1931: Dearborn Inn opens as one of first airport hotels in world.
June 19, 1936: Montgomery Ward opens in Dearborn.
May 26, 1937: Harry Bennett’s Ford “service” men beat UAW official Richard
Frankensteen in the Battle of the Overpass.
June 21, 1941: Ford Motor Co. signs its first union contract.
Jan. 6, 1942: Orville L. Hubbard takes office as mayor of Dearborn for first
time.
April 7, 1947: Henry Ford dies.
Oct. 20, 1947: Dearborn City Council OK’s purchase of land near Milford for what
would become Camp Dearborn. First section of camp opens following year.
Oct. 21, 1947: Ford Airport officially closes.
1950: First Pleasant Hours senior citizen group formed.
1950: Dearborn Historical Museum formally established.
January 1952: Oakwood Hospital formally opened and dedicated.
April 22, 1958: Election held to annex part of south Dearborn Township to
Dearborn. Proposal fails.
April 6, 1959: Election held to annex part of north Dearborn Township to
Dearborn. Proposal fails.
March 4, 1960: Petition filed to incorporate Dearborn Township and strip of
Inkster into city of Dearborn Heights. Village of Inkster files petition for cityhood March 7 and a bill of complaint against Dearborn Heights incorporation
March 11.
June 20, 1960: Voters approve incorporation of Dearborn Township into city of
Dearborn Heights.
1962: St. Joseph’s Retreat closed and razed.
1962: New Henry Ford Community College campus dedicated.
Nov. 9, 1962: Ford Rotunda burns down.
April 8, 1963: Dearborn Heights becomes a city at 8:05 a.m.; John L. Canfield is
first mayor.
Feb. 15, 1966: Election held to annex 1.52-square-mile section of Taylor
Township north of I-94 to Dearborn Heights. Vote fails.
1967: Dearborn Towers in Clearwater, Fla., opens.
July 15, 1967: First Dearborn Heights post office opens.
August 1974: John Canfield steps down as mayor because of health problems. John
Harris named interim mayor and is permanently appointed in January 1975.
March 12, 1975: John Canfield dies.
March 2, 1976: Fairlane Town Center opens.
1978: John O’Reilly becomes mayor of Dearborn; Frank Swapka becomes mayor of
Dearborn Heights.
March 14, 1980: Dearborn Heights Mayor Frank Swapka dies. City Council appoints
Donald Bishop new mayor.
Nov. 6, 1981: Cable television reaches first home in Dearborn. First home is on
Abbot Street.
Dec. 16, 1982: Orville Hubbard dies.
1986: Michael Guido becomes Dearborn mayor.
1986: Lyle Van Houten becomes mayor of Dearborn Heights.
1994: Ruth Canfield, John’s daughter, becomes mayor of Dearborn Heights.
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