Ford Radio and Fordlandia

Ford and Fordson Power Exposition Caravan and Radio Truck, Seaside, Oregon, 1922

Photographic print

Map Showing Routes of Communication between Dearborn, Michigan and Fordlandia, Brazil, circa 1928

Map (Document)

Henry Ford established Fordlandia and Belterra in the Brazilian rainforest to supply rubber for automobiles. He began shipping machinery and supplies to the Amazon in 1928. This map traced the routes by which materials were sent from Ford's facilities in Dearborn, Michigan, to Fordlandia, some 3,600 miles away. The plantations failed and Ford Motor Company abandoned the project in 1945.

Legend for Map Showing Routes of Communication Between Dearborn, Michigan and Fordlandia, Brazil, circa 1928

Key (Text)

Henry Ford established Fordlandia and Belterra in the Brazilian rainforest to supply rubber for automobiles. He began shipping machinery and supplies to the Amazon in 1928. This map traced the routes by which materials were sent from Ford's facilities in Dearborn, Michigan, to Fordlandia, some 3,600 miles away. The plantations failed and Ford Motor Company abandoned the project in 1945.

Generator in Power House at Fordlandia, Brazil, 1931

Photographic print

Henry Ford established Fordlandia and Belterra in the Brazilian rainforest to supply rubber for automobile production. He began shipping machinery and supplies to the Amazon in 1928. Ford paid the indigenous workers good wages and supplied various amenities -- he also imposed foreign work traditions and behavioral restrictions which the workers resented. The plantations failed and Ford Motor Company disposed of the project in 1945.

Power House and Water Tower at Fordlandia, Brazil, 1931

Photographic print

Henry Ford established Fordlandia and Belterra in the Brazilian rainforest to supply rubber for automobile production. He began shipping machinery and supplies to the Amazon in 1928. Ford paid the indigenous workers good wages and supplied various amenities -- he also imposed foreign work traditions and behavioral restrictions which the workers resented. The plantations failed and Ford Motor Company disposed of the project in 1945.

Sawmill and Power House at Fordlandia, Brazil, 1931

Photographic print

Henry Ford established Fordlandia and Belterra in the Brazilian rainforest to supply rubber for automobile production. He began shipping machinery and supplies to the Amazon in 1928. Ford paid the indigenous workers good wages and supplied various amenities -- he also imposed foreign work traditions and behavioral restrictions which the workers resented. The plantations failed and Ford Motor Company disposed of the project in 1945.

Radio Power House, Fordlandia, Brazil, 1929

Photographic print

Radio Transmitter House, Fordlandia, Brazil, 1929

Photographic print

Storage Batteries in Radio Power House, Fordlandia, Brazil, 1929

Photographic print

Delco Battery Charger for Radio Power House, Fordlandia, Brazil, 1929

Photographic print

Radio Power House Motor Generator Set, Fordlandia, Brazil, 1929

Photographic print

Stone Road Leading to Hospital, Fordlandia, Brazil, 1929

Photographic print

Henry Ford established Fordlandia and Belterra in the Brazilian rainforest to supply rubber for automobile production. He began shipping machinery and supplies to the Amazon in 1928. Ford paid the indigenous workers good wages and supplied various amenities -- he also imposed foreign work traditions and behavioral restrictions which the workers resented. The plantations failed and Ford Motor Company disposed of the project in 1945.

Radio Transmitter Station, Fordlandia, Brazil, 1929

Photographic print

Henry Ford established Fordlandia and Belterra in the Brazilian rainforest to supply rubber for automobile production. He began shipping machinery and supplies to the Amazon in 1928. Ford paid the indigenous workers good wages and supplied various amenities -- he also imposed foreign work traditions and behavioral restrictions which the workers resented. The plantations failed and Ford Motor Company disposed of the project in 1945.

Ford Motor Company Radio Station WWI, Dearborn, Michigan, February 1924

Photographic print

Henry Ford experimented with radio in the early 1920s. In March 1922 he received permission to broadcast publicly using call letters WWI. Ford's 250-watt station, based in Dearborn, broadcast only a couple of hours each day with programming limited to talks, dramatic readings, and musical performances. Ford lost interest in the venture, and WWI stopped broadcasting in February 1926.

Ford Motor Company Radio Station WWI, Dearborn, Michigan, February 1924

Photographic print

Henry Ford experimented with radio in the early 1920s. In March 1922 he received permission to broadcast publicly using call letters WWI. Ford's 250-watt station, based in Dearborn, broadcast only a couple of hours each day with programming limited to talks, dramatic readings, and musical performances. Ford lost interest in the venture, and WWI stopped broadcasting in February 1926.

Ford Motor Company Radio Station WWI, Dearborn, Michigan, February 1924

Photographic print

Henry Ford experimented with radio in the early 1920s. In March 1922 he received permission to broadcast publicly using call letters WWI. Ford's 250-watt station, based in Dearborn, broadcast only a couple of hours each day with programming limited to talks, dramatic readings, and musical performances. Ford lost interest in the venture, and WWI stopped broadcasting in February 1926.

Ford Motor Company Radio Station WWI, Dearborn, Michigan, February 1924

Photographic print

Henry Ford experimented with radio in the early 1920s. In March 1922 he received permission to broadcast publicly using call letters WWI. Ford's 250-watt station, based in Dearborn, broadcast only a couple of hours each day with programming limited to talks, dramatic readings, and musical performances. Ford lost interest in the venture, and WWI stopped broadcasting in February 1926.

Ford Motor Company Radio Station WWI, Dearborn, Michigan, March 1925

Photographic print

Henry Ford experimented with radio in the early 1920s. In March 1922 he received permission to broadcast publicly using call letters WWI. Ford's 250-watt station, based in Dearborn, broadcast only a couple of hours each day with programming limited to talks, dramatic readings, and musical performances. Ford lost interest in the venture, and WWI stopped broadcasting in February 1926.

Ford Motor Company Radio Station WWI, Dearborn, Michigan, August 1924

Photographic print

Henry Ford experimented with radio in the early 1920s. In March 1922 he received permission to broadcast publicly using call letters WWI. Ford's 250-watt station, based in Dearborn, broadcast only a couple of hours each day with programming limited to talks, dramatic readings, and musical performances. Ford lost interest in the venture, and WWI stopped broadcasting in February 1926.

Ford Motor Company Radio Station WWI, Dearborn, Michigan, September 1926

Photographic print

Henry Ford experimented with radio in the early 1920s. In March 1922 he received permission to broadcast publicly using call letters WWI. Ford's 250-watt station, based in Dearborn, broadcast only a couple of hours each day with programming limited to talks, dramatic readings, and musical performances. Ford lost interest in the venture, and WWI stopped broadcasting in February 1926.

"Ford Summer Hour," Program for Sunday, August 24, 1941

Program (Document)

The Ford Summer Hour was a radio program produced from 1939 to 1941 by Ford Motor Company as a summer replacement for their regular Ford Sunday Evening Hour. The broadcast featured popular songs and tunes from musical comedies and operettas. Ford's sponsorship did not allow for commercials, but an intermission included talks on Ford-related subjects, such as the company's rubber plantation in Brazil.

Tintype Portrait of Linton Wells and Fay Gillis Wells, Taken at the Greenfield Village Tintype Studio, May 2, 1940

Tintype (Photograph)

Constructed in 1929, the tintype studio was a popular destination for Greenfield Village visitors. Many celebrities and other well-known people also stopped in to have their pictures taken. Fay Gillis Wells, a pioneer aviator, journalist, and broadcaster, and Linton Wells, a foreign correspondent and radio news analyst, posed for this portrait in 1940. They autographed it "in appreciation of a most memorable visit."