The Rouge as Seen by Diego Rivera

In 1927, Ford Motor Company commissioned Charles Sheeler to do a series of documentary photographs of its River Rouge industrial complex near Dearborn, Michigan. The conveyors moved coal and coke to the pulverizing building and screening stations. Coke made from coal was used in the steelmaking process of the blast furnaces. This vigorous photograph shows Sheeler's ability to form a compelling image from a complicated scene.

To fuel the Rouge Plant's blast furnaces, Ford purchased several bituminous coal mines. Because bituminous coal was relatively impure, coking ovens were constructed at the Rouge complex within reach of dockside coal bins. The ovens coked the coal, releasing gases and removing impurities. Products of the process included coke for the furnaces, gas, and a number of other useful by-products.

In 1927 Ford Motor Company commissioned Charles Sheeler to do a series of documentary photographs of its River Rouge industrial complex near Dearborn, Michigan. This photograph shows a blast furnace cast house. The bustle pipe, used to blast hot air into the furnace, encircles the base. Sheeler captures the breathtaking moment when the brightly shining molten metal illuminates the interior.

Steel production at Ford's Rouge Plant encompassed every step from start to finish. Two massive blast furnaces operated 24 hours a day to feed a unique process that rarely allowed molten iron to cool before steelmaking or casting. Instead, ladles on railroad tracks waited below the furnaces to be filled with up to 75 tons of the lava-like metal for transport.

Charles Sheeler was commissioned to photograph Ford Motor Company's brand new River Rouge plant in 1927. This portrait of an enormous forging die is one of the few shots showing workers. Sheeler focused instead on the buildings and machinery that he considered "incomparably the most thrilling" subjects he had ever photographed. His Rouge work quickly became an icon of modern industry.

A worker shovels debris in the Ford Rouge Plant's open-hearth building, where ten monstrous furnaces worked day and night to produce steel for plant operations. Suspended behind him is the giant hook of a 125-ton crane. Its job was to transport massive ladles (one is partially visible, left) of molten metal through the steelmaking process.

To produce steel for Rouge plant operations, Ford used ten open-hearth furnaces with a capacity of at least 180 tons. The furnaces operated day and night, producing nearly 2,000 tons of steel daily. The process relied on cranes and railcars to transport colossal ladles like the one seen here. Each of them carried 75 tons of molten metal.

To produce steel for Rouge plant operations, Ford used ten open-hearth furnaces. The furnaces, each with a capacity of at least 180 tons, resided here in the open-hearth building. These workers used a steam-powered shearer to smash scrap metal into small pieces. The bits of metal joined with molten iron in one of the furnaces and eventually became steel.

In 1927 Ford Motor Company commissioned Charles Sheeler to do a series of documentary photographs of their River Rouge industrial complex near Dearborn, Michigan. This photograph shows a crane taking scrap metal from railroad cars onto elevated conveyors leading into the foundry. Sheeler chose a diagonal perspective for this scene, accentuating it with lines of railroad tracks.

These slag pots transported white-hot slag to cooling pits at Ford's River Rouge Plant. Slag is a by-product of the iron-making process. It was skimmed from the blast furnaces and caught in the buggies waiting below. After it cooled, workers recovered the slag to produce cement for plant use and sale to the public.

In 1927 Ford Motor Company commissioned Charles Sheeler to do a series of documentary photographs of its River Rouge industrial complex near Dearborn, Michigan. The enormous traveling bridge crane dominates this photograph of the storage bins next to the boat slip. It unloads iron ore, limestone, and coal from ships and trains. The railroad cars in front contrast with the background architectural elements.

Completed in 1928 along the newly dredged River Rouge, Ford Motor Company's Rouge Plant quickly became an icon of modern industrial productivity. The factory's ship salvaging project exemplified Henry Ford's vision of efficiency at the plant. Workers disassembled surplus vessels, saving hardware and reconditioning functional machinery. Then, in the Rouge's production foundry, they melted down remaining scraps into reusable steel.

Completed in 1928 along the newly dredged River Rouge, Ford Motor Company's Rouge Plant quickly became an icon of modern industrial productivity. The factory's ship salvaging project exemplified Henry Ford's vision of efficiency at the plant. Workers disassembled surplus vessels, saving hardware and reconditioning functional machinery. Then, in the Rouge's production foundry, they melted down remaining scraps into reusable steel.

In 1927 Ford Motor Company commissioned Charles Sheeler to do a series of documentary photographs of their River Rouge industrial complex near Dearborn, Michigan. This photograph focuses on the dismantling of surplus ships in the boat slip. After reclaiming usable parts, the steel is cut into scrap and melted down in the production foundry. Sheeler balances this activity with a landscape background of factory buildings.

Completed in 1928 along the newly dredged River Rouge, Ford Motor Company's Rouge Plant quickly became an icon of modern industrial productivity. The factory's ship salvaging project exemplified Henry Ford's vision of efficiency at the plant. Workers disassembled surplus vessels, saving hardware and reconditioning functional machinery. Then, in the Rouge's production foundry, they melted down remaining scraps into reusable steel.

Completed in 1928 along the newly dredged River Rouge, Ford Motor Company's Rouge Plant quickly became an icon of modern industrial productivity. The factory's ship salvaging project exemplified Henry Ford's vision of efficiency at the plant. Workers disassembled surplus vessels, saving hardware and reconditioning functional machinery. Then, in the Rouge's production foundry, they melted down remaining scraps into reusable steel.

In 1917, Henry Ford purchased a yacht. He retained the vessel's given name, Sialia, the scientific name for the bluebird. Intended as private transportation during trips to investigate possible industrial supply sources, Sialia also carried the Fords and their guests on family excursions. The yacht remained in use--or docked at her home port, Ford Motor Company's Rouge plant--until 1929.

On May 26, 1927, Henry Ford and his son Edsel drove out of the Highland Park Plant in the fifteen millionth Model T. An additional 458,781 cars would be assembled in various branch plants, but this was the symbolic end of Model T production.

After years of slumping sales for the aging Model T, Ford Motor Company introduced its all-new Model A for 1928. Henry Ford launched production by stamping the serial number "A-1" into the first Model A engine on October 20, 1927. Ford officially revealed the car to the public six weeks later.

The 1928 Model A was the first automobile completely built at the Rouge, Ford Motor Company's massive factory complex in Dearborn, Michigan. While Model T engines and parts had been manufactured at the Rouge for several years, final assembly of the cars themselves remained at Ford's Highland Park plant. The Model A brought new significance to the growing Rouge factory.

The 1928 Model A was the first automobile completely built at the Rouge, Ford Motor Company's massive factory complex in Dearborn, Michigan. While Model T engines and parts had been manufactured at the Rouge for several years, final assembly of the cars themselves remained at Ford's Highland Park plant. The Model A brought new significance to the growing Rouge factory.

The 1928 Model A was the first automobile completely built at the Rouge, Ford Motor Company's massive factory complex in Dearborn, Michigan. While Model T engines and parts had been manufactured at the Rouge for several years, final assembly of the cars themselves remained at Ford's Highland Park plant. The Model A brought new significance to the growing Rouge factory.

The 1928 Model A was the first automobile completely built at the Rouge, Ford Motor Company's massive factory complex in Dearborn, Michigan. While Model T engines and parts had been manufactured at the Rouge for several years, final assembly of the cars themselves remained at Ford's Highland Park plant. The Model A brought new significance to the growing Rouge factory.

The 1928 Model A was the first automobile completely built at the Rouge, Ford Motor Company's massive factory complex in Dearborn, Michigan. While Model T engines and parts had been manufactured at the Rouge for several years, final assembly of the cars themselves remained at Ford's Highland Park plant. The Model A brought new significance to the growing Rouge factory.

The pressed-steel building at Ford Motor Company's Rouge plant produced steel components like automobile fenders, body panels, and roof sections. In the late 1930s, the building had more than 4,000 presses, and 10,000 workers turned out more than 2,000 different parts. Some of those parts were used at the Rouge, and some were shipped to other Ford assembly plants.

Engineers at Ford's Highland Park plant fine-tuned the moving assembly line. With this experience, Ford created the "B" Building at its new River Rouge complex with extensive conveyer systems to accommodate the flow of parts and processes. Here, line workers prepare Model A chassis on the assembly line. Ford's Model A was the first automobile fully built at the Rouge.

Workers at the Ford Rouge plant's foundry poured a molten mixture of metal, coke, and limestone into molds to create cast-metal engine blocks and parts. Once "shaken out" of their molds, castings were roughly machined before heading elsewhere for finishing and assembly. The Rouge foundry set an industry benchmark in 1932 by successfully casting Ford's intricate, single-piece V-8 engine block.

This aerial view shows Ford Motor Company's sprawling Rouge plant--the largest, most efficient manufacturing complex of its time. Ford established its administrative headquarters here in 1928, around the same time the company began manufacturing automobiles from start to finish at the plant. The Rouge became not only central to Ford's operation but an icon of modern industrial efficiency.

The Ford Motor Company produced its 20 millionth automobile -- a black Town Sedan -- in 1931. The car rolled off Ford's Rouge plant assembly line on April 14th, and it then embarked on a nationwide publicity tour. This photograph shows Henry Ford driving the car off the assembly line; Edsel is in the passenger seat.

This aerial view shows Ford Motor Company's sprawling Rouge plant--the largest, most efficient manufacturing complex of its time. Ford established its administrative headquarters here in 1928, around the same time the company began manufacturing automobiles from start to finish at the plant. The Rouge became not only central to Ford's operation but an icon of modern industrial efficiency.

By 1931, Ford Motor Company was the largest employer of African-American workers in the country. Henry Ford was closely tied to leaders in Detroit's African-American community, especially with the pastors of two of the city's largest churches, Rev. Robert Bradby of 2nd Baptist and Rev. Everard Daniel of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church. Through these men, many recent arrivals were directed to the Ford Employment Office. Although Ford employed large numbers of African Americans, there were limits to how far most could advance. Many African-American workers spent their time in lower paying, dirty, dangerous, and unhealthy jobs in places like this Cyanide Foundry that used potassium cyanide, a key material in hardening steel.

In the final stages of assembly, the body of a 1931 Ford Model A is lowered onto its chassis. Ford's assembly line resembled a river system. Smaller lines or "streams" fed components -- frames, engines, wheels, bodies -- to the larger final line. All the parts came together in this main "river" line where the car took shape in its completed form.

This interior view of the telegraph department at the Ford Administration Building shows several employees working at their desks. The variety of devices they are using--including typewriters and telegraphs in "sounder boxes"--captures evidence of a "connected" workforce--constantly receiving, processing, and exchanging information.

Ford Motor Company's ore carrier Benson Ford is seen docked at Ford's Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Built in 1924, the Benson Ford carried iron ore from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Rouge, where the ore was processed into steel. The Benson Ford was decommissioned in 1981.

Engineers at Ford's Highland Park plant had fine-tuned the moving assembly line. With this experience in hand, Ford created the "B" Building at its new River Rouge complex with extensive conveyer systems to accommodate the flow of parts and assembly processes. Here, line workers prepare chassis on the assembly line before they are coupled with their respective bodies.

Henry Ford's River Rouge Plant, developed between 1917 and 1928, employed more than 100,000 people at its peak in the 1930s. The Rouge Plant started with raw materials and rolled a completely new vehicle off the line every 49 seconds. In this image, workers on the assembly line at the Rouge Plant join an automobile body with its chassis.

Workers put the final touches on a 1932 Ford Model 18 equipped with the company's new V-8 engine. Ford's assembly line resembled a river system. Smaller lines or "streams" fed components -- frames, engines, wheels, bodies -- to the larger final line. All the parts came together in this main "river" line where the car took shape in its completed form.

The suspended bucket in this photograph is an ore unloader. Workers at docks on the River Rouge scooped iron ore from the holds of freighters into the jaws of these unloaders. The large aerial shovels carried their loads along transfer cranes and deposited them into concrete-walled storage bins. Workers at Ford's Rouge Plant used the ore to produce steel.

Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company revolutionized the automobile market again in 1932 with the introduction of the company's V-8 engine. By casting the engine's block as single piece, Ford kept manufacturing costs down and made the engine affordable to consumers. The venerable engine remained in production until 1953.

Engines were built in the motor building at Ford Motor Company's Rouge plant. The Rouge produced four-cylinder Model T engines from 1924 to 1927, when they were replaced by four-cylinder Model A engines. In turn, these were superseded by Ford's V-8 in 1932. Each V-8 crankshaft underwent 58 distinct milling, grinding, and checking operations during its production process.

Engineers at Ford's Highland Park plant fine-tuned the moving assembly line. With this experience, Ford created the "B" Building at its new River Rouge complex with extensive conveyer systems to accommodate the flow of parts and processes. Here, a milling machine performs a roughing operation on brake drums. Ford automobiles didn't receive hydraulic brakes until the 1939 model year.

Workers at the Ford Rouge Plant foundry poured a molten mixture of metal, coke, and limestone into molds to create engine blocks. Once "shaken out" of their molds, castings were roughly machined before heading elsewhere for finishing and assembly. The Rouge foundry set an industry benchmark in 1932 with the successful casting of Ford's intricate, single-piece V-8 engine block.

The world's largest integrated factory, the Ford River Rouge Complex, was completed in 1928. It quickly became an icon of modern industrial efficiency. The vast Rouge Plant serves as a backdrop for Henry Ford -- founder of Ford Motor Company -- and his son Edsel Ford -- Ford Motor Company president -- in this 1933 photograph.

Henry Ford's vision for the River Rouge Plant was self-sufficiency. This map illustrates the Rouge's grounds and facilities. It also provides descriptions of some daily operations in this massive complex -- from the 5,000 men whose sole responsibility was cleaning buildings to the by-product plant workers who recovered tar, gas, and crude oil from the coking process for plant consumption.