“Hidden History of Detroit”, by Amy Elliott Bragg

 

160 pages, The History Press, ISBN-13: 978-1609492694

I read Hidden History of Detroit by Amy Elliott Bragg in conjunction with Detroit: A Motor City History (reviewed on November 7^th, 2022) and, between the two, Bragg’s book was more entertaining, if not necessarily more enlightening. This breezy, fun look at Detroit’s past is not so much a straight-up history of the Motor City as it is a series of engaging topics and personalities, some of whom even I had never heard of before. This is the Motor City before the motor: a muddy port town full of grog shops, horse races, haphazard cemeteries and enterprising boot-strappers from all over the nation and even the world, many of whom were eccentric characters after whom the major streets of the city are named.

Some chapters ruminate on themes – bars, streets and cemeteries – and some on personalities – such as the fugitive who founded the city, the tobacco magnate who haunts his shuttered factory, the gambler prankster millionaire who built a monument to himself and the historians who created the story of Detroit as we know it: one of the oldest, rowdiest and most enigmatic cities in the Midwest. Often jumping backward and forward decades at a time, Bragg has a knack for highlighting memorable moments that you’ll almost certainly retell over a drink, from Detroit’s ill-fated experiment with wood roads to Jefferson Avenue’s naming (after Lewis Cass’ friend TJ) to the story of Vernor’s namesake – there’s not a dull page.

While not by any means the most comprehensive history you’ll find on Detroit, these funny, warm and surprisingly personal essays are an entertaining and well-assembled introduction to Detroit’s murky origins.