IM Ford Plant
15 artifacts in this set
Map, "Active Ford Plants in Upper Michigan," January 1945
Photographic print
Through the 1940s, Ford Motor Company maintained significant facilities in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Sawmills at Iron Mountain, Pequaming, L'Anse, and Alberta produced wood for car bodies. Another mill was planned at Munising but never put into production. Ford owned nearly the entire town of Big Bay and operated its inn as a summer retreat for company executives.
Aerial View of Ford Motor Company Iron Mountain Plant, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 1946
Photographic print
Ford Motor Company's Iron Mountain plant, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, produced wood body frames and parts for the automaker's various models. After Ford adopted all-steel sedan bodies for the 1937 model year, Iron Mountain focused on station wagon bodies. Some 300 skilled craftspeople worked at the plant until 1952, when Ford wagons switched to all-steel bodies.
Drawing of World War II Gliders Made at the Ford Iron Mountain Plant, Iron Mountain, Michigan, circa 1943
Photographic print
The Waco CG-4A glider was widely used by the U.S. Army to deliver troops and cargo to the battlefront during World War II. In 1942, Ford Motor Company retooled its extensive sawmill complex in Iron Mountain, Michigan, to build these wood, steel and cloth aircraft for the Army. Iron Mountain workers made over 4,000 gliders -- more than any other production facility.
Workers on Assembly Line for Glider Production, Iron Mountain, Michigan, 1942
Photographic print
Ford's Iron Mountain plant, part of an extensive sawmill complex in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was retooled during World War II to produce wooden CG-4A gliders for the U.S. Army. Here, workers assemble the light aircraft, which had no motor or propellers. A pilot and copilot could silently land these gliders to deliver supplies, equipment, or up to 13 additional soldiers.
Rough Lumber for Ford "Woody" Station Wagons, Iron Mountain Plant, December 1946
Photographic print
Ford Motor Company's Iron Mountain plant, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, produced wood body frames and parts for the automaker's various models. After Ford adopted all-steel sedan bodies for the 1937 model year, Iron Mountain focused on station wagon bodies. Some 300 skilled craftspeople worked at the plant until 1952, when Ford wagons switched to all-steel bodies.
Manufacturing Wooden Body Parts for Ford Station Wagons, Iron Mountain Plant, December 1946
Photographic print
Ford Motor Company's Iron Mountain plant, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, produced wood body frames and parts for the automaker's various models. After Ford adopted all-steel sedan bodies for the 1937 model year, Iron Mountain focused on station wagon bodies. Some 300 skilled craftspeople worked at the plant until 1952, when Ford wagons switched to all-steel bodies.
Partially Assembled Body for a Ford "Woody" Station Wagon, Iron Mountain Plant, December 1946
Photographic print
Ford Motor Company's Iron Mountain plant, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, produced wood body frames and parts for the automaker's various models. After Ford adopted all-steel sedan bodies for the 1937 model year, Iron Mountain focused on station wagon bodies. Some 300 skilled craftspeople worked at the plant until 1952, when Ford wagons switched to all-steel bodies.
Ford Motor Company Iron Mountain Plant Glider Production Workers, 1942
Photographic print
Ford's Iron Mountain plant, part of an extensive sawmill complex in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was retooled during World War II to produce wooden CG-4A gliders for the U.S. Army. These workers assembled the light aircraft, which had no motor or propellers. A pilot and copilot could silently land these gliders to deliver supplies, equipment, or up to 13 additional soldiers.
Interior View of Sawmill at Ford Iron Mountain Plant, Iron Mountain, Michigan, 1946
Photographic print
In pursuit of self-sufficient automobile manufacture, Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company purchased over 313,000 acres of timberland for logging in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A massive sawmill complex was constructed at Iron Mountain, including this plant which produced automotive body parts. These workers use a machine to saw huge logs for use on Ford "woody" station wagons.
View of Rear Tire Carrier of Woody Station Wagon, 1946
Photographic print
In March 1946, Ford Motor Company sent photographers to its Iron Mountain plant on the Menominee River in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where workers produced handcrafted station wagon bodies from local hardwood. This photo shows the spare tire carrier and tailgate on what appears to be an early mock-up of the 1949 Ford wagon.
Assembly of Ford "Woody" Station Wagons, Iron Mountain Plant, circa 1947
Photographic print
Ford Motor Company's Iron Mountain plant, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, produced wood body frames and parts for the automaker's various models. After Ford adopted all-steel sedan bodies for the 1937 model year, Iron Mountain focused on station wagon bodies. Some 300 skilled craftspeople worked at the plant until 1952, when Ford wagons switched to all-steel bodies.
Wurlitzer Model 1015 Jukebox, 1946-1947
Jukebox
Wurlitzer's Model 1015 was America's iconic jukebox. A familiar sight in restaurants, bars and dance halls, this jukebox let customers pay small change to choose from 24 hit records. Many Americans encountered rock and roll on a "1015 bubbler" like this one.
1966 Ford Station Wagon Advertisement, "Classic - Son of Classic"
Advertisement
The automobile is a paradox -- a practical tool that plays host to both human needs and fantasies. Like car consumers, automotive ads seem to land somewhere between fantasy and reality, emotions and rationality. Many ads incorporate apparent opposites: fantasy can sell practicality, and vice versa. Sometimes the car has disappeared completely -- an emotional appeal prompts us to complete the ad.
Ford Motor Company Iron Mountain Plant, Wood Body Station Wagon Assembly, circa 1949
Photographic print
Ford Motor Company built wood station wagon bodies at its Iron Mountain plant in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. For 1949, Ford eliminated wood framing from its wagons in favor of steel. Wood was still used on the wagons, but in the form of specially laminated paneling bolted onto the steel frames. Iron Mountain closed when Ford switched to all-steel wagons in 1952.
Workmen Assembling Gliders, Iron Mountain, Michigan, 1942
Photographic print
Ford's Iron Mountain plant, part of an extensive sawmill complex in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was retooled during World War II to produce wooden CG-4A gliders for the U.S. Army. Here, workers assemble the light aircraft, which had no motor or propellers. A pilot and copilot could silently land these gliders to deliver supplies, equipment, or up to 13 additional soldiers.
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