“The Proper People” Explore Ford’s Lost Power Plant So You Don’t Have To
I write this article with a modicum of concern, as sneaking into an abandoned building on private property is illegal and morally questionable. Urban exploration has turned into a bit of a phenomenon with the advent of social media, but the YouTube channel known as The Proper People threads the needle better than most. Respect is paramount, as to me, this genre of journalism gets more upsetting when it involves Detroit.
As a former Motor City resident, I don’t necessarily appreciate everyone documenting the downfall of this former powerhouse. (I’m sure I’m not the only person who feels that way.) We wrote a great piece about this issue, and the rebirth of Michigan Central Station gives us all hope. But there’s still despair, and some buildings will not live to tell their story.
Enter The Proper People and their tour of Ford’s lost power plant at the River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan. Like archaeologists at a historical dig, they take us through the Rouge’s former power plant with brilliant videography, insightful narration, and clever editing that sews vintage media into the tapestry of their story.
The facility endured an explosion back in 1999, with injuries and deaths in what was described as a “scene from hell.” There’s an argument to be made that Ford brought this upon themselves with cost cutting, but perhaps 25 years of time passing on this tragedy makes that discussion irrelevant.
I feel a tremendous amount of respect while watching The Proper People explore any building, but the Ford Rouge power plant takes the reverence to the next level. Consider how many jobs were created, as this building powered an entire company. And ponder how many millions (billions?) of vehicles were born from this building and the decrepit equipment resting within.
The sheer volume of money made from this power plant likely added to our country’s gross domestic product in meaningful ways for decades, so it’s far from an abandoned mall or any other structure you’d commonly find in the Ruins Photography genre of photojournalism.
All buildings have stories to tell, and perhaps someone should document it for all to see. The imagery present in The Proper People’s video of the Rouge power plant tells that story, and we are richer for seeing it.
I would be fascinated by the workings and what is left behind of this power plant. I would wander through it and take lots of pictures.
It would have been nice if these guys actually knew what they were looking at instead of speculating. This video could have been about 7 minutes long and we’d have got the gist of the plant. One thing it does for me is make me look for real info on this plant. Too bad at least some of the plant isn’t preserved like portions of the Bethlehem Steel plant in Pa.
It is good someone at least gets video on this as others can fill in the blanks they left.
We can’t save it all but good video will always be with us to tell the story.
I’m sure production numbers and profit figures are all researchable but these images help to comprehend the sheer magnitude of what those numbers mean. My mind reels trying to fathom selling enough cars, at enough of a profit, to finance the design, construction and manning of that facility. And then realizing it’s only one of many departments of the corporation.
AMAZING. Well done
Those are the same thoughts I had while watching this video. I remember hearing long long ago that it takes money to make money. And this amazing power plant truly proves that.
Since the video tells us that an active steel mill is still in service, does this mean they are still making automobiles at this site?
If, what do they do for electrical power for this assembly plant?
A third party energy company had a coal fired plant there until 2021. I am not sure what type of plant has powered the Rouge after that.
Sajeev- Great article and a nice diversion into industrial history. I would encourage anyone interested in this topic to visit https://www.alysshaevecsuk.com. Her treatment of the industrial sites in and near Bethlehem, PA is amazing. Full disclosure, I have two of her creations hanging in my living room.
I must also respectfully disagree with your following comment: “The facility endured an explosion back in 1999, with injuries and deaths in what was described as a “scene from hell.” There’s an argument to be made that Ford brought this upon themselves with cost cutting, but perhaps 25 years of time passing on this tragedy makes that discussion irrelevant.” If I interpreted the statement correctly, I’m not so sure any amount of time passed should ever make a work-related death or injury discussion “irrelevant” Thank you.
That’s a very good point. Online research for a story like this only takes me so far, so its hard to know what underlying problem(s) at the plant caused the failure. Not an irrelevant discussion, but not an easy one to discuss with any amount of certainty.
Thank you for your kind reply. The history of American industry is a fascinating topic. I hope you can be persuaded (And paid handsomely) to write more on this topic. Cheers.
The OMSI kid’s museum building in Portland is essentially this building revitalized. It works really well for a space. They even left one of the turbines for a display. I believe it was Power Station E back in the day… but can’t remember if I have the letter right.
Well I work in a large boiler house and have for many years. I see they didn’t have even the basic PPE. I’m sure that plant is just full of asbestos which is probably why it was it is not torn down yet. Although the video interesting, I could just imagine what can happen if they had gotten hurt.
Obviously you didn’t obtain permission to enter; nor did you take appropriate safety precautions or consider the possibility of an ugly scenario about to unfold? It seems the authorities should be notified of your visit if you haven’t done so.
Always too hard to resist temptation ignore the “No Trespassing ” sign, through the hole in the chain link fence, sneak and explore. I’ve never been in a complex as big as this. However on a smaller but still large scale, its familiar ( the crunchy sound under your feet ) Cement and large scale grain plants along abandoned railroad tracks for example. Huge storage and processing facilities. Yell and your voice will echo. Monuments to that era. There are still some remains of those times if you look. Following the railroad tracks on Seneca Lake ( Watkins Glen) you can still glimpse ‘Birdseye’ on the side of an old brick building when ice was harvested from frozen lakes.
We took a guided tour through the River Rouge plant in the 1970’s. We started with the steel furnaces and ended with the Mustangs and Cougars rolling out of the assembly area.
How many days did that tour take? 🙂
3/4 of a morning for me, in the late ’60s. My Dad had just finished restoring his ’27 Model T Sedan and wanted to see the factory where it was built. He owned some shares of FoMoCo, and got invitations to the annual meeting which happened to be near River Rouge facility. We ALSO saw acres of Mustangs and Cougars …
After the video I wondered why OSHA hadn’t intervened long before this tragedy.