[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 186 (Thursday, November 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1082]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOTORCITIES NATIONAL HERITAGE 
                                  AREA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 9, 2023

  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the MotorCities 
National Heritage Area (MCNHA) on the 25th anniversary of their 
founding. Their preservation and promotion of our area's unique 
automotive and labor history is worthy of commendation.
  The MCNHA was inspired by the 100th anniversary of the automobile, an 
invention that shaped not only our state but the entire 20th century. 
In 1896, Henry Ford test drove his first automobile, the Quadricycle, 
through the streets of Detroit. Legislation co-sponsored by two 
Michigan Congressmen, John D. Dingell and Joe Knollenburg, was signed 
into law in 1998 by President Clinton. This law designated over 10,000 
square miles, 260 municipalities and townships. and 1,200 auto and 
labor related sites as the MotorCities National Heritage Area.
  The automotive and labor history of the region begins with Henry Ford 
and the Ford Motor Company, founded in 1903 in Dearborn, MI. Key 
investors in that company were brothers Horace and John Dodge, who 
would go on to found their own brand of vehicles in 1914. The moving 
assembly line that Ford introduced in 1913 at their Highland Park Plant 
would revolutionize not only industry, but labor as well. Daily wages 
were more than doubled to $5, shifts were reduced from 9 to 8 hours 
long, and the mass production of vehicles allowed automobiles to become 
much more accessible to the average American. Major international 
automotive brands, like GM (1908), Chevrolet (1911), and Chrysler 
(1925), were also founded in the Detroit region at that time. Decades 
later, car factories were converted to produce bombers in order to help 
in the Second World War. The factories of this area, like Willow Run in 
Ypsilanti, were so crucial to the effort that this region came to be 
known as the ``Arsenal of Democracy''.
  Over the last 25 years, the MCNHA has built an appreciation in both 
residents and visitors for how the automobile changed Michigan, the 
nation, and the world. With the vast number of heritage sites across 
the region, the MCNHA started a grant program to focus on partnerships, 
connecting organizations and providing resources critical for 
preservation and promotion. It has directly provided over $1 million in 
grants to over 100 organizations to make these preservation, tourism, 
and educational projects a reality. The MCNHA has also been a boon for 
the State of Michigan, generating over $400 million in economic impact 
annually while supporting over 4,500 quality jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in celebrating the 
25th anniversary of the MCNHA. Our auto and labor industry helped 
establish and expand the United States as an industrial power and was a 
driving force for the creation of the middle class, and we thank the 
MCNHA for their great work in promoting and preserving our unique 
legacy. Just last year they were reauthorized for another 15 years, and 
we are excited to see how they will continue to tell our incredible 
story. Thank you to MCNHA.

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