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Windsor-Detroit Cross-River Tour

Gordie Howe #9 – A Tribute to Mr. Hockey

The Windsor-Detroit Cross-River Tour is an international Community Benefits Plan initiative that celebrates the unique culture, history and diversity of the Sandwich/west Windsor and Delray/Southwest Detroit communities through interpretive signage placed along pedestrian and cycling paths on the lands surrounding the Canadian and US Ports of Entry. 

The project team worked closely with the Community Stories Committee, a group made up of local community members and subject-matter experts, as well as other historical and cultural associations and key stakeholders in the region to identify content for the signs.  

In spring 2022, the project team surveyed the local communities to help understand the topics of most importance for inclusion on the signs. After extensive consultation and development, the following eight stories were selected in each country: 

 Canada: 

  • The River Keepers – A History of Indigenous Stewardship of the Detroit River 
  • Coureurs des Bois/Runners of the Woods – Legendary Figures of the North American Fur Trade 
  • Seeking Sanctuary – A History of Slavery and Freedom in Sandwich  
  • The War of 1812 – The Defence of Sandwich 
  • Prohibition Paradise – Rum-Running Over the Windsor-Detroit Border 
  • A Haven for Migratory Birds – Overwintering on the Detroit River 
  • From Polluted Past to Protected Future – Preserving the Detroit River’s Diverse Ecosystems 
  • Gordie Howe #9 – A Tribute to Mr. Hockey 

US: 

  • Adapting Through Time – The Indigenous Peoples of the Detroit River Region 
  • The Earliest European Settlers – The Francophone Community of the Detroit River Area 
  • The Battle of Detroit – Indigenous Alliances and Securing Access to the North 
  • Risking Everything for the Freedom of All – The Legacy of George DeBaptiste 
  • The True Meaning of Liberty – Senator Jacob M. Howard’s Legacy 
  • The Power of Peaceful Disruption – Ternstedt Auto Workers and a Unique Form of Protest 
  • Standing Up Against Discrimination – The Story of Sarah Elizabeth Ray 
  • Motor City Music – Get With the Rhythm…  

Visitors are encouraged to immerse themselves in this unique cultural experience.  

The Gordie Howe International Bridge team thanks all those who contributed to help make this initiative possible.