This panoramic print of Ann Arbor, Michigan was drawn and published by Albert Ruger, Beck & Pauli Lith. in 1880. Ann Arbor was established along the Huron River in the 1820's by land speculators. In 1826, when Washtenaw County was formed, Ann Arbor was named county seat of government.
With Michigan’s rumored statehood, the Ann Arbor Land Company set aside 40 acres of undeveloped land in hopes that the town would be named state capital. Michigan became a state in 1837, but the land was instead used for the new campus of the University of Michigan. Railroads reached town in the late 1830's, expanding throughout the 1840's.
The American Civil War brought much business to Ann Arbor. Railroad freight service became so busy after the war that in 1871, double-tracks were installed throughout town. By the 1880's, tens of thousands of railroad passengers passed through Ann Arbor yearly, and the number of tons of freight transferred reached nearly 6,000.
The illustration includes labeled roads, buildings, waterways and railroad routes.
Features references to the following locations:
Court House.
County Jail.
Fire Engine House.
M. C. R. R. Depot.
A. A. & T. R. R. Depot.
Cemetery.
Union School.
First Ward School.
Second Ward School.
Third Ward School.
Fourth Ward School.
Fifth Ward School.
German School.
Baptist Church.
Congregational Church.
Episcopal Church.
Evangelical Church.
Lutheran Church.
Methodist Church.
German Methodist Church.
Presbyterian Church.
R. Catholic Church.
Universalist Church.
Carriage & Sleigh Factory, C. Walker & Bros., Proprietors.
Carriage & Sleigh Factory, B. F. Arksey, Proprietor.
Carriage & Sleigh Factory, A. R. Schmidt, Proprietor.
Sash, Door & Blind Factory, Luick Bros., Proprietors.
Sash, Door & Blind Factory, H. Krapf, Proprietor.
Cabinet Factory, Rauschenberger & Co., Proprietors.
Triumph Wind Mill Factory, A. M. Bodwell, Proprietor.
Soap and Potash Factory, A. Birk, Proprietor.
Tannery, J. Heinzman & Son, Proprietors.
Tannery, Henry Krause, Proprietor.
Ferdon Lumber Yard, Jas. Tolbert, Proprietor.
Marble Yard, Aaton Eisell, Proprietor.
Cook House, C. H. & F. W. Jewell, Proprietors.
Hotel.
Agricultural Ware House, M. Rogers, Proprietor.
Green House, Cousins & Hall, Proprietors.
Green House, Jas. Toms, Proprietor.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BUILDINGS:
University Hall.
Department of Law.
Department of Medicine and Surgery.
Hospital, Alopathic.
Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital.
Chemical Laboratory.
Dental College.
Museum of Science.
Museum of Art and History.
Boiler House.
Astronomical Observatory.
President’s House.
Steam Carpenter’s Shop.