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Page 6 The River's Edge: A History of the Detroit Waterfront by Alfred J. Levanen Reprinted from Sept-Oct, 1978 Telescope I'd like to start this article off on a poignant note - in my research, I found this early description of the Detroit River - "...the river is unusually tranquil and never rough. The water is of a bluish tinge, and in transparency and purity is unrivaled". Our river has obviously changed considerably since those words were first spoken. The Detroit waterfront has changed considerably, too, since Antione de la Mothe Cadillac first spotted this wild, marshy area and proclaimed it as a good landing spot for his band of explorers. The river has played an important role in Detroit's development, indeed waterborne commerce has long played an important role in Detroit's development of all the greatest cities of the world. History underlines this important role of water transportation in its analyzation of civilization and its story of mankind. It is no coincidence that the world's greatest cities have either been located on the water or had easy access to it to develop their commerce. Cadillac recognized the importance of waterways as both a means of communication and commerce. He knew his site on the Detroit River would have a significant importance to the development of trade because of the easy access to and disbursement of raw materials. It was not long before Detroit became a major fur-trading center. The Detroit River, where it flows between Canada and the United States, has the advantage of being a "natural port". It had long served the Indians in their birchbark canoes and then the French, English and Americans in their Early View of Detroit Before Wharves Were Built