Following the American Civil War, the use of railroads for trade was booming. The Detroit, Michigan and Windsor Ontario border, separated by the Detroit River, was a center for railroads at the time with the Michigan Central and Great Western railroads operating on their respective sides of the border. In the early 20th century, the railroads used ferries to transport shipments across the river. As production and population grew, so did the shipments of goods, specifically grain. An increasing
According to Bemis (1936) “A new conception of the structure of our modern houses is needed, better adapted not only to the social conditions of our day but also to the modern means of production: factories, machinery, technology and research”. Albert Bemis, US housing manufacturer in the early twentieth century has a vested interest in using technology to advance new concepts in the design of houses. Nevertheless he points to the important relationship of the use of technology in the structural