Ford factory in Michigan was once the world's largest with its own power plant and 100 miles of railroads

Ford cars and Michigan have a long history, and that’s why the world’s largest Ford factory is located in the US state.

The Blue Oval brand remains intertwined with its Michigan roots.

Nearly 100 years ago, Ford used to manufacture almost all its own parts.

The Ford factory in Michigan was once the largest in the world.

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Ford: America’s most important car brand

Ford is, historically speaking, America’s most important car manufacturer.

The iconic brand is, in many ways, responsible for helping to bring the car to the masses.

Henry Ford’s assembly line model made the automobile a lot quicker to produce.

That, in turn, led to lower production costs – which meant cars could be sold a lot cheaper.

By the mid-1920s, the Ford Model T was the most successful car in the world.

At one point, half of all cars on American roads was a Model T of some description.

By the end of its run, Ford’s Michigan factory had produced over 15 million Model Ts.

As you can probably imagine, the car world back then was far different to the world it is now.

With an increasingly globalised world, every type of part is imported from places all over the world.

Just under a century ago, Henry Ford operated in the completely opposite way.

Founder builds 2,000 Ford factory to ensure self-reliance

The Ford founder had an obsession with making his company as self-sufficient as possible.

To that end, Ford built its own factory in Michigan to craft its own parts.

The Ford River Rouge Complex, which opened in 1928, was absolutely enormous.

Ford initially used the 2,000 acre facility to help manufacture boats for the U.S. Navy.

The mid-1920s saw the River Rouge Complex dedicated solely to Model T production.

By 1928, every, single component of the Ford Model T was crafted in-house at the Complex.

Henry Ford would oversee the construction of an onsite steel mill and foundry.

This meant that all of the crafting and necessary production could be done at the River Rouge site.

Ford began selling off large parts of the River Rouge Complex back in the 1980s.

Thankfully, though, River Rouge is still in operation – and its future seems somewhat secure.

The Ford F-150 and F-150 Lightning are both currently built and manufactured there.

As long as these trucks remain popular, River Rouge will hopefully remain alive and kicking.