the history of mayo is this firm foundation. it doesn't hold us back. it empowers us to go forward. we have to understand the history and value it and interpret it for every generation. and that will keep us grounded. it will give us the propulsion to go forward, in the future is very exciting. us tocer: travel with historic sites, museums, and archives each sunday at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern on a weekly series, american artifacts. this is american history tv all weekend on c-span3. i am standing in ontario canada. across the river is the city of detroit. up next, we explore the border crossing between canada and the united states, one of the

busiest in all of the country. >> it is not just the link of two cities. it is the link of two nations. the bridge behind me in the tunnel under the detroit river annect 16 billion in trade year for both countries. rely on this network of transportation and international trade, so it is a tremendously important part of our history and has been since pre-civil war. during prohibition, detroit brings in 75% of all the illegal alcohol brought into this years ofor the 14 prohibition. detroit the 1800s in

was the cigar capital of america. -- they were days when you had seven to 10,000 railroad cars waiting to be trends or did they could not get across the river because they would come in to detroit and then have to wait for fairies to take them across to canada. that backlog made the conversation about either a tunnel or a bridge take the forefront. something had to be done because we had storehouses filling up waiting for this transportation because very slow ferries can only transport 60 time, not what the train was able to bring in a mess. as detroit grows during the civil war, we need an infrastructure that can supply taking from canada and getting over to detroit, and vice versa. that means building the tunnel

and later the bridge. we have two tunnels under the detroit river. one is for train transport. completed in 1910, it took four years to build at a cost of $85 of $8.5 million. in 1930, president hoover rings a bell, simultaneously in detroit and across the river in wins or that opens the detroit wins or tunnel. at just shy of a mile, it is the first underwater nation connecting tunnel in the world. today, it has been operating seamlessly since that time. it had a $50 million renovation in the 1990's. it sees almost 10,000 cars a day. the tunnel transports mainly people, 98 percent cars, 2% trucks. the central railroad tunnel transports only freight. it can be everything from iphones to baby food, to tomato soup. you name it. if it is made in america, it

goes through the tunnel pending it is not a hazardous or explosive material. in 1922, the detroit river was the busiest freshwater shipping in the world, and it still is today. through our train tunnel and ambassador bridge, things are transported through the entire world. ed us a freighter map everywhere michigan products have made it around the world. short of antarctica, there is not a continent we do not touch. the bridge was completed when it is open, it is the november 15, 1929. longest extension bridge in the world. it holds that record for just when the ambassador bridge is completed, what it is known for

is height. it allows shipments to travel as opposed to a drawbridge which would stop traffic every time it had to open or close. he builds the bridge as an economic driver. from its earliest inception, it is a toll bridge. it is still owned by an individual who charges five dollars a car. traveling across the ambassador bridge is nearly 10,000 cars a day, plus another 2000 semitruck. the main transports for semi trucks, leaving america and going into canada through michigan. we see everything on those trucks from gerber baby food cereal, beergg's and iphones. anything and everything that has to be treated. as the two biggest international trading partners in the world, you can imagine the scope of what is traveling the bridge. in 1929, when the detroit wins or ambassador bridge opens, and again in 1930 when the tunnel opens, they are still

heralded as engineering marvels. the map not only architecturally, but through prosperity. being able to bring our cigar materials to make me make manufacturing flares. there is also funny parts. when bringing in the raw steel. . when the bridge opened in 1930, it quickly gets the name of the -- because of all the alcohol smuggled through it. for detroit, it is not only a city but we have to have these methods of transport or we would going to fairies. holding products in detroit for as much as a year and causing

freights in the value of products like grains. the impact the impact of opening transit countries is monumental to the city of detroit. opening through the great lakes in the eastern seaboard, we become a transit hub for the entire country. during world war ii and shipping , building out the allied forces for the war. a hub ofble to become 1960's, andough the 1970's, 1980's. today we could not be without access to the shipping channels. they are vital to the prosperity of the region. when you talk about the legalities of the international border crossing, whichever it is, it is ripe with issues,

concerns, and especially national security. when the when the ambassador bridge opened in the 1930's and 1940's, you could walk right up to the bridge. post 9/11 security concerns has meant that is all closed off. the closest you can get is 150 yards for security. it has also meant that we also be aware of human trafficking, drugs being brought to the city. still illegal counterfeit blues and products coming over the crossing. we also have coast guard stations on the river that monitor the traffic coming across, making sure that what is brought into the city is legal. it is tireless work. it is enforcement across multiple agencies that includes dnr, the island park, border crossing, border security, michigan state police, and

detroit police, all who have to work in conjunction to make sure what is traveling across the river into our city is safe. >> the ambassador bridge coupled with our two tunnels, the train tunnel in civilian tunnel under the detroit river, have been a huge part of commerce for the region. as detroit continues to grow, we are building a new bridge span. it will be called the international bridge crossing. it will fall just north of where the ambassador bridge arises. as we traveled through the next hundred years, production and manufacturing and coupled with is the transport of those finished goods in and out of the city. the chance of creating another manufacturing marble like the longest span in the world, those titles can be made in detroit because the river isn't long enough, but the idea that we were the first to build a bridge like that certainly speaks to

the idea that one day we will create more innovation and invention with our modern-day bridges. >> hours cities tour staff recently traveled to detroit, michigan, to learn about its rich history. to watch more video from detroit and other stops on our tour, visit c-span.org/citiesto her. you are watching american history tv all weekend every weekend on c-span3. ♪