Michigan Innovation: The Stove Capital

Detroit... The Motor City.

But what was Detroit before the automotive industry revolutionized the way we lived and traveled?

Detroit was known across the nation as the Stove Capital of the World, with five major companies manufacturing stoves inside the city limits at the turn of the 20th century.

In 1860, the city's first stove company set up shop on the East side on Mount. Elliott. The popularity of their product caused several other companies to open their doors. The result: Detroit innovation changed how the country cooked food.

Detroit Stove Works owned the largest stove manufacturing plant in the world. They merged with the Michigan Stove Company to build "The Garland," the first gas-fired range used in kitchens. Designed in Michigan, it was built in Detroit for decades. One of their most famous pamphlets was called "Cooking with Gas," which explained... how to cook with gas. Back in the day when people had to having to haul in heavy loads of wood or coal to feed their stoves, then haul away the ashes, gas stoves were a tremendous innovation.

A version of "The Garland" is also the world's largest stove (which used to be on display at the Michigan State Fairgrounds... I'm not sure if it is still there, but I remember seeing it when I was a kid).

Side Note: The late Julia Child, famous chef and television personality, used a vintage Garland stove in her cooking show kitchen. The stove is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute.