Instead of working yesterday, I discovered that Wayne State has just published aerial photographs of the entire Oakland County area ranging from the late '40s to the present day. Their system is very difficult to navigate, and I really had no idea what the heck I was looking at for the first half-hour or so, but I eventually located some Oak Park landmarks by using the huge Rackham Golf Course as a reference point.
Oak Park didn't exist in the '40s, and then had a huge amount of growth throughout the '50s and '60s. These pictures are as close as we are going to get to travelling through time, and I find it endlessly fascinating to watch the city that we grew up in grow up via these images.
Clearing the space for Key Elementary, Oak Park's 1st school, in May, '49.
Key in '57. Notice the school buses parked where the auditorium should be...
Both schools visible now. Also, the baseball field,
site of numerous T-ball injustices.
Top right is the future location of OPHS.
Looks like construction trailers here.
Completed school, 1957. "E Wing" not yet built,
and no football field either?
Sports field completed. Do you remember where we parked?
Believe one of these building may be the original Clinton school,
built in 1846!
Oak Park Park in '49, believe it or don't.
The park starting to take shape.
You can see what a mess the hill was back then.
There's the park we know and love.
And finally...
A empty space that will soon be filled with many homes, including ours.
Ahead to da past...