1850s: Ypsilanti is an important stop on the Underground Railroad

After 1850, the Underground Railroad was very active in Ypsilanti. Fugitive slaves traveled through Ypsilanti to get to Detroit and eventually to Canada where slavery was illegal. Many families in the town and in surrounding farms risked breaking the law to help men, women and children reach Canada.

Here is a map showing the routes that fugitives generally traveled through Michigan. If you were trying to reach Canada, you would have had to travel at night and depend on strangers for shelter and food.

back | next