Herald Português

Brazil's Dark Chapters · 5 chapters · 25 min

Fordlândia: Henry Ford’s Amazon Town

1927 to 1945The Tapajós river in Pará: Santarém, Fordlândia and Belterra; Dearborn, Michigan

The story in brief

So as not to depend on British rubber, Henry Ford builds an American town on the Tapajós, the river the seeds of Asia’s plantations had left from. Bungalows, time clocks, Michigan food, a revolt in the dining hall and trees planted in rows, like cars. The forest wins, Brazil buys it all for a fraction of the cost, and Ford never sets foot there.

The chapters

  1. Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free

    The River of the Seeds

    Henry Ford wanted his own rubber. He went looking for it on the river the seeds had left from.

    Sources: Kew Bulletin (1898); Greg Grandin, Fordlandia (2009)

  2. Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free

    Michigan on the Tapajós

    The captain asked them to wait for the rains. Ford sent the ship anyway.

    Sources: W. G. N., Fordlandia (1932); Greg Grandin, Fordlandia (2009)

  3. Chapter 3 · 5 min

    We Are Not Waiters

    A line in the dining hall and a deduction from their pay. Within minutes, Ford’s town was in the workers’ hands.

    Sources: Greg Grandin, Fordlandia (2009), from the company’s reports

  4. Chapter 4 · 5 min

    Trees in Rows

    Ford planted rubber trees the way he built cars. A fungus from the forest answered.

    Sources: USDA Circular 686 (1943); Greg Grandin, Fordlandia (2009)

  5. Chapter 5 · 5 min

    The Water Tower

    Ford spent millions on the Tapajós. In 1945, it sold everything to Brazil for what it owed its workers.

    Sources: Decree-Law 8,440 (1945); Greg Grandin, Fordlandia (2009)

Who’s who

The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.

  • Henry WickhamThe seed man · Tapajós, 1876 · Knighted in 1920
  • Einar OxholmThe captain who said wait · Norwegian · Fordlândia, 1928
  • The Workers of FordlândiaMechanics, masons, carpenters · From the Tapajós and the Northeast · December 1930
  • James R. WeirThe plant doctor · Plant pathologist · Fordlândia, 1933
  • Henry Ford IIThe grandson who closed the books · President of Ford · 1945
  • Henry FordThe king of the automobile · The town he never visited · 1863 to 1947

What you’ll be able to tell

This story belongs to the journey “The Forgotten”. By the end of it, you can tell what really happened in each place, why it was allowed to happen, and what changed after.

Stories in this journey

  1. Madeira-Mamoré: The Devil’s Railway
  2. Fordlândia: Henry Ford’s Amazon Town
  3. Barbacena: The Patients of the Colônia

Sources

  • Kew Bulletin (1898)
  • Henry Wickham, On the Plantation, Cultivation, and Curing of Pará Indian Rubber (1908)
  • W. G. N., Fordlandia (Garanhuns, 1932)
  • USDA Circular 686 (1943)
  • Decree-Law 8,440 of 24 December 1945
  • Greg Grandin, Fordlandia (2009)
  • The Henry Ford (Benson Ford Research Center)

Brazil's Dark Chapters: every story