Cycling the Underground Railroad--Part 2

 DAY 21: ROMULUS TO DETROIT, MI

Gateway to Freedom Sculpture
on the banks of the St. Claire River, looking across to Canada. 

This morning the rain was gone, the sun was shining, and although the temperature was 57F on departure, it quickly warmed to 70. A strong wind was blowing, but most of the time it was favorable.   A beautiful day for riding the last U.S. section of this Underground Railroad route. 

The goal of many of the freedom seekers was to get to Canada.  The British Empire had outlawed slavery in 1834, and fiercely protected anyone who entered their country.  Canada was "The Promised Land."

As I neared the end of this part of the journey, I enjoyed pedaling on the Detroit Riverwalk.   From this vantage point, one can see both countries separated by the mile  wide plus St. Claire River.

Heading north along the St. Claire River, Windsor, Ontario, Canada is on the right and Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. is on the left.

More than a few fugitives from human bondage relayed their excitement at this sight. 

View of Canada from Detroit, seen here from the Gateway to Freedom monument. 

Being here at this place was an emotional experience for a number of reasons.  After 7 weeks of cycling over two trips and more than 2,000 miles, I was standing at the same place where many who undertook their journey which was so much more challenging than mine also stood!  And I was saddened as I remembered the Toni Morrison quote, about how so many wanted to see this and make it to freedom, but didn't.   While nobody knows the exact number, about 30,000 slaves escaped to Canada. It is estimated that about 100,000 slaves successfully escaped bondage from the South.

While I was there, a young man climbed upon the sculpture and was polishing it with a rag.

This gentleman is attempting to restore the neglected Gateway to Freedom monument.

As I walked up to the back of the sculpture, a group of citizens were engaged in serious conversation about the state of this memorial.  Several weeks ago they were going to have a celebration of the 20th anniversary of this installation, but due to the condition of the site, they postponed it and are investigating repair and renovation possibilities. 

Members of the Michigan Underground Railroad Exploratory Collective at the Gateway to Freedom site.  This group is dedicated to preserving Michigan's history of the Underground Railroad, and developing a robust curriculum from Kindergarten through adult.

I hope to have more communication with this group in the near future!

Here are some more images of the Gateway to Freedom;

Notice the difference in the color between the newly polished man on the right vs the one on the left. 

For me, this was one of the most moving scenes in this work.  It seems the older woman, who had known so many years of hardship, now had hope that these young ones would be spared those horrors.

Mother and baby looking across to "Canaan," the code word for freedom in Canada.

A zoomed-in view of "freedom"--the Canadian shore of the St. Claire River.  There is a monument corresponding to the Gateway on the Canadian side.

I'm not in the habit of taking selfies, but I wanted one to remember this moment and the end of this part of the journey.

There WILL be a Part 3 of this Underground Railroad Adventure.  The route ends in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada.  When COVID subsides and our health permitting, my riding partner and brother, Kent, and I will complete the Canadian section in the near future.

Today's mileage: 50.1 

Total miles this trip:  898.8

Total on the Underground Railroad:

     2,014.1 miles