1912: Ford starts assembling Model T's in a converted warehouse at 616 S. 3rd St. in Minneapolis.
A history of the St. Paul Ford plant
July 17, 2011 at 3:16AM
1914: The Ford Centre is built on 420 N. 5th St. in Minneapolis, and production shifts there.
1923: Attracted by cheap hydropower, Henry Ford starts building the Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul.
1925: Model T cars and Model TT trucks start rolling off the assembly line.
1933: Great Depression closes plant for two years.
1942-45: Plant converts to defense work, producing armored cars and components for aircraft engines.
1978: Plant converts to all-truck assembly operation.
1999: Ford Ranger trucks peak in popularity, reaching annual sales of 348,000 in North America
2006: Ford Motor Co. announces plans to close the St. Paul plant in 2008.
2007: Ford says plant to close in 2009.
2008: Ford decides to keep producing Ranger pickups at the plant until 2011.
2010: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other leaders meet with Ford executive Mark Fields in Dearborn, Mich., in last-ditch effort to keep plant open.
2011: Plant to close in the fourth quarter.
Source: Ford Motor Co., Star Tribune
about the writer
Doctors rotate through Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, gaining an interest in rural medicine or at least an appreciation for its challenges.
