Famous people's places / Dearborn – Ford Rouge Complex
Battle of the Overpass site, Ford Rouge Gate 4
The pedestrian overpass at Gate 4 of Ford's River Rouge plant where company guards beat UAW organizers Walter Reuther and Richard Frankensteen in 1937, a turning point for the American labor movement.
01 / The story of this place
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On May 26, 1937, Walter Reuther, Richard Frankensteen and other United Auto Workers organizers climbed the pedestrian overpass at Gate 4 of Ford's massive River Rouge complex in Dearborn to hand out union leaflets to workers, something Ford strictly forbade. Members of Ford's Service Department, the company's private security force run by Harry Bennett, attacked them on the overpass, beating Reuther and Frankensteen badly while photographers captured the assault. The photos ran in newspapers across the country and became one of the defining images of the labor movement's fight to organize the auto industry, turning public opinion against Ford's brutal tactics. Ford held out against the UAW longer than General Motors or Chrysler, but the company finally signed its first contract with the union in 1941. The Miller Road overpass, rebuilt over the years, still stands at Gate 4, which remains an active entrance to the Rouge complex today.
- Site of the May 26, 1937 attack on UAW organizers Walter Reuther and Richard Frankensteen
- Ford's private Service Department, led by Harry Bennett, carried out the beating
- Photos of the attack turned public opinion against Ford's anti-union tactics
- Ford signed its first UAW contract in 1941
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 2
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Walter Reuther 1907–1970 · president of the United Auto Workers (1946–1970)
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Pedestrian overpass over Miller Road where Ford's Service Department beat Reuther and other UAW organizers on May 26, 1937; a rebuilt overpass stands at the gate today.
- Richard Frankensteen 1907–1977 · UAW vice president, labor organizer
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Where Ford's Service Department beat him and Walter Reuther on May 26, 1937; a rebuilt overpass stands at the gate.
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Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
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