FACING DETROIT: ASSUMPTION COLLEGE AS A CROSS-BORDER INSTITUTION 1870-1948

“Facing Detroit: Assumption College as a Cross-Border Institution 1870-1948” argues that Assumption College in Windsor, Ontario was more connected with Detroit and the US Midwest than it was with southern Ontario until the 1930s. It does this by considering Assumption College’s student population, alumni activities, and contemporary perceptions of the school. Emphasis is placed on exploring how the primary sources created by those who lived at Assumption College reveal that it was more connected with Detroit and the US Midwest than it was with Windsor or southern Ontario. The work of Michael Power and George McMahon, the two greatest contributors to Assumption’s historiography, is examined. It argues that their work does not give Assumption College’s cross-border connections sufficient recognition, and instead puts undue emphasis on Assumption’s relations with people in London and Toronto and on attributing the genesis of the University of Windsor to Assumption College. It concludes by showing that during the 1930s Assumption’s connections across the Detroit River were becoming less significant than its growing ties with Windsor and Essex County, and that by 1948 the school had redefined itself as an education institution which existed primarily for serving Windsor-Essex