Fordlandia: When Henry Ford attempted to build an American town in the Amazon

When people think of Henry Ford's achievements, what may often come to mind is how he revolutionised the mass production of not just cars but almost any modern products. In 1913, Ford installed his first assembly line designed to produce a whole car in less than 13 hours down from hundreds of hours which it was taking his competitors. What they may not think of or have even heard of is Ford's attempt to make an American town on a rocky mountain in the Amazon Rainforest.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford recognised a big logistical problem faced by all car makers; just a few British-owned companies were depended on for all tyre rubber needed by the world's car companies. This bottleneck situation made companies reliant on this small source and limited the growth of car manufacturers. In response to this, Ford decided he was to set up his own rubber plantation in the Amazon rainforest which is where his troubles would begin.

Henry Ford started negotiations with the Brazilian Government to buy 2.5 million acres of land. Without any consultation of a botanist, Ford acquired the land in North Brazil. He then began construction of a fully American-style town he hoped would attract workers from across the country. "We had everything that we really wanted. We had a swimming pool, tennis court, golf course, and I had my animals — my Chico, which was a rare monkey." recalls Leonor Weeks DeCeco who was 8 years old when she moved with her father to the settlement.

"Power house, Fordlandia, ca. 1935." by The Henry Ford is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

"Power house, Fordlandia, ca. 1935." by The Henry Ford is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The town would consist of thousands of little white clapboard houses to house the factory employees. Ford even went the extra mile adding a modern hospital, power plant, library, golf course and a hotel for the surrounding residents. The community would grow to accommodate tens of thousands as more businesses such as bakeries, butchers, restaurants and shoemakers were established.

Interestingly, Henry decided he would strive for a Utopian healthy community which would mean the introduction of mandatory sing alongs, poetry readings and square dances. Townspeople were also prohibited the possession of alcohol which you may need for those mandatory sing alongs.

The first issue for Ford would come as they inflicted an American lifestyle on native workers. Offering mainly fast food in worker cafeterias, Ford was rebelled against when workers grew tired of being subjected to foreign food and staged a revolt. The rebels cut telegraph wires, chased away managers and even the towns cook into the jungle for a few days until the Brazilian Army arrived to put down the rebellion.

The second failing of the community would come as Ford tried to force an American society on Brazilians. Work days which worked in the US would be forced upon workers in Fordlandia who would be subjected to the harsh, midday sunlight. Because of this, many refused to work as doing so would put strain on their bodies and risk heatstroke.

A photo of a more successful part of the plantation after 4 1/2 years of growth licensed under creative commons by "The Henry Ford"

A photo of a more successful part of the plantation after 4 1/2 years of growth licensed under creative commons by "The Henry Ford"

The third failing was made early on but would only start to take effect once the saplings were planted. Ford had not once turned to a botanist in the process of the farms' construction and it would turn out the infertile, rocky terrain would prohibit the growth of the trees. Furthermore, in an effort to maximise yields, Ford planted trees much closer together than they would grow in the wild not realising the natural growth patterns act as a buffer to stop the spread of crop diseases. As the plants became disease ridden, Ford decided the solution was to plant more trees which - as you may predict - did nothing but worsen the problem. Ford had hoped for 38,000 tonnes of latex but the factory's output would never rise above 750.

The fourth failing, yes there is more, was the placement of the town. When you hear the words Amazon Rainforest you may think of bugs but for some reason this thought never crossed the mind of anyone in management at Ford Motor Company. Mosquitos would plague the town carrying diseases such as Malaria which would become rife.

Brazil's government had been sceptical of foreign investment and offered little help to the settlement. Fordlandia was abandoned by the US company in 1934 before Ford had the opportunity to manufacture a single tyre to go on one of their cars. In 1945, the development of synthetic rubber would deem rubber plantations redundant and Henry Ford II ended up selling the land back to Brazil for a mere $250,000.

It is said Ford lost over $20 million ($200 million in today's dollars) in their endeavour to build the perfect manufacturing town which is double the $10 million it is predicted Ford spent in their fight against Ferrari at Le Mans. If there are any other motoring stories you would like me to cover, comment below.