Farmington

Farmington, one of Detroit's oldest suburbs, was originally inhabited by the Potawatomi and was ceded to the government for sale to settlers beginning in 1820. Established as Quakertown and incorporated as Farmington, this "Crossroads Community" developed around a literal railroad stop, flourishing from an agricultural center to a thriving business district. A sense of community, family, and home inspired residents to overcome natural and social obstacles to carve a substantial and influential niche in the Michigan landscape.

The Farmington Siding landslide complex is in Davis County, Utah, about 25 kilometers north of Salt Lake City. The landslide complex covers approximately 19.5 square kilometers and is one of 13 late Pleistocene/Holocene features along the Wasatch Front mapped by previous investigators as possible liquefaction-induced lateral spreads. The Farmington Siding landslide complex is in a largely rural area, but state and interstate highways, railroads, petroleum and natural-gas pipelines, and other lifelines cross the complex. Continued population growth along the Wasatch Front increases the likelihood of urban development within and adjacent to the landslide complex. Development along the Wasatch Front has proceeded with little consideration of hazards associated with liquefaction-induced landslides. Slope-failure mechanisms, extent of internal deformation, and timing of landslide events are poorly understood, and these factors must be evaluated to enable local governments to effectively plan for development and implement hazard-reduction strategies as needed. The purpose of this study is to assess the hazard associated with future liquefaction-induced landsliding within and adjacent to the Farmington Siding landslide complex by evaluating slope-failure modes and extent of internal deformation within the complex, inferring the geologic and hydrologic conditions under which landsliding occurred, determining the timing of landsliding, and evaluating the relative likelihood of various earthquake source zones to trigger liquefaction-induced landsliding. We chose the Farmington Siding landslide complex for this study because of the distinctiveness of geomorphic features on the northern part of the complex and the presence of landslide deposits that are clearly of different ages. Furthermore, because much of the area is rural, appropriate land-use planning measures can still be implemented to protect future development.

In March 1790, the first permanent settlers traveled through the wilderness to their new home in Farmington. Two centuries later, the site would become the fastest-growing township in New York State. Farmington developed into a unique transportation and manufacturing community where sawmills, grain mills, asheries, and foundries thrived. The town was serviced by the New York Central and Lehigh Valley Railroads and the Rochester and Eastern Rapid Railway, which had stops in the vanished hamlets of Mertensia and Hathaway's Corners. Today these railroad tracks have been reclaimed as recreational trails. The collection of photographs in Farmington weaves together the history of the mills, stores, churches, and families that make the township what it is today. Many of the images were captured by early Farmington photographer E. J. Gardner, whose practiced eye and personal connection to his neighborhood resulted in a priceless record of the people of Farmington.