Fordlândia, Henry Ford's Jungle Town
Henry Ford built an American town in the Amazon to grow rubber. The rubber failed, and the forest crept back.
What was reported
In 1928 Henry Ford acquired a huge area of rainforest on the Tapajós River in Brazil to grow rubber for car tyres, and built Fordlândia: a Midwestern-style town with a hospital, golf course, cinema and rows of wooden houses.
It struggled from the start. The rubber trees, planted close together, were devastated by blight and pests, and workers resented strict rules imposed from far away in Michigan.
Explanations offered
Ford gave up in 1945 at a large loss, never having visited. Today some people live among the old buildings. It's a famous example of an outsider ignoring local conditions and knowledge.
- When
- Founded in 1928
- Where
- Fordlândia, Pará, Brazil
- Witnesses
- Workers and managers
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.