On April 8, 1956, Detroit held a parade — a funeral procession more like it — to mark the death of the city’s streetcars. Late that afternoon, the last streetcar in the procession, car No. 237 — a banner reading “The Journey’s End” hanging from its rear — pulled into the Woodward Carhouse, bringing an end to 93 years of street-rail service in the city.
Although many people still liked the streetcars, the Motor City decided that buses had taken their place.
For the full article, see Mark Kurlyandchik, “After 50+ Years, Streetcars Could Come Back to Woodward”, Hour Detroit, May 2012.
According to the Historical Society of Michigan, April 7, 1956, was the last day that a Detroit streetcar actually made a run. It was done in by the automobile.