Timekeeper for the construction of the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel. The collection is comprised of photographs and photographic postcards featuring pictures taken by Wells of the various stages of construction of the tunnel, which opened in 1910 and allowed for a more efficient method of transporting rail cars between Detroit and Windsor.
The Leonard W. Wells photograph collection consists primarily of photographs of various sizes, separated into four series: Approach to Tunnel; Construction Sites and Workers; River Construction; and Other Photographs. These divisions are meant to indicate the content of scenes found in the collection. The collection also contains photographic postcards, all of which are located in the Construction Sites and Workers series or the Other Photographs series. Most of the images depict various views along the railway path, stages of the tunnel's construction, or groups of construction workers. One photograph features the first sinking of a tunnel tube section on October 1, 1907. Although the majority of images show the construction of the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel, the locations found in other images may be outside of Detroit or Windsor. The Biographical series contains additional information about the life of Leonard W. Wells.