Built along the Native American Saginaw Trail, Woodward Avenue became in the 1800s the most important pathway of growth between Detroit and the inland settlement of Pontiac. The incorporation of the Detroit to Pontiac Turnpike Company in 1837 began its refinement into a reliable road through the challenging terrain of southern Oakland County. By the early 1900s, Woodward Avenue was at the center of the birth of the auto industry and highway innovations, and the full route from Detroit to Pontiac was paved by 1916. It has been honored as an All-American Road by the Federal Highway Administration.