Henry Ford Built an American Town in the Jungle. It Failed

In 1928, Henry Ford began building a town for ten thousand people in the Amazon rainforest, with Cape Cod houses, a hospital and square dances. He never visited it once. This is the story of Fordlandia: the rubber monopoly that started it, the rules the jungle wouldn't keep, the riot, the leaf blight, and the ruins that a Brazilian court ordered preserved in 2026. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: The town he never visited 00:55 Chapter 1: The rubber problem 03:11 Chapter 2: An American town in the jungle 05:24 Chapter 3: The rules the jungle wouldn't keep 07:19 Chapter 4: The Breaking of the Pans 08:44 Chapter 5: The trees fight back 10:14 Chapter 6: Belterra and the last chance 11:13 Chapter 7: The end of the dream 12:23 Chapter 8: What is left 15:05 The lesson Sources: The Henry Ford (Ford Rubber Plantations in Brazil); Wikipedia (Fordlândia); Wilson Quarterly (Rubber Baron); 99% Invisible; Al Jazeera (May 29, 2026); Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City (2009). Music: 'There Was A Time' and 'Aphelion' by Scott Buckley, released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au This video uses AI-assisted visuals and narration. For education and entertainment only. This channel uses AI-assisted visuals and narration. Content is for entertainment and education only, not financial advice. #HenryFord #Fordlandia #Amazon #AmericanHistory #CompanyTown #Brazil #RubberHistory #BusinessHistory #Utopia