Searching for the strangest billboards in Detroit

The Motor City has been home to some unusual billboards over the years.

• Most are advertisements, others social statements.

Driving the news: After Sam pointed out an odd Motor City Casino ad, we knew there were more and decided to round them up.

• We drove around Detroit and collected photos of some that caught our eye, or just made us go ... huh?

Flashback: Billboards, the intersection of art and advertising, have been around in the U.S. since the 1860s.

• The earliest recorded leasing of a billboard occurred in 1867, according to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America.
• Michigan formed the first state bill posters association in 1871.

Did you know: Ad signs supported by poles aren't allowed in downtown Detroit, low-density residential districts or recreation areas. They need to secure a waiver from the city, and big ones are only allowed by freeways.

• Plus, they must be 500 feet from hospitals and schools, and 200 feet from the Detroit River.

Some others we found:

An electrical workers' union paid for this striking advertisement next to the Godfrey Hotel development on Michigan Avenue in Corktown, admonishing it for using nonunion labor.

There are lots of odd and pun-heavy cannabis billboards around metro Detroit, but this one is the first that makes us feel like we may actually be joining a cult.

• It evokes "Illuminati of weed" from its perch on Eight Mile Road east of Van Dyke.

This Tiger Stadium parking sign is one of the last remaining visible reminders of the classic ballpark's former Corktown location.

• Detroiters might remember when "Go Tigers" was painted on the blue wooden square.

📫 What unique billboards did we miss? Reply and we'll feature the strangest in a future newsletter.