– Grand Rapids originally became a village in 1838, starting out as just a small fur trading village, and has quickly grown into the largest urban center in Western Michigan.
– All the way back in 1836, a man named William Haldene traveled from Ohio to Grand Rapids and opened one of the first furniture shops in the city, specializing in cabinets, but he also made chairs, beds, coffins, and tables. (2)
– Grand Rapids officially became a city in 1850, (4) and gets its name from the Grand River and the rapids that would help the local furniture industry with the transportation of logs. Loggers would use the river to float logs down to saw mills. (1)
– The logjam occurred in 1883, and nearly sank Grand Rapids, also known as “Furniture City.”
– Shortly after Grand Rapids became a city, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad came to be. (3)
– The railroad became the country’s longest north-south rail line where it provided passenger and freight services between Cincinnati, Ohio and the Straits of Mackinac. (the waterway between Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas) It was the only railroad providing service to the city until 1869.
– On March 4, 1904 the Grand River waters rose to 20.4 feet, more than seven feet above flood stage.
– Nearly 8,000 people were temporarily out of work as over 50 factories were forced to shut down. Total monetary loss was estimated at close to $2 million.
– The Grand River is still the longest river in Michigan today and Grand Rapids remains a world leader in the production of office furniture.
- https://www.experiencegr.com/media/grand-rapids-fact-sheet/#:~:text=Grand%20Rapids%20gets%20its%20name,order%20to%20help%20manage%20flooding.
- https://www.experiencegr.com/plan-and-stay/about-grand-rapids/history-of-grand-rapids/
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Grand-Rapids-Michigan
- https://shuffleboardmccluretables.com/a-trip-through-time-grand-rapids-furniture-history/#:~:text=Origin&text=All%20the%20way%20back%20in,beds%2C%20coffins%2C%20and%20tables.
- https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/museum/exhibits/growing%20up%20grand-%20website/pages/grand%20rapids.html
- http://www.historygrandrapids.org/audio/2438/logjam
- http://www.historygrandrapids.org/audio/2532/taking-the-train
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=153295