Volume 39, number 7
April 2018
Grand River Times The Newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society Inside this issue:
Cover Story: April program Letter from our President page 2
Grand Rapids—Gateway to the Playground of a Nation: A Look Back at Promoting the City and West Michigan PRESENTED BY: M. Christine Byron
NGS Conference page 5
Thursday, April 12, 2018, 7:00 p.m.
Happening in History page 6
Search: Grand Rapids Historical Society
Next program: After the
April program, the Grand Rapids Historical Society’s next program will be our banquet on May 10, 2018. Thomas Logan will be speaking about: Heritage Hill in Grand Rapids History.
Grand Rapids was widely known in past years for promoting its furniture industry, and is known today as a Cool City promoting its local breweries, ArtPrize, Meijer Gardens and other attractions. The city also played a major role in the development of tourism in Grand Rapids and West Michigan, as the birthplace and home of the West Michigan Tourist Association (formerly called the Michigan Tourist and Resort Association). In 1920, the Tourist Association created the slogan “West Michigan - The Playground of a Nation” which was used extensively in advertising. Within a few years, Grand Rapids was advertised as the “Gateway to the Playground of a Nation.” The city was promoted as a center for railroads and a crossroads of the State’s growing highway system for tourists and travelers heading further west or north. The tourist association published a wealth of brochures, maps and booklets over the years, and Grand Rapids and Kent County were heavily featured.
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Dear GRHS Members, I may have written about this before, but it is worth repeating. Several years ago Fred and I took a trip up the west side of the state using the book Vintage Views Along the West Michigan Pike as our guide. The book is the work of Chris Byron and Tom Wilson, our program speakers April 12. It was a fun trip trying to figure out which structures still The Grand River Times is the stood by comparing the images on the pages to the newsletter of the Grand Rapids buildings in each little town we came to. One afternoon we met a friend in Historical Society, published six times annually. Established in 1894, Sutton Bay and had lunch in a restaurant that was formerly an auto garage the Grand Rapids Historical Society with the picture in the book. I was fun to look at old structures in a new is dedicated to exploring the history way. Many of those still standing have been repurposed. of West Michigan; to discover its romance and tragedy, its heroes and scoundrels, its leaders and its ordinary citizens. The Society collects and preserves our heritage, passing it on to new generations through books, lectures, and education projects. Executive Committee: Gina Bivins, president Matthew Daley, vice-president John Gelderloos, treasurer Nan Schichtel, secretary Board members: Alan Bennett Charles Bocskey Thomas Dilley Marilyn Hamill Chris Kaupa Gordon Olson, emeritus Wilhelm Seeger, emeritus Jeff Sytsma Jim Winslow Tony Wright Kurt Yost Jessica Riley, editor Grand Rapids Historical Society c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503
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We have four books by Chris and Tom in our personal library. All of them take the reader on a trip out of the city and to the scenic by-ways that so many of us love going to for relaxation. The April program will focus some on the big city of Grand Rapids promotions. Since 1981, I have been privileged to give tours of Grand Rapids, starting with 3rd grade bus tours through the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Years later I put together some short tours that we offered to people attending the festival of the arts. Then there were some I developed for GRAM when they had a photography show about Detroit. We lament what we tore down, but I showed what we have kept and the history of those buildings in what we now call the Arena District. After presenting, A History of Public Art, I created a walking tour of public art in the downtown area. Continued on page 5 About the Grand Rapids Historical Society. The Grand Rapids Historical Society sponsors eight programs each year, beginning in September and running through May, including lectures, audio/video presentations, demonstrations, collections, or special tours.
Membership. Membership is open to all interested persons with annual dues of $30 per family, $20 for seniors and students, or $400 for a lifetime membership. The membership year runs from May to the following May. Members of the Grand Rapids Historical Society receive eight newsletters each year and a subscription to our annual magazine, Grand River Valley History. Members also receive a 20% discount on books published by the society as well as books published by the Grand Rapids Historical Commission. Change of Address. If you will be permanently or temporarily moving to a new address, please notify GRHS before your change occurs. Let us know your new address and the date you plan to leave and plan to return. Email to grhs.local@gmail.com, or mail to Grand Rapids Historical Society, c/o Grand Rapids Public Library, 111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 2
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Continued from cover While the mission of the West Michigan Tourist Association was to promote all of West Michigan, it worked with other organizations that specifically promoted the advantages of Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1887 as the Grand Rapids Board of Trade. The purpose of the group was to “promote the business interests of the city in every possible way.” In the late 1920s the Chamber started to play an active role in promoting the cultural, recreational and scenic advantages of Grand Rapids to visitors as well as residents. The Chamber published an attractive series of brochures over the years with tiles such as You Will Enjoy Yourself in Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids for Business and Pleasure. The Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau (now Experience Grand Rapids) had its beginnings as a committee of the Chamber of Commerce, but was organized as a separate entity in 1927 as the Grand Rapids Convention Bureau, Inc. with offices in the Pantlind Hotel. Grand Rapids had already achieved note as a convention center in the 19th century, hosting such conventions as the Michigan Bankers Association in 1896 and the National American Woman Suffrage Association convention in 1899. The Grand Rapids furniture market was held in Grand Rapids since 1878 and brought in thousands of visitors to the city during its tenure. The completion of the new Civic Auditorium in 1933 seriously expanded the convention business. Starting in the 1940s, Grand Rapids was promoted as “The Convention Crossroads of America.”
In the mid-1920s the Grand Rapids Advertising Club, responding to Detroit’s boosterism campaign, published a brochure, Grand Rapids, the Gateway to the Playground of a Nation. The brochure spotlighted the exhibit buildings, assembly halls and first-class hotel accommodations for 5,000 visitors. Over the years other groups also promoted Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids Hotel Association first published The Grand Rapids Visitor magazine in the 1940s. In 1968 the Greater Grand Rapids Motel Association published a brochure, Things to Do! Places to See in Grand Rapids. Efforts to promote Grand Rapids continue today due to the efforts of Experience Grand Rapids and other organizations. Time-travel with Byron on a visitor’s tour of the Grand Rapids area in bygone years. You’ll visit local attractions like the Furniture Museum, Ramona Park and the Dwight Lydell Fish Hatchery. You might find accommodations in the Pantlind Hotel, the Cody Hotel, or in one a new motels on South Division. If you’re hungry, you could stop at the Schnitzelbank, Cherie Inn or the Southern Barbecue. For a night on the town you might drop by Schmidt’s Show Bar, Club 21, or the Kitten Club in the Morton Hotel. Touring through this presentation as a “visitor” to Grand Rapids, you’ll realize that our city has been a Cool City for a long time.
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Continued from page 2 I am not the only one giving history tours. With an increase in tourism in the core city, individuals are stepping up to give a variety of tours. I am a Certified Tourism Ambassador through Experience Grand Rapids. At one of the training sessions I was helping with I met a young lady, Caroline, who was starting the Grand Rapids Running Tours business. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She has expanded to offer Run, Walk, Ride and Listen tours. grandrapidsrunningtours.com The Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council has a link to the brochure Legacy Landmarks: Walking with Women Who Left their Mark on Grand Rapids, put together by Marcie Beck. ggrwhc.org The Heritage Hill Association has walking tours that you can download off their web site. And of course, in May there is the Heritage Hill Homes Tour. (heritagehillweb.org) Jim Winslow is a descendant of William Powers, one of Grand Rapids early settlers who harnessed the power of the river. Jim has done extensive research on the river and its uses over time. You can learn more about his offerings at tourgr.com. GRWalks is a product of Calvin College that offers tours as varied as a Black History Tour of Downtown, Roosevelt Park, Garfield Park, and at least three more. They are adding tours every few months. Download their app GRWalks.com. The Experience Grand Rapids web site has a huge list of tours and tour operators. You can be a visitor in your own town and learn more about its history and things to do by going to experiencegr.com.
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About our speaker: Christine Byron retired in 2012 from her position as the Local Historical Collections librarian for the Grand Rapids Public Library. She is an avid reader of Michigan history and is especially interested in the history of Michigan’s tourism industry. She and her husband, Tom Wilson, have collected old Michigan travel and tourist memorabilia for over thirty years. Their collection of antique postcards and tourist and travel ephemera was the inspiration for their five books: Vintage Views Along Scenic M-22 including Sleeping Bear Dunes (2015), Vintage Views Along the West Michigan Pike: From Sand Trails to US-31 (2011), Vintage Views of the Mackinac Straits Region (2007), Vintage Views of the Charlevoix—Petoskey Region (2005) and Vintage Views of Leelanau County (2002). Three of their books have won Michigan Notable Book Awards from the Library of Michigan and two books have won State History Awards from the Historical Society of Michigan. The couple have a “Vintage Views” column in Michigan Blue magazine. Byron serves on the board of the Grand Rapids Historical Commission. Grand River Times
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The National Genealogical Society’s 40th annual Family History Conference, Paths to Your Past, which will be held May 2-5, 2018 at the DeVos Place Convention Center. To register: http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/register/ View the Online Program or Download PDF at the NGS conference website: http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/program/
VOLUNTEER AT THE CONFERENCE Why Attend NGS 2018? Reap the Rewards of Attending the NGS Family History Conference Researching your family tree is an exciting and rewarding experience. Yet, it can often be a solitary journey. After the initial interactions with extended families, genealogists and family historians find themselves—more often than not— quietly conducting research in libraries, court houses, state archives, cemeteries, or online. As fulfilling as your research can be, it also can be frustrating and just plain baffling. The conference gives you a chance to: •
Share their experiences with 2,000 fellow genealogists
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Learn about additional research resources
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Develop skills in interpretation of source materials
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Explore new avenues of research
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Attend special events and lectures by some of the most renowned genealogists in the U.S and abroad
The conference offers four exciting days of networking, learning, and socializing, including: • An exhibit hall with over eighty genealogy vendors of family history products and services •
Pre-conference events and tours
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Hands-on workshops
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175+ sessions with a variety of topics featuring some of the nation’s best genealogy speakers.
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There a number of ways to volunteer and help out at the conference. Registration Table: Volunteers arrive early, Tuesday through Saturday. They check in pre-registered attendees and speakers, providing them with their registration envelopes, name badges, syllabi, and meal tickets. Vendor Support: During nonpublic hours, a volunteer checks name badges at the door. During Exhibit Hall hours, a volunteer staffs the exhibitor registration booth to assist with vendor questions and concerns. THE EXHIBIT HALL IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Support is needed at the vendor tables thirty minutes before the exhibit hall opens throughout the day. Shifts vary from one hour to one hour and thirty minutes. Room Monitor: Volunteer room monitors help during lecture sessions by greeting attendees, checking name badges to make sure attendees are registered for the conference, assisting the speaker, and recording attendance numbers. Most shifts are one hour and thirty minutes long. A cell phone is required, in case you need to call someone if help is needed. For more information contact WMGS at NGSHelpers@wmgs.org or sign up online at www.conference.ngsgenealogy.org/volunteer/
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HAPPENING IN HISTORY: APRIL 2018 Western Michigan Genealogical Society Mini-Class Saturday, April 7, 2018, 12:00 p.m. Main Library-Ryerson Auditorium 111 Library St. NE
West Michigan Postcard Club Monday, April 9, 2018, 7:00p.m. Faith United Methodist Church 2600—7th St. NW
Topic: Using Tax Records in Genealogy
Topic: Riding Across the Sands of Time: Dune Rides, Dune Scooters, Dunes Schooners, Dunesmobiles & Dune Buggies
Presenter: Linda Guth
Governments have collected taxes in the United States since the colonial era. Tax records are kin to land records because residents paid taxes on land and property that they owned. Tax records can be instrumental in tracing ancestors between US census years and before the first federal census in 1790. Let’s research this valuable genealogical resource
Western Michigan Genealogical Society Saturday, April 7, 2018, 1:30 p.m. Main Library—Ryerson Auditorium 111 Library St. NE Topic: Did I REALLY Read it? Presenter: Lori Fox This presentation is about reviewing your documents and reading them again line by line for information that you did not see or assumed the first time. For example, finding people with same name in same county and you follow the wrong family. Lori Fox is an ex-secondary business teacher. She has been doing genealogy for over 30 years and is a member of several genealogical societies inside and outside of Michigan. Lori is very active with Ionia County Genealogical Society since its formation in 1997. She is also a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and the Association of Professional Genealogists. Lori enjoys sharing her excitement and knowledge about genealogy through a teaching format either in the classroom or at the lectern. Grand River Times
Presenters: M. Christine Byron & Thomas R. Wilson The sand dunes along the coast of western Lake Michigan are one of nature’s marvels and the largest collection of fresh water dunes in the world. Over the past 80-plus years, one could experience the majesty of these dunes on various dune rides. These breathtaking spins on natural “roller coaster” trails over dune land offered magnificent views of Lake Michigan, Silver Lake, Glen Lake, or Goshorn Lake. Some of the tours offered both “scenic” excursions with stops at lookout points as well as “thrill” rides which emphasized speed and daring. Byron and Wilson will feature the first “dune scooter” rides offered by “Mac” Woods in 1930, the popular Sleeping Bear Sand “dunesmobile” rides, the Goshorn Lake Dune “schooners” and several other dune ride excursions. Grand Rapids Civil War Round Table Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 7:30 p.m. NOTE CHANGE: Doors open at 6:30 p.m. De Witt Student Center Kuyper College West Dining Room 3333 East Beltline NE The Grand Rapids Civil War Round table welcomes Steve Soper and his presentation, “The Old Third”. Mr. Soper has spent decades exhaustively researching the history of the Third Michigan Volunteer Infantry, which was based out of Grand Rapids. Steve has authored three books on the subject and maintains the website, www.oldmichiganthird.org. Please join Steve and hear his stories of the men and adventures of the “Old Third”. 6
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOIN THE GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY OR GIVE A MEMBERSHIP AS A GIFT The Grand Rapids Historical Society sponsors eight lectures each year. Members of the society enjoy these benefits:
The Grand River Times is the newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society. Published and mailed to members eight times a year, it includes current items of historical interest, details of upcoming lectures, historically relevant activities, and short articles.
The Grand River Valley History is the society’s annual magazine. Featured are illustrated articles by local history researchers and contributions from the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the City Archivist, the Grand Rapids Public Library, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
20% Discount on all books and other items published by the society.
Please enroll me as a member of the Grand Rapids Historical Society: ____ New ___Renewal____Gift _____Lifetime:
$400.00 one-time fee
_____Individual/Family Membership
$30.00 per year
_____Senior Citizen or Student
$20.00 per year
Name: _______________________________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip: ________________________________________________________________________
Please make check payable to the Grand Rapids Historical Society and mail it with this form to: Grand Rapids Historical Society, c/o Grand Rapids Public Library, 111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
***SAVE THE DATE*** The annual Grand Rapids Historical Society banquet will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. The evening will include a meal and a presentation about Heritage Hill in Grand Rapids history by long-time resident and author Thomas Logan. Ticket information and location details to follow soon. Grand River Times
New Members Jason Kuiper Hilary Snell Dian Thomas Gail Trill Kathy Wiegers
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. postage PAID Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 234
Grand Rapids Historical Society, Inc. c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Grand Rapids—Gateway to the Playground of a Nation: A Look Back at Promoting the City and West Michigan
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Cover Story: April program PRESENTED BY: M. Christine Byron
Letter from our President page 2
Thursday, April 12, 2018, 7:00 p.m.
NGS Conference page 5 Happening in History page 6
For more information on Historical Society programs, please visit www.grhistory.org Grand River Times
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