Photos Included in
A Citizen's History of Grand Rapids
Campau Centennial
September 23 - 26, 1926
Surveyed August 28, 1833 by Charles Barnes
Map showing old and present banks of the river, with locations of Islands Nos. 1 and 2. It also shows how Campau avenue is almost wholly on the old river bed and that the jail is on Island No. 2. Waterloo street is the present Market avenue. Map makes plain the double turn connecting old Monroe avenue and Canal street before Campau square came into existence. Buildings which occupied the triangle between Monroe and Canal were torn down in 1873. Ferry street received its name because in olden days, at its western end, there was a ferry across the river.
Early map from the city engineer's office, referred to in the chapter, "Grand Rapids or Kent?"
Top - The first Pearl street bridge, built in 1858. The photo shows east end of bridge then on Island No. 1. Embankment, with protecting fence, runs eastward across island, to steamboat channel, which was crossed by a separate bridge. East bank of river is now near the middle of the first span of bridge pictured.
Middle - The view up river from the hill. First Leonard street bridge, built in 1858. Right foreground, old Ionia street school. Behind the school tower is Tanner Taylor's tannery and just beyond C. C. Comstock's famous "row," first multiple apartment in city, built to house negroes who worked in Comstock mills.
Bottom - View about 1865 of woolen mill bu8ilt 1857, on site of present Bissell carpet sweeper factory. Toll bridge at Bridge street in background, part of old canal basin in foreground. Building at right was a cabinet shop, operated by Buddington & Thornton. Bissell offices are now there.
Top - Universalist church, built 1868; site of present Association of Commerce building.
Upper left - View up Monroe avenue in 1864. Luce's block right. Old stone St. Andrew's Catholic church, built 1849-50, across Ottawa avenue from Luce's block. Across Monroe avenue is sign: "Lincoln and Johnson - Freedom and the Union."
Upper right - First Methodist church, Division and Fountain. Built 1868-69.
Lower left - First St. Mark's Episcopal church, built northwest corner Division and Crescent. As first erected in 1841 it was 27 by 41 feet, but in 1844 it was enlarged by cutting the structure in two and inserting a section 20 feet in length.
Lower right - Present St. Mark's, occupied in 1848. View shows structure, somewhat enlarged in 1865. Two front doors then.
Buttom - Louis Campau built this church at Monroe and Division in 1837 for use by the Catholics. Congregationalists bought it. Burned November 26, 1872.
Top - Looking up east channel of Grand river about 1890. Warehouse on dock, directly above boat, and enlarged north end of channel, are now covered by the Island Park baseball grounds.
Middle - Looking up river from Pearl toward Bridge street bridge in logging days, about 1875.
Bottom - Looking across river from the hill above Sixth street bridge. Observe the old curved wing dam built 1849. Present dam was constructed in 1866, further down stream. Newberry street in foreground, and one of the old lime kilns at right, on river bank.
Top - Foot of Monroe avenue in 1852, taken from Market avenue. Town flage pole in middle is on south side of Pearl street. Hall book store, Joseph Martin's grocery, and Powers & Ball's furniture store are the three buildings on pearl street, to right of pole. One-story building on right, with swinging sign of a bull in front, is Joel Guild's home, made over into a meat market. This house was built in 1833 on first lot Louis Campau sold.
Middle - Looking across old east river channel to jail on Island No. 2 - 1872. Filling of channel began in 1868 and tail race for Butterworth & Lowe water wheel at end of canal shows center. Mud hole lower left is site of Fourth National Bank building.
Bottom - Foot of Monroe avenue in 1870, before the five buildings in front center were torn down to create Campau square. Stone Commercial block, with figure 2 on it, was built in 1844. Right of it is Crawford's famous checkered store. Sweet's Hotel (Pantlind) shows behind row of five stores.
Top - Big fire of July 13, 1873, which destroyed most of the structures between upper Monroe and Ionia avenues, north of Michigan street. View is north and east from Monroe and Michigan. Fire was still burning when the photograph was taken.
Middle - Some of the buildings destroyed in the 1873 fire. View is from the bluff, towards south and west. Bridge street bridge on the upper right, Pearl street bridge below.
Bottom - View from same spot, after the fire. Smoke is rising from Sweet's big mill.
Top - View south in Ottawa avenue, from Pearl street to Monroe avenue, 1865. The street is being graded the second time, level of first grade (1857) showing along fence on left. Teams working in front of present Michigan Trust building site. In distance is old St. Andrew's Catholic church, south side of Monroe avenue. Soil removed was used to fill frog pond where postoffice now stands, and creek valley under city hall.
Middle - View from near top of Michigan street hill. Old Butterworth hospital was built on the sand pile at lower left. Immanuel Lutheran church lower right and school house to its right with scaffolding still on tower. Islands showing in left distance.
Bottom - View taken about 1880 from present Herald building site. Structures in foreground are on north side of Monroe avenue, at Division avenue corner. Across Division, at left, is Peck's drug store. In background First Methodist church. Observe street car tracks on Division.
Top - School built 1849 of river limestone on site of present Union High. Third floor first used for an armory. Torn down 1872.
Middle - "Old Stone School House," built 1849 at Ransom avenue and Lyon street, on site of present Junior College.
Bottom - No. 2 Primary School on South Division avenue. Torn down 1884. Land on which it stood cost $500 in 1861.
Top Left - Ottawa Hills Junior High School
Top Right - Creston High School
Middle - Central High School
Bottom Left - South High School
Bottom Right - Union High School
Top - Burton School, ready for occupancy in 1926
Middle Left - Stocking School
Middle Right - Lafayette School
Bottom - Sibley School
Grand Rapids City Filtration Plant
Completed January 1, 1913. Addition in 1923.
Capacity of 40,000,000 gallons.
Top left - Ryerson Public Library, Gift of Martin Antoine Ryerson of Chicago
Top right - Federal building - Postoffice
Middle left - County building, erected 1889-90
Middle right - City Hall, built 1889
Bottom left - Armory
Bottom right - West side branch Public Library, completed 1926
Top left - Grand Rapids National Bank building, Campau Square. Upper floors built 1925-26.
Top right - Grand Rapids Savings Bank building.
Middle left - Morton Hotel including home of Kent State Bank
Middle right - Michigan Trust Company building. City's first skyscraper
Bottom left - Hotel Pantlind. Old National bank in left corner, branch of Kent Savings in right corner.
Bottom right - Hotel Rowe
Top left - Captain Charles E. Belknap, soldier, city fireman, manufacturer, congressman, mayor, good citizen - 80 years young.
Top right - Israel Canton Smith, enlisted as a private in Co. E., Old Third Infantry. Became Brevet Brigadier General.
Middle - Civil War memorial, Monument Park.
Bottom Left - Byron R. Pierce. Helped to organize Old Third Infantry. Captain in that regiment. Promoted to brigadier-general of Volunteers and brevet major-general, highest office attained by any Michigan soldier in Civil War.
Bottom right - Fred S. Church, Civil War veteran. Artist of international fame.
Top - Stage coach running between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, 1855 to 1868. Photograph taken in 1865.
Middle - Horse car on the Valley City Street and Cable company's lines, completed in 1885. Sign at top reads: "waterloo, Fulton and Straight."
Bottom - Engine that pulled cars over the famous old "dummy" line, out Sherman street from Eastern avenue to Reed's lake, in the 1870's and 1880's. George E. Fitch says: "Fare collected before you entered the car and cinders in your eye guaranteed."
Top left - D. A. Blodgett Home for Children
Top right - Young Women's Christian Association building
Middle left - St. Mary's Hospital
Middle right - Young Men's Christian Association building
Bottom left - New Butterworth Hospital
Bottom right - Blodgett Memorial Hospital
Top - Furniture plant of the Robert W. Irwin company
Middle left - Grand Rapids Refrigerator company's plant. Capacity soon to be doubled.
Middle right - American Seating company's factory. Extensive new buildings now being erected.
Bottom - Imperial Furniture company's factory.
Top - Sligh Furniture company's extensive plant.
Middle - Portion of the Berkey & Gay Furniture company's factories.
Bottom - Two wings of the Grand Rapids Chair company's plant, built around an attractive miniature park.
Top Left - Fountain Street Baptist Church, completed in 1924
Top Right - Grand Rapids Press building
Middle - Grand Rapids Herald building
Bottom Left - Masonic Temple
Bottom Right - Michigan Bell Telephone Company building, completed 1926
Created: 27 May 2008
URL:
http://kent.migenweb.net/etten1926/photos.html