Grand Haven Senior High School - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Grand Haven, MI)

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L 1934 Grand River the Owashtanong'l which means far-flowing water . Michigan de- rives it names from the Indian words lN'Iitchi-Asugyeganl' which meant to them the 'lGreat Lake or Lake Country . The fact that Michigaii was in the position that she was, destined her to be such an important trading section, for the routes of travel in pioneer days were largely the waterways. Her shores Washed by four lakes and connected by the Straits of Mackinac, she was linked with the Atlantic on the East and with the Mississippi on the West. lylichilimackinac, the most important trading center of the fur regime, located on the Straits of Nlackinac, was the central depot of the American Fur Company, establish- ed by John Jacob Astor in 1815. He employed Rix Rob- inson, a man of ex- traordinary ability in dealing with the Indians, to take over about twenty posts in western Nlichigan, one be- ing at Grand Hav- en, which remained the headquarters un- til 1832. Cedar and birchbark bateaux carried heavy fur- packsfrom the cgrand River Val- A FUR TRADER IN OTTAVVA COUNTY. ley to Mackiliac once a year. The Hudson Bay Fur Company was a strong rival. Robinson was married twice, both times to Indian women. He was a man of firmness and fairness, of honor and esteem. He later became much associated with Grand Rapids as did Louis Campau. Both were well-known in early Grand Haven. With this background it is possible to relate the history of Grand Haven. 0 9 0

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1834 HISTORIC GRAND HAVEN RAND HAVEN has had an and activity which may easily In the ultimate pioneering at iards, Portuguese, English, Dutch, historical background of adventure, romance, war rival that of any city in America. the mouth of Grand River, the Norsemen, Spain- and especially the French, played important parts. The Jesuit fathers who labored with love and patience among the Indians and who established missions here and there often under great hazardsg the French explor- ers and fur traders with their coureurs de bois gthe voyageurs who acted as pathfinders , YV. N, I RIEV. VVM. MONTAGITE FERRY Co1zrl1'5y Gralzrz' Ilafvfn Library in the vast wilds of the Northwest, the American Fur Company: all must be given a large share in the glory of achievement. Cadillac and his Detroit settlement played a very important part, while the Revolutionary VVar and the VVar of 1812, the invention of the steamboat, and the opening of the Erie Canal, gave the final im- petus to westward expansion and colonization. Although the colors of four great nations: France, England, Spain, and the United States had each in turn waved over the ramparts of Fort St. Joseph in Ilflichigan, there was not, in 1830, a permanent white settlement in the Grand River Valley. H ow un- real it seems, and how fascin- a t i n g , in this modern day to let onels o W n t h o u g hts v wander back only one hundred years, such a short time in history, to the founding of Grand Haven when the red man claimed as his heritage the soil o'er which he roamed, when there were vast tracts of forest land, when the wild creatures were abundant and fish teemed in the lakes and rivers! The Ottawwah 'Indians of the lower penin- X sula north of Grand River first drove out the Sacs and Foxes and then united with the Pot- tawatomies and drove out the IVIuscotays, first occupants of Ottawa county as far as can be gathered from history or tradition. They called AMANDA VVHITE FERRY Courtrsy Grand llafvrn library 080

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1834- E Reverend William llflontague Ferry arrived at Grand Haven with twenty per- sons on Sunday morning, November 2, 183-I-. This event marked the beginning of Grand Haven as a settlement, and Rev. llflr. Ferry has been rightly called the Father of Grand Haven . The little band came from Mfackinac where Rev. lN'Ir. Ferry had devoted twelve years of incessant toil among the Indians and whites. He had been called there from his home in Nlassaehusetts in 1822 by a friend who was aware of the lawlessness of the post. He journeyed to Grand Haven with his beautiful and charming wife, Amanda VVhite Ferry, who was ever a source of comfort, aid, and cheer to all who came in contact with her. Her influence in the new settlement was very great. A LOG DRIVE ON GRAND RIVER. Mr. Ferry was rather quiet, more inclined to listen than to talk. His tastes and habits were simpleg he was strong in purpose and persevering in his course. He was of slight build and of medium height. On a former trip extending the length of Grand River he was impressed with the possibilities for business at the mouth which was wide enough to afford an ex- cellent harbor for medium-sized vessels and which was protected by immense sand- hills to the west as havens of safety in storms. There was ample water power and its tributaries flowed through densely timbered regions. 0100