Rapids Historical Society
Volume 35, number 8!
May 2014
Grand River Times The Newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society
Inside this issue: Cover Story: May program: The Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon Letter from our President, page 2 Program Presenter, Cindy Laug, page 4 New Local History Books, page 5 2014 Baxter Award Winners, page 6 Happening in History, page 7 Photo Sleuth, page 7
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Next Program: Fulton Street Cemetery Tour with Tom Dilley Save the date (tentative): September 6/7, 2014, 10:00 a.m., at Fulton Street Cemetery. Up-to-date details will be in the September edition of this newsletter.
The Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon by Cindy Laug At the 2014 Banquet of the Grand Rapids Historical Society
Thursday, May 8, 2014 Reception: 6:00 p.m. Dinner: 6:45 p.m. Program follows Location: Women’s City Club “Martha,” the last known passenger pigeon, passed away September 1, 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens. The year 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the extinction of the legendary Passenger Pigeon. Not to be confused with the common rock pigeon or messenger pigeon, the wild pigeon, as they were often referred to, were thought to have numbered between 3-5 billion, and be 25-40% of the total bird population in what is now known as North America. James John Audubon estimated the species could travel 60 miles per hour and flew in such enormous numbers to darken the sky as if the sun was hidden for days! The thunderous approach of a flight would terrorize both animals and humans alike causing mass havoc as they approached. The traditional migration of these colonies of birds ran as far north as northern Ontario, Quebec Canada; westward to eastern Montana; and southward to Florida and Texas. The northern migration of this species would occur in early spring before the snow had completely melted. As you can imagine, when 1-2 million birds flocking together, traveling at that speed, decide to take up residence in your hometown the impact is enormous. One pioneer stated that one could feel the direction of the wind change as their odor permeated the air. Pigeons feasted on the mast of the hardwoods, devouring every morsel in sight. With their daily intake estimated at ½ pint per bird per day, one can only imagine the results to the surrounding vegetation and crops. Because these gregarious passenger pigeons could only breed in large bird communities, a large nesting in the hardwood forests were known to be 3 miles long to 40 miles wide bringing both devastation and economic stability to the local communities. Continued on page 4
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