Volume 42, number 7
April 2021
Grand River Times The Newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society
Inside this issue: Cover Story: April program Letter from our President page 2 A Short History of Pets and Animals in Grand Rapids—Part 2 page 3 Hemingway Trivia page 4 The Tornadoes of April 3, 1956 page 5 March Photo Sleuth Solved page 6
Photo Sleuth page 7
Grand River Times
On the Street Where You Live: Down the Block and Through the Years in East Grand Rapids Presented by: Mary Dersch, Curator East Grand Rapids History Room
Thursday, April 8, 2021, 7:00 p.m. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN_N_I9g9wLQHW5BXpfzJcogg Take a virtual Zoom trip down the streets of old EGR via photos, ephemera and anecdotes. This program focuses on homes and people. Share memories! If you attended the first part of this program in November 2020 you will want to join us for this hour-long presentation. This is a stand alone program. You need not have attended the November program. Mary Dersch has been the volunteer curator for the City of East Grand Rapids History Room since 1993. She has spent her career as a librarian working in academic and public libraries and currently serves at the East Grand Rapids branch of the Kent District Library. Community volunteerism is a passion. She has served on the board of the Friends of the EGR Library since 1993 and was involved in campaigning for the expansion and renovation of the community center and library; the turtle and fish aquariums in the children’s room and giving countless local history presentations. She especially enjoys telling the East Grand Rapids’ unique history to all the second graders, who, as part of their class lessons, walk over to the community center to hear about Ramona Amusement Park and the large Reeds Lake steamboats of bygone days. 1
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Dear GRHS Members,
The Grand River Times is the newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society, published six times annually. Established in 1894, the Grand Rapids Historical Society is dedicated to exploring the history 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: Charles Bocskey Angela Cluley Thomas Dilley Matthew Ellis Chris Kaupa Gordon Olson, emeritus Wilhelm Seeger, emeritus Jeff Sytsma Julie Tabberer Jim Winslow Jessica Riley, editor Grand Rapids Historical Society c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Website: www.grhistory.org Email: grhs.local@gmail.com Grand River Times
My fifth sibling had just been born on April Fools Day 1956. There was a time when new moms stayed in the hospital for at least three days – and boy did my mom deserve the rest. She was still there Tuesday, April 3, a somewhat uneventful day, although the weather was unsettling. Then, the sirens went off. My dad, and the young lady helping him with the five of us, was trying to gather us into the basement. I was fascinated by the strange clouds and the strange color of the sky. I stood on the back porch of our house on the northeast end of Grand Rapids, positive that nothing that bad was out there. My older brother kept yelling at me to get in the house. I ignored him. Defiant. Then, off in the distance, far distance to the northwest I saw the top of the funnel cloud. That sight has never left me. To this day I am in the basement at the hint of a tornado, just a suggestion. Once our mom was home later that week we heard stories of how hectic it became at the hospital. She said they even had people on gurneys in the hallway on the maternity floor. Today I live about two miles from where the tornado crossed Leonard Street NW after taking a path down Nixon Avenue, having just destroyed Standale. My husband has an art studio on Vinecroft NW in Walker across from a trailer park that was wiped out by the tornado. That is my story. There are many more from that fateful day in the book, Paths of Destruction: The Story of West Michigan’s Worst Natural Disaster written by Ernie Ostuno with an accompanying DVD and available through the Historical Society web site www.grhistory.org.
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. 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
A Short History of Pets and Animals in Grand Rapids—Part 2 By: Matthew Ellis—GRHS Board Trustee CONTINUED FROM MARCH 2021 NEWSLETTER At first, it seemed that the Humane Agents worked with the pound masters, providing them with information on loose animals and their monthly activities. But then abuses by the pound masters began to surface. In 1899, the Humane Society called for the arrest of the poundmaster. The man had put a rope around a loose dog's neck and began to drag it down the road. Bystanders tried to stop him, and when that failed, they tried to loosen the rope from the dog's throat, only to face a revolver drawn by the poundmaster. The men backed away from the armed man and let him continue to drag the dog. He only made it a few yards down the street when the dog expired due to suffocation. This event seems to have started the Pound and the Humane Society down a path of animus. The clash between the Humane Society and the Pound culminated when the Herald newspaper discovered the animals' conditions. On July 15, 1904, the headline read, "dog pound is a disgrace to city." The reporter described the building as "small, unpainted, ill smelling, filthy… sides full of holes, gnawed by imprisoned canines…emitting a stench sufficient to overcome the odors that permeate the vicinity." The Pound was in the southwestern portion of the City, near where the Wastewater Treatment Plant is now, and nearby to a glue factory and the Pere Marquette Roundhouse. The reporter noted that the noise was overpowering and could be heard easily up to half a mile away. Physical abuse enforced submission. More obscene details of the conditions littered the article, detailing the animals' miserable conditions. Once the article was published, the Police and Fire Commissioners vowed to act. An article pushed the next day described how the poor conditions caused hundreds of residents to object to the treatment. Humane Agent Eugene Randolph promised to make a full investigation of the Pound. Later, it came out that the Police and Fire Commission would do nothing to remedy the dogs' plight. The Herald noted that it "looks like the whole matter is now up to Humane Agent Randolph." Part of the problem, it seemed, was that the City planned for some time to build a new Pound. Months before the Herald article was published, the Common Council debated where to construct the new Pound. However, there was strong opposition from every ward for the Pound to be in their jurisdiction. The Pound was outside the main stretch of the City, but some council members wanted it placed on the island in the Grand River. The negotiations had stalled, which may have added to the poor conditions of their current facility. The Herald continued to build momentum by publishing the dire conditions of the dogs. Agent Randolph inspected the Pound, bringing along the reporter, a man named S. W. Glover. Randolph tried to pressure pound workers to testify and tried to get hard evidence to make an arrest but seemed unable to. The City finally relented and moved to build a new pound on the island, next to the garbage burner, much to the first ward's chagrin. The new Pound seemed to have more adequate facilities and was better suited for the dogs' needs while they waited to be picked up by owners or adopted. The Humane Society of Kent County had been instrumental in achieving this win for the canines. Not only was the Humane Society a force for change, but sentiment on animals in the U.S. was changing. Continued on page 4 Grand River Times
3
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Continued from page 3 A conservation movement was growing in the country, led in part by then-president Theodore Roosevelt. While Roosevelt was President, he established several national monuments, numerous bird and animal preserves, and hundreds of National Forests. The Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula was first designated as a National Forest by Roosevelt in 1909, albeit under a different name. The same year that the Pound was exposed, the "first citizen of Grand Rapids," Charles W. Garfield, compiled a report as President of the State Forestry Commission on forest conservation Grand Rapids citizens had become proponents for animal protection. In 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson called on citizens to protect sheep and that the dogs harming them "be destroyed," the Herald editor excoriated the President saying, "why pick on the dogs?" In the 1940s, the citizens of Grand Rapids had an Animal Week, promoting kindness to animals. In 1944, the Humane Society also built a new facility, from which they could offer animal adoption and provide animal clinics. In 1960, a devastating fire caused them to relocate. By this time, the care of animals was under the jurisdiction of the County. Stray dogs were still a problem for the City. In the 1970s, the Kent County Animal Control unit reported that stray dogs were somewhat owned, meaning that they acquired food and shelter from residents from time to time. They noted that they had a range of seven to ten city blocks and that in 1977, approximately 10,000 stray animals deposited 2,250,000 pounds of fecal matter in the City. This unsanitary situation posed a problem to public health. The City Commission recommended that each neighborhood create an animal watch team that would watch for and report stray animals. In 2001, the Humane Society facility built a new facility on Wilson Drive. In 2016, the Humane Society facilitated the adoption of nearly 3,800 animals. In 2019, the Fire Department adopted a puppy named Axel and trained him to assist with Fire Department activities. In 2020, a year of relatively few highlights, Paws with a Cause, a non-profit dedicated to animal adoption, held a social distancing dog parade for assisted living residents in Grand Rapids. Pets and animals continue to be an essential part of our City.
Grand Rapids History Trivia If any of our members have an interesting anecdote or piece of trivia please feel free to pass it along to us. The following was sent to us from one of our members, Chris Byron, courtesy of Chris Struble of the Michigan Hemingway Society. Post card message from Ernest Hemingway to his father: To Clarence Hemingway, (May 25, 1919) Grand Rapids Sunday 5 pm. Dear Dad, Got here 7:15 this morning and Grand I. (probably a nickname for the Grand Rapids & Indiana RR) had just pulled out. No other trains north until tomorrow morning. They (Michigan Central RR) had promised to hold the train for us but the Pullman conductor was Drunk and forgot to wire ahead. This is the deadliest town in the world bar none. Had a great time in Ann Arbor. Ernie Postcard - postmarked Grand Rapids, Mich., May 25 / 10:20pm / 1919 Grand River Times
4
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Paths of Destruction—The Story of West Michigan's Worst Natural Disaster: The Tornadoes of April 3, 1956 with DVD April 2021 marks the 65th anniversary of one of the most horrific natural disasters to hit West Michigan. Author Ernie Ostuno, an employee of the National Weather Service, collected material which includes: a narrative of the events that day through newspaper headlines, maps, and photos with over 100 personal remembrances and a DVD including interviews with witnesses and footage from home movies. Four tornados struck West Michigan that horrific day, including the most powerful and deadly tornado in West Michigan history. Eighteen people were killed and over 300 injured.
“ ...Then we saw this giant tree rise up from the ground in slow motion, pulling its roots with it, along with big chunks of cement. It rose up about three feet in the air and slowly lay down to the north, just missing the garage.” — Eugene Schoeneich “ ...Everywhere I looked there was utter destruction, and everywhere another picture ... Surprisingly, there were a number of armed National Guardsmen already on duty to curb any problems and I was constantly having to prove that I was a legitimate newsperson.” — Henry F. Zeman, photojournalist The GR Press “ ...Then the windows exploded and doors flew off their hinges, and as I crouched on the living room floor, I saw a wall disintegrating as it fell toward me.” — Maxine (Brower) Baker
From the Facebook page: West Michigan Tornadoes of April 3, 1956, “The photo of the tornado by Carl Walkons that the painting was based on. This photo appeared in the April 16, 1956 issue of Life Magazine.” From the Facebook page: West Michigan Tornadoes of April 3, 1956, “Damage in Standale, Michigan. 449 Kinney Avenue on the right. Photo courtesy of Pat Spangenberg. “
To purchase, “Paths of Destruction,” see the GRHS website at: http://www.grhistory.org/shop/Books/3
Grand River Times
5
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Photo Sleuth Solved Two of our members identified the people in our March Photo Sleuth. Kim Rush and Richard H. Harms both contacted us with this information. They were identified as members of the Four Leaf Clover Club of the True Light Baptist Church. From left to right: the Reverend Haywood C. Tolliver, Mrs. Lottie Williams, Mrs. Augusta Bacot, Mrs. Gertrude Hurest, and Mrs. Alleana LaMar. This picture also appears on page 97 of the book, “Grand Rapids Goes to War,” by Richard H. Harms and Robert W. Viol. According to Kim Rush, the woman on the
far right, Mrs. Alleana LaMar, was the wife of Frank LaMar of Horseshoe Bar fame. The late 1940’s and early 1950’s were the early days of Frank Lamar’s legendary Horseshoe Bar that was located at 333 Grandville Avenue, S.W. This picture to the right (shared by Kim Rush) shows Frank LaMar in 1941 and the Four Leaf Clover Club at a cocktail party at the Indigo Club that was located at 237 Williams St.
Joining the GRHS Board Have you ever thought about being part of the Board of Trustees for the Grand Rapids Historical Society? Please contact our president, Gina Bivins, at gina@vinecroft.com if you are interested in this unique opportunity to be part of an active board whose mission it is to preserve and protect our local history while also encouraging historical study through our monthly programming.
Grand River Times
New Member Please welcome Donald Paszek to the Grand Rapids Historical Society
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.
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: Email: 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
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO SLEUTH Our April Photo Sleuth selection comes from the Robinson Photo Studio Collection. This photo is dated January 21, 1956 and is from the “Buck Barry” show on WOOD TV. If any of the children in this picture look familiar please email the Grand Rapids Historical Society at grhs.local@gmail.com
Grand River Times
7
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
On the Street Where You Live: Down the Block and Through the Years in East Grand Rapids Presented by: Mary Dersch, Curator East Grand Rapids History Room
Thursday, April 8, 2021, 7:00 p.m. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_N_I9g9wLQHW5BXpfzJcogg
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Cover Story: April program Letter from our President page 2 A Short History of Pets and Animals in Grand Rapids—Part 2 page 3 Hemingway Trivia page 4 The Tornadoes of April 3, 1956 page 5 March Photo Sleuth Solved page 6 Photo Sleuth
page 7
For more information on Historical Society programs, please visit www.grhistory.org Grand River Times
8
