Grand Haven, MI, United States

Grand Haven

 Grand Haven is a city in the U.S. State of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa Count. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2000 census, Grand Haven population was 11,168. As of the 2008 population estimates, the population dropped to 10,608. The city is home to the Grand Haven Memorial Airpark (3GM) and is located just north of Grand Haven Charter Township.

History

The city dates its founding to French settlers and a fur-trading outpost called Gabagouache, which was first established by Madeline La Framboise and her husband. The outpost took the name from the Pottawattamie Indians name for the area, Gabagouache. The trading post was later taken over by business tycoon and first millionaire in the United States, John Jacob Astor and the American Fur Company and became a hub of economic activity in the area.

The Pottawattamie and Ottawa Indians lived in the area much earlier as the river was a major Native American trade route into the interior of Michigan. The impact of the Ottawa tribe on the area continues to be seen with the discovery of new artifacts.

The city was first called "Grand Haven" in 1835 and the community was incorporated as a city in 1867. The first permanent resident was a Presbyterian minister, William Montague Ferry, who founded the first area church and neighboring town of Ferrysburg. The second church opened 16 years later in 1850. In 1851, Ferry created the city's first bank in the old Ferry & Son building on Harbor Drive. Ferry also started a school, Ferry Elementary, which is still operating to this day.

In the mid-to-late 19th century, Grand Haven developed into a logging, lumber mill and shipping area, as well as a shipbuilding center. During the early 20th century Grand Haven was as a manufacturing hub for the area building everything from automobiles to car parts to furniture to lighting and pianos.

The former Grand Trunk Railway on the waterfront near the river is now a historical museum. The Story and Clark Piano Company built pianos in the city from 1900-1984. The smokestack at the piano factory collapsed during the Southern Great Lakes Derecho of 1998. In August 2006, Eagle-Ottawa Leather Co. which traces its origin back to the Sheldon Tannery founded in 1838, announced it would close all Grand Haven operations in October.

The Grand Haven Lighthouses were first built in 1839 on the south pier marking the channel into the river. The current lighthouses, painted red, were built in 1875 (outer light) and 1905 (inner). They are connected by a lighted catwalk which runs along the pier to the shore.