Glance at the Past

A worker for the Grand Rapids Water Department stepped up to an open hopper in January of 1945 and began pouring sodium fluoride into the city's drinking water. It was not an act of sabotage, but the result of several years of research and planning.

Manhole covers are the ports of entry to the underground world of pipes and mains and cables that transport light, power, heat, and water, in addition to carrying messages and removing waste.

Many local citizens are familiar with the Press Newsboys Band, and some may be aware of the Newsboys School, probably the only one of its kind in the world. But other, lesser known activities and events became available to those hardy lads.

William T. Powers built the West Side Power canal in 1866-67 to provide power to his factory, the Powers & Ball sash and door operation. The power canal was used until 1955.

The weekly Grand Rapids Saturday Evening Post, in addition to local happenings, provided schedules of the several railroads that serviced the city in its "Traveler's Guide" column.

The first school in Grand Rapids Township, District No. 4 was a small log cabin with ten pupils that opened in September 1844. The teacher, Miss Amelia Davis received $12 for the three-month term.

Many holiday foods have early origins from England, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Germany to name just a few. Hot rum punch and eggnog, as well as apple pie are American additions.

In January of 1943 the Army Air Force Weather School was established in Grand Rapids. Four hundred cadets and thirty instructors began a nine month course in meteorology at the Civic Auditorium.

Television was viewed as the destroyer of movies during the 1950s. Was that really the case or were there other contributing causes?

For many years the Kent County jail, which stood on the east bank of the Grand River, was considered one of the prettiest blocks in the city.

Charles Garfield discovered a fascinating story, about the existence of a lone black walnut tree, from an aged Ottawa Indian.

Daring young men, eager to emulate the birds, experimented with gliders and heavier-than-air planes as they attempted to escape earth's gravity.

Ambassador Thomas J. O"Brien servered in Denmark, Japan, and Rome where the position of the United States required he find a proper residence.

James Bentham's restaurant was an important place in town in the 1800s. Charles Belknap claimed it was as important as Daniel Ball's bank.

An automatic weather station, provided by the United States Weather Bureau, was installed in Monument Park in 1913.

The grade bench established a starting point, or base, from which surveys and levels were calculated in city engineering.

Music was a centerpiece in the life of Maria Royce as composer, a force in the St. Cecilia Music Society, and her involvement with deaf children and Camp Fire Girls.

Doctors Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering developed the first effective vaccine against whooping cough. By 1940 Michigan was distributing the vaccine, which would put an end to the deaths.

Over the years many war memorials have been proposed and erected in Grand Rapids. The first was the Civil War Monument, which was erected in 1885 and stands in Monument Park at the corner of Monroe Center and Division Ave.

The clock in the tower of the old City Hall was one of the few things saved when the building was demolished. Today the beautifully restored clock keeps time and chimes the hour at its home in the Grand Rapids Public Museum.