Grand Ledge Area Historical Society

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TIMELINE (to 1949)
Pre-settlement
	Native Americans call the area Big Rocks
1830
1831	Land speculators purchase first land in the area
1836	First settlers reach Oneida Township
1840
c1847	John Russell settles just west of Grand Ledge
	Henry Trench settles land in what will become downtown Grand Ledge. However after a few years he returns East.
1848	Edmund Lampson settles land that will become Grand Ledge
1849	John Russell and Abram Smith build a dam across the river just upstream of where the bridge now stands.
1850
1850	Settlers choose Grand Ledge as the name of the new village
	The Post Office is established
	Russell, Smith and David Taylor build the first saw mill located next to the new dam on the southside
1851	Using wood from the new sawmill, Abram Smith builds his home on Jefferson Street, the first home built of lumber and not logs in the village
	School is first held in the Smith home
	Red School is build on the northside where Greenwood School is today
	Baptist Church organizes and holds meetings in the Smith home
	Methodist Church organizes and holds meetings in the Smith home
	Reuben Wood and Nathan Allen open first store located on the northside
1853	First wooden bridge is built over the river.
	Original Plat of the village is layout and adopted on October 28
1854	Congregational Church organizes
	Flour Mill is build by the dam on Water Street on the northside
c1859	George Loveless begins pottery works west of the village along West Jefferson. This is believed to be the first pottery in the State
1860
1862	The Stone School is built next to the Red School
1866	Congregational Church is built on East Front Street
1869	Railroad comes to the northside of the village
	The Grand Ledge Independent is founded
1870
1870	The Iron Bridge is built
	The White School is built on Lampson Street on southside
1871	Grand Ledge is incorporated into a Village by the State on April 8th
1872	John Burtch begins the Seven Islands Resort by launching the Dolly Varden steamer and building a small boarding house on Second Island
	German Luthern Church is organized and a church is build next to the Red School
1874	Methodists build a brick church on West Scott Street
	Baptist build a brick church on West Scott Street across from the Methodists
1877	S.M. Hewings purchases the Seven Islands Resort
1878	Island House Hotel is built on Second Island
1880
1883	Grand Ledge Chair Company is found and located on Bridge Street
1886	Grand Ledge Sewer Pipe Company is formed. A plant is built on West Jefferson
	Fireman's Hall is built on the corner of Bridge and River streets to house the Firestation and Village Hall
	Julian Scott Mudge buys the Seven Islands Report
1887	Mudge builds new lower or Stone Dam, the dam remains today
	Northside School is built on site of Red School
	Union School is built on Lampson Street next to White School
1888	Railroad Trestle or High Bridge is built to bring the railroad south of the river
	Grand Ledge become the second city in the State, after Lansing, to get electric lights
	During this era the Seven Islands Resort gets 60,000 or 70,000 visitors per year
1890
1891	J.S.Mudge builds a roller coaster on the Islands. Believed to be the first coaster in Michigan.
1893	Grand Ledge is incorporated as a City
1895	Spiritualists Association creates campground, later to become Fitzgerald Park
c1895	New Depot is build on Washington Street
1896	Soldiers Memorial Cannon is dedicated in Oakwood Cemetery
1898	American Vitrified buys the Grand Ledge Sewer Pipe Company
1900
1902	Crawford Chair Company opens in new factory on Orchard Street
1903	Congregational Church moves into its new building on the corner of Bridge and Front
1906	The Water tower or Standpipe is build on northside
	Grand Ledge Clay Products is formed. A factory is built on West Jefferson across from American Vitifried Company
	Grand Ledge Chair Company moves to its new building on Perry Street
1910
1910	Cement Bridge is built
1911	Methodists tear down old church and build new on in its place
	Trinity Episcopal Church builds on East Jefferson
1913	Doty Greenhouse is founded
1914	Baker Clay Company is formed. Later will become Grand Ledge Face Brick Company. New plant is built on the Northside on Tallman Road
1915	Bridge Street is paved with bricks
1918	City buys Spirtualist Campground and renames it Riverside Park
1920
1928	New High School (now Sawdon) is built of Grand Ledge brick
1930
1931	Crawford Chair Company becomes Hoerner Chair Company
	Library is built of Grand Ledge brick
1934	Lion's Head Rock is damaged by blasting for new sewer system
	Seventh Day Adventist campground is founded on Saginaw Road
1935	Frank D Fitzgerald is elected Governor of Michigan from 1935 to 1936
1939	New Post Office is built of Grand Ledge brick
	Governor Fitzgerald is reelected to office but dies March 16th
1940
1940	City renames Riverside Park as Fitzgerald Park
	St Michael's Church is built on corner of Jefferson and Taylor
1941	on December 7th the Memorial Grove is dedicated at Cemetery
c1945	The last coal mine in Grand Ledge on the Haueter Farm on Tallman Road is closed
1947	Grand Ledge Face Brick closes.