Town and City Scenes--Grand Ledge

Black and white postcard from circa 1910-1911 showing the newly completed concrete bridge at Bridge Street, crossing the Grand River in Grand Ledge, Michigan. The bridge was completed in 1910 and replaced the 1870 iron bridge.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1907 showing the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Free-will Baptist Church on West Scott Street in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white aerial photograph of Grand Ledge, Michigan, 1959. Image shows Grand River and the Bridge Street crossing.

Black and white postcard from circa 1909-1910 showing the concrete Bridge Street bridge being constructed, replacing the 1870 iron bridge, in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1916 of the Grand Ledge House Hotel (demolished in 1933) in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white stereograph of Porcupine Rock along the Grand River near Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white photograph from circa 1886-1895 showing the Steamer Lanota on the Grand River at Seven Islands Resort in Grand Ledge, Michigan. The resort, which changed hands three times prior to this period, was built up in the late 1880s and early 1890s by J. S. Mudge, who added on to the Island House Hotel, built a rollercoaster and constructed "Mudge's Folly" - a decorative pagoda-like building which became an iconic building for the area. Mudge also launched the Lanota, the largest steamer yet to service the resort, which helped make the resort one of the most popular in the Lower Peninsula in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1907 showing the steamer Lanota docked at Second Island, part of Seven Islands Resort in Grand Ledge, Michigan. Steamers were always a part of the Seven Islands Resort, bringing vacationers to and from the islands. The Lanota was launched by the resort's third owner, J. S. Mudge, who took over the resort in 1886 and made it into one of the most popular resorts in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The primary resort buildings and recreation areas of the resort were on Second and Third Islands.

Black and white postcard of the rowboat launch at Seven Islands Resort on the Grand River in Grand Ledge, Michigan. The resort, which changed hands three times, was significantly built up in the late 1880s and early 1890s by the third owner J. S. Mudge, who added on to the Island House Hotel, built a rollercoaster and constructed "Mudge's Folly" - a decorative pagoda-like building which became an iconic building for the area. The resort came to be one of the most popular vacation spots in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Black and white stereograph titled "Up the River from the Lime Kilns," showing a view of the Grand River from the top of a cliff, with people posing in the foreground in Grand Ledge, Michigan. The kilns refer to kilns used in the area for clay pottery. The area around Grand Ledge is rich in clay; Native Americans and early settlers capitalized on this, and eventually large-scale manufacturers took over.

Black and white postcard from 1910 of the Grand Ledge, Michigan water tower (also called the standpipe), built in 1906 on the north side of town.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1909 showing the Grand Ledge, Michigan city hall and fire house on the corner of Bridge and River Streets.

Black and white photograph from 1893 showing houses surrounded by flood waters along the Grand River in Grand Ledge, Michigan. The flood of 1893 is also known as the Great Ice Flood, as the flood waters included chunks of ice which damaged buildings.

Black and white photograph from 1959 of Bridge Street in Grand Ledge, Michigan, looking north from the bridge crossing Grand River.

Color postcard from approximately 1907 showing the Stone Dam (built 1887) on the Grand River in Grand Ledge, Michigan. The dam provided an area for recreational boating and swimming at the Seven Islands Resort.

Black and white photo postcard from approximately 1907 showing the storefronts on the west side of South Bridge Street (looking north) in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white postcard showing four men in a cage in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white photo postcard from post-1906 showing the view of the north side of Grand Ledge, Michigan from the water tower.

Black and white aerial photograph of Grand Ledge, Michigan, 1959, looking northwest. Image shows Grand River and the Bridge Street crossing.

Black and white postcard of the Grand Ledge Chair Company factory in Grand Ledge, Michigan. Founded in 1883, it passed through various ownerships until it folded in 1982. The factory in the image was constructed in 1902.

Black and white stereograph titled "Rocks above Spring Cave," showing natural rock ledges near Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white stereograph of the hemlock grove at Hemlock Point in Grand Ledge, Michigan. Hemlock Point is located at the base of Lions Head Rock, and was a popular destination for boaters on the Grand River. It includes one of the only natural groves of hemlock trees in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1909 of a group of men and women standing in front of The Owl Restaurant in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1907 showing East Jefferson Street in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1912 showing the steamer Lanota on the Grand River in front of Third Island, part of the Seven Islands Resort in Grand Ledge, Michigan. On the island can be seen the casino - not a modern-day gambling hall, but more of a recreation center.

Color postcard from approximately 1909 of hanging rocks around Grand Ledge, Michigan, also known as Lions Head Rock.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1909 showing a bird's-eye view of Grand Ledge, Michigan. The Crawford Chair Company building with its distinctive 8-story tower can be seen in the background. The company was founded by one of the original founders of the Grand Ledge Chair Company in 1902. The factory burned down in 1943.

Black and white aerial photograph of Grand Ledge, Michigan, 1959, looking north up Bridge Street. Image shows Grand River and the Bridge Street concrete bridge.

Black and white postcard from circa 1907-1915 showing a bird's-eye view of Grand Ledge, Michigan. The white building in the background with the tower in the center is the Crawford Chair Company factory. The company was founded by one of the original founders of the Grand Ledge Chair Company in 1902. The factory burned down in 1943.

Black and white aerial photograph from 1959 showing the Grand Ledge Chair Company factory along the Grand River in Grand Ledge, Michigan.Founded in 1883, it passed through various ownerships until it folded in 1982. The factory in the image was constructed in 1902.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1912 of the hollow tree in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white photograph from circa 1900-1910 of the north side of Bridge Street in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white stereograph of the hemlock grove at Hemlock Point in Grand Ledge, Michigan. Hemlock Point is located at the base of Lions Head Rock, and was a popular destination for boaters on the Grand River. It includes one of the only natural groves of hemlock trees in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Black and white postcard showing Jefferson Street, looking west towards the intersection with South Bridge Street, in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white aerial photograph of Grand Ledge, Michigan, 1959. Image shows Grand River and the Bridge Street crossing.

Black and white postcard from approximately 1913 showing houses on south Bridge Street in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white photograph from 1959 of the Grand River at Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white postcard showing a bird's-eye view of a residential area of Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white photograph of the steamer Lanota ferrying people on the Grand River in Grand Ledge, Michigan. Steamers were always a part of the Seven Islands Resort, bringing vacationers to and from the islands. The Lanota was launched by the resort's third owner, J. S. Mudge, who took over the resort in 1886 and made it into one of the most popular resorts in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Black and white stereograph of the natural ledges on the Grand River at Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Black and white stereograph titled "From the Cliffs below the Kilns," showing a view of the Grand River in Grand Ledge, Michigan. The kilns refer to kilns used in the area for clay pottery. The area around Grand Ledge is rich in clay; Native Americans and early settlers capitalized on this, and eventually large-scale manufacturers took over.

Black and white photograph of the Grand River flooding in 1893 with the mill in the foreground, and the iron bridge (Bridge Street) in the background in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Color postcard from circa 1907-1915 showing Bridge Street in Grand Ledge, Michigan.