Part 2 — Clear Cutting, Fur Trade, and Hartwick Pines

As Europeans began to colonize the area in the 1800s, the ecology of the Owashtanong was thrown out of balance. The fur trade and lumber industries were the primary culprits of this shift. Beavers, which had been harvested sustainably by the Aniishinaabe for centuries, experienced a dramatic population dip. The white pine, which once forested almost the entire state of Michigan, were clear cut. The introduction of the steamboat onto the Grand River in 1830 played an important role in accelerating the impact of these industries. The Governor Mason was the first steamship on the Grand, and is illustrated in the mural.



Birch bark can be harvested by an experienced canoe builder without damaging the tree. The birch will grow its bark again and yield several more harvests. In contrast, the white pines of the area were logged entirely without thought to the future of the species. The shortsightedness of this practice changed the composition of our forests entirely. 



The difference in attitude between the Anishinaabe’s sustainable harvests and the French’s exploitative clear cutting is alluded to again in the clothing of the two large figures of the mural: the Ojibwe woman paddling the canoe wears a dress beaded with porcupine quills. Quills could be collected without harming the porcupine. The Frenchman driving the lumber cart, on the other hand, wears a beaver pelt suit. Several beavers would be killed for the production of a suit of this kind.



In order to better understand the history of logging in our state, I hitched it up to Hartwick Pines, one of the very few remaining old growth forests in Michigan. Even there, on the protected parcel of unlogged land, the forest is imbalanced due to human activity. When Hartwick Pines was gifted by a private owner to the state, it was under the condition that it may never be touched again. These turned out to be bad instructions, because it resulted in the repression of fire in the area. The white pines in Hartwick Pines, some of the oldest remaining in all of Michigan, will die without regenerating because their seeds cannot reach the soil; it’s too covered in unburned, uncleared detritus. When the pines die of old age, hardwoods will take over the area and the white pine forests of the Lower Peninsula will be lost to history.

Part 3 — Railways, Streetcars, and the Speed of Progress

Although water travel had been the only means of transportation in the Grand River area for thousands of years, the expansion of the railroad network in the 1860s led to the decline of steamboat transport on the Grand River. Railroads offered faster, more reliable, and year-round service, unaffected by the river's seasonal variations. The railroads connected Grand Rapids to the rest of the nation and ushered in an era of increased immigration, trade, and development.


By the end of the 19th century, electric streetcars had become established pillars of city infrastructure well. However, this would turn out to be a relatively short-lived endeavor; automobiles were growing in popularity. When the Great Depression hit, the city determined that it was more economically feasible to transition to busing than to maintain the streetcar lines, making Grand Rapids the second city in the nation to transition fully to automobiles.

At this point in the mural, you’ll see depicted the 6 Cherry Streetcar, which ran up and down Cherry Street right next to the mural’s location today. There’s also a woman riding one of them big wheel Penny Farthing bikes, which references the Women’s Bicycle Club of this time period. 


To capture the overall essence of this time in Grand Rapids history, I included two peregrine falcons. Before colonization, peregrine falcons would have been a coastal species, nesting in bluffs along the lakeshore. Urbanization led to the construction of high rise environments perfect for falcons, which were likely introduced to the area by Europeans practicing falconry. The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird on earth, which represents the unrelenting speed of technological “progress.” Their carnivorous nature represents the consumption of resources necessary to maintain this breakneck speed.

Part 4 — Automobiles, Industry, and Urban Renewal

As streetcars and railways were replaced by buses and automobiles, the infrastructure of the city shifted once again. Our roads widened, our footpaths were paved over, and parking lots began to monopolize large swaths of land. The Heartside neighborhood played an important part in Michigan’s automobile industry, with parts manufacturers in Grand Rapids supporting the assembly lines in Detroit.



Michigan played a pivotal role in the nation as a whole adopting a culture of cars. The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 initiated the construction of highways nationwide, and led to national urban renewal. Urban renewal necessitated the demolition of neighborhoods to establish the interstate system; these neighborhoods were almost exclusively low-income, minority, and communities of color. Black and Brown neighborhoods were particularly targeted for redevelopment, exacerbating racial segregation and economic disparities. Though urban renewal was a national phenomenon, it had and continues to have a resounding impact on the Heartside neighborhood, where the construction of US 131 destroyed community centers, divided families, and created a host of barriers to mobility and access for marginalized people groups.



From Father Dennis Morrow: “We don’t normally call it devastation, because something was built… However, if the devastation from the riots of the 60’s had been nearly as great as the devastation wrought by the freeway construction they would have called the riots an all out war. The amount of dwellings that were destroyed during the riots were infinitesimal compared to those destroyed during the freeway construction.“



In the mural, cars are stuck in traffic on the S-Curve of US 131. Beneath the highway, dozens of homes represent the neighborhoods that were destroyed in the name of progress. The church depicted is based on San Jose Obrero, which once served the Latin community of Heartside until its demolition. The pedestrians walking along the highway are a multi-generational Black family who represent the hundreds of people who were targeted, separated, and displaced.