Grand Rapids in Vintage Postcards

Explore the rich history of Grand Rapids, Michigan through its' nineteenth and twentieth-century postcard heritage. Grand Rapids , Michigan, began to take shape when settlers found power, transportation, and abundant natural resources on the banks of the Grand River . A gateway to the settlement of western and northern Michigan in the mid- to late 19th century, Grand Rapids became home to a fledgling cottage industry in the manufacture of furniture. In the decades that followed, the furniture in