The Flood in Grand Rapids
Photographic Views of the Inundated Sections of the City
March 25-29, 1904
Copyright © 1904 by the Dean-Hicks Printing Co.

"The accompanying photographic views illustrate the greatest and most destructive flood ever experienced in Grand Rapids -- the inundated territory being larger in extent, perhaps, than that ever under water at one time in any city similarly situated. The Grand River began to overflow its banks on Thursday night, March 24th, steadily rising until 6 o'clock on the morning of Monday, the 28th, when it registered 19.6 feet, more than two feet above the highest previous mark. More than one-half of the entire populated portion of the city lying on the west side of the river was completely underwater, over twenty-five hundred houses, affecting fourteen thousand persons, being completely surrounded. Most fortunately and, indeed, miraculously, no casualties occurred, but much suffering from cold and hunger and exposure resulted, alleviated in a measure by the prompt measures for relief. The monetary loss, direct and contingent, is conservatively estimated at one million eight hundred thousand dollars. Eight thousand men were temporarily thrown out of work, fifty factories being forced to shut down. On the east side of the river the flood effects were limited to inundating numerous factories, and the flooding of two to three hundred business basements. All of the bridges spanning the river within the city limits, eight in number, withstood the flood. The net proceeds from the sales of this souvenir of the flood go to the relief fund." Cover ~ Explanatory Page Views at the corner of Pearl and Front Streets ~ West Fulton Street, Looking West ~ West Leonard Street, Looking West ~ Third Street, Looking West from Broadway ~ Broadway, Looking South ~ Corner Eighth and Turner Streets, Looking South ~ Fourth Street, Between Turner and Broadway ~ Broadway, Looking North ~ Views on Broadway ~ The Evening Press Office, From Pearl Street Bridge ~ Broadway, Corner Eighth, Looking South ~ Panoramic View South from Corner of Allen and Winter Streets ~ Broadway, Looking North from Bridge Street ~ At the Gas Plant ~ Viaduct Under Grand Trunk Railway Track / Scene on Broadway / Southwest Corner Fourth and Turner Streets ~ Grand Trunk Railway Bridge / Winter Street Looking Southwest / The City Lighting Plant ~ West Bridge Street, Looking West from Winter ~ West Bridge Street, Looking West from Turner ~ Grand Rapids Chair Co.'s Factory / Fourth Street Looking West from Turner Street / Scene on Broadway ~ Corner Winter and Bridge Street / Conditions at First and Broadway / Leonard Street Food Supply Station 1907 Ice Jam of the Grand River at Grand Rapids (includes Tugboats)     For further pictures of the 1904 Flood go GVSU to: http://www.gvsu.edu/geology/ http://www.gvsu.edu.geology/?id=72561D13-A242-1336-A866971D1F58EA6D