Who founded G.R.?
Commonly accepted to be French fur trader Louis Campeau in 1826, but Baptist missionary Isaac McCoy visited in the Fall of 1825. Campeau stayed though and McCoy didn’t.

Who settled G.R.?
The first were New Englanders in the 1830s. Dutch and German immigrants followed soon after. Eastern and Southern Europeans came at the end of the 19^th century.

What tribes inhabited the area?
The Ottawa lived nearby prior to settlement, the Chippewa were just north and the Pottowattomie were just south. They made up a group called The People of the Three Fires.  The tribe known as the Mound Builders inhabited this area 2,000 years ago.

When did the earliest African Americans arrive?
They arrived in the 1830s after walking from Detroit as part of a work gang that built canals around the city.

When did the first Latinos arrive?
In the 1920s to work on the railroads. Today they are the fastest growing group in the city. Today the latest census indicates most people coming from a mixed heritage-no longer does one ethnicity dominate over the others. (ex. Part Dutch/part Italian, part Irish/part German etc.)

What is the primary industry?
Residential furniture dominated in the 19^th century and today the office and commercial furniture industry is large, but mostly today G.R. is characterized as having a diverse business community which is what makes it a desirable and successful business area.

<< back to history page.