Alpine Township

by Mary Rasch Alt

Overview

Alpine Township's roots are in harvesting. Native Americans harvested cranberries near a lake by the same name, Cranberry Lake. After logging out the forested area of the township, starting 160 years ago, farmers found peach trees, then apples, and a variety of fruit grew well on the rolling hills of this area referred to as "the Ridge." The name Alpine came from the combination of two words, all pine, in reference to the trees that grew in abundance in the township. Today Alpine Avenue has become a major commercial district on the northwest side of Grand Rapids, in western Michigan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738551043
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	04/25/2007
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,048,748
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Mary Rasch Alt was raised on a farm in Alpine Township, where her parents, Herman and Bernadette Rasch, third-generation landowners, were born and raised. Her husband, Bill Alt, was also raised on a farm in Alpine. They raised their son, Phil, in neighboring Wright Township. Along with Alt's passion for history and photography, she loves to travel. Alt has been a freelance writer and photographer for the Grand Rapids Press for 20 years. She is on the Alpine Township Historical Commission and is a member of Western Michigan Genealogical Society and Seneca County Historical Society in Ohio. Alt has compiled these photographs from the collections of founding families in Alpine Township, the Alpine Township historical files, and her own collection.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     6
Introduction     7
Lumbering     9
Early Settlers     13
Homes and Barns     25
People and Gathering     51
Working     87
Churches     107
Schools     111
Military and Events     125