Lowell

By Plank, Lisa Barker and Lowell Area Historical Museum

Settlement of the Lowell area centered on the confluence of the Grand and Flat Rivers. Joseph and Magdaleine LaFramboise first established a fur trading post near the Ottawa village, Segwun, where the rivers meet. The community grew as settlers poured into the area attracted by the growing lumber industry and rich farmland. Diverse businesses emerged including a cutter factory, a vibrant clamming industry, and the state's oldest family-run flour mill. A unique feature of the area is Fallasburg Historic Village. Once an active mill town on the Flat River, Fallasburg slid into obscurity when the railroad passed it by. At the height of the Great Depression, businessmen of Lowell joined together to build a showboat to draw visitors to town. The Lowell Showboat is now one of the most recognizable attractions in Lowell. This book explores both well known and more obscure aspects of Lowell's history through a wealth of images, many never published before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439639481

Plank, Lisa Barker

Lisa Barker Plank is a public historian and museum professional. She currently serves as a board member of the Lowell Area Historical Museum, which seeks to educate, enrich, and inspire through the preservation and presentation of Lowell area history.

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Museum.

INTRODUCTION

Situated at the confluence of the Grand and Flat Rivers, Lowell has been a center of settlement, trade, and recreation for generations. The first known settlers of the immediate Lowell area were the Ottawa Indians, who established a village named Segwun on the south side of the Grand River. They farmed the land north of the Grand River, west of the Flat River. As the fur trade grew in Michigan, traders began to visit. Joseph and Magdalaine LaFramboise built a trading post west of the village as early as 1796. While returning from a trading trip to Mackinac in 1806, Joseph was killed near Muskegon. Magdalaine, known as Madame LaFramboise, continued to operate their business. She retired in 1821 to Mackinac Island, and the American Fur Company transferred her trading rights to Rix Robinson.

Daniel Marsac is considered the first permanent white settler of Lowell. A fur trader, he arrived at the Ottawa village of Segwun in 1829. Marsac decided to stay and built a trading post and cabin on the south bank of the Grand River in 1831. His trading post operated in Lowell until 1855, when the Ottawa were removed by treaty to lands up north. Several early settlers helped to shape Lowell’s physical layout. Daniel Marsac purchased 80 acres of land east of the Flat River and north of the Grand River. He platted the land in 1848 and named the settlement Dansville. Marsac sold his land to Abel Avery, who replatted it with the same name, creating the basic layout of east Lowell. Cyprian Hooker arrived in Lowell in 1846, resulting in several firsts. He purchased land from Marsac and built the first gristmill, the first frame house, and the first dam on the Flat River. His son John Hooker became the final fur trader and was the Indian enumerator for the U.S. government. The settlement of Dansville was renamed Lowell in 1848 at the first town meeting, held at White’s Tavern. Roxinda White suggested the name because she thought the area was similar to Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell was incorporated into a village in 1861 with the same name, and Cyprian Hooker was elected village president.

The lumber industry thrived here during Lowell’s early history. White pine trees were cut during the winters along the Flat River and its tributaries and then floated into town to be cut into lumber. After the organization of a log holding company in Grand Rapids, whole logs were floated down river to the Grand River and on to Grand Rapids. However, most of the logs were cut into lumber in Lowell at the King, Quick, King Sawmill and Shingle Mill, which operated from 1870 to 1892. The logging industry lasted until 1892, when the last log run came through town.

The waterpower provided by the Flat River fueled other early industries. A woolen mill carded wool brought in from local farmers. Gristmills ground flour from local farmers’ wheat. A cutter factory built wood bodies for cutters sold across the country. The railroad arrived in Lowell in 1858, connecting the community to the larger world in a more direct way than ever before. Farmers and manufacturers could market their goods farther. The combination of industries and good farmland attracted more and more people to the Lowell area. The population of the Lowell area multiplied during the 1860s, 1870s, and 1880s.

Stores were built first of wood, then of brick along Main Street, with a bridge spanning the Flat River. Businesses have come and gone, but Main Street has remained the heart of the community. Many of the buildings today date back to the 19th century, and Lowell is proud of its downtown historic district.

Lowell claims several unique features; perhaps the most well known is the Lowell Showboat. At the height of the Great Depression, the businessmen of Lowell joined together to build and promote a Mississippi River–style showboat to draw visitors to town. The popular summer series of shows on the showboat continued until 1997. Numerous famous acts came to the showboat over the years, including Louis Armstrong, Milton Berle, and Dinah Shore. It is used today as a setting for a summer concert series and other public events throughout the year.

Another unique feature of the Lowell area is Fallasburg Village in Vergennes Township. The community was founded in 1839 by John Wesley Fallass. Located along the state road between Grand Rapids and Detroit, the village boasted a sawmill, a gristmill, a blacksmith, a hotel, and a wheelwright. Once an active mill town on the Flat River, the community slid into obscurity when the railroad came through Lowell instead of through Fallasburg. Today a few buildings remain, including several houses, a schoolhouse, and a wonderful covered bridge.

Lowell has long been a draw for recreational visitors looking to enjoy the combination of natural beauty and culture that the area has to offer. Today this small city and its larger community boast a vibrant downtown shopping and business district located near the center of a rich farming and recreation area. Local and national hiking trails, rivers, lakes, and creeks well suited to canoeing and fishing mingle with cultural sites, including a nature center, a historic