A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a
relatively steep fall causing an increase in the rate of water flow
and turbulence.
A rapid is characterized by the river becoming shallower and
having some rocks exposed above the river's surface. Rapids occur
where the river bed material is highly resistant to the erosive
power of the stream in comparison with the bed upstream and
downstream of the rapids.
The "Grand" Rapids
The city of Grand Rapids was built at the site of the large
rapids in the Grand River in Kent County, Michigan.
The rapids here are not steep or severe, but have a nearly
uniform descent the length of a little more than a mile, through
the central part of the city. It amounts to a fall of about
eighteen feet, over a limestone bed, the western out crop of the
limestone bedrock in this part of Michigan.
The appearance of the river and the rapids has changed
significantly since the white man settled here at the rapids in
1833. Grand Rapidians increasingly sought to tame the river for
their own purposes.
Some were commercial in nature. The river was an important
source of power before the harnessing of electricity and many
factories were built on its banks.
Others viewed the rapids as an impediment to shipping and built
a nearly mile long canal around the rapids.
Some sought to control the river to prevent flooding. After the
flood of 1904 the first combination of flood walls and earthwork
embankments were built to keep the river within its banks.
Here is an artist's rendering of the Grand River in Grand Rapids
in 1868. Notice the rapids and the four islands below that the
picture shows.
Just downstream from where you stand, the Sixth Street Dam
(sometimes called the Fourth Street Dam) remains today to remind us
of man's attempts to tame the river. The approximately 15 foot tall
dam was built to supply water to two power canals. A canal on the
east side left the river just above the dam and the other on the
west side left the river where the fish ladder now sits. These
power canals were not for electricity, but rather to run grinding
wheels for flour mills located downtown at the time. The canals
were built after the date of the picture above and no longer
exist.
Logging Requirements
To log this cache we ask you to complete the following. All that
should be posted with your log will be a photo. All answers should
be e-mailed to us (via our profile) and not posted in your log. Go
ahead and log your find at the same time you're sending your email
answers. We reserve the right to delete find logs that haven't
emailed their answers.
- Please post a picture of yourself/team with the Grand River in
the background.
Downtown at the rapids, the Grand River has changed dramatically
over the years. Email us the answers to the following questions
which can be found by observing the river from the posted
coordinates.
- How wide is the river now?
- Can you see any rapids in the river?
This earthcache is wheelchair accessible.
Congrats to the whole family on the shared FTF: The Conman,
Caching Chick, and TeamHollis. Great pictures too!