Document Type
Report
Abstract
In the decades between 1913 and 1967, Silver and Coldbrook Creeks vanished from the urban landscape in the rapidly growing city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) map of Grand Rapids from 1914 shows both Silver and Coldbrook Creeks emptying into the Grand River west of their headwaters south and north of Reeds Lake, respectively. By 1967, the year a topographical map of Grand Rapids was created at a scale as fine as that of the 1914 map, both Silver and Coldbrook Creek had been erased from the landscape of Grand Rapids. A closer look at the topographic map from 1967 still shows the same topographical lines from 1914. It is possible to trace the previous route of the creeks because they pass through the lowest elevation areas on their way out to the Grand River. Clearly, the topography did not change. The headwaters also did not vanish or evaporate. Where did the water go? These streams continue to flow to this day, albeit underground.
This study will examine the fate of these creeks and the conditions necessary for urban stream burial. Moreover, it will analyze the discourse surrounding streams in the urban environment to understand how the position of urban streams has been changed from that of removal and burial in the urban environment to the more recent interest in centering urban community life around natural waterways.
Publication Date
5-13-2017
Recommended Citation
Vincent, Tqz1`nner, "Buried Alive: Urban Stream Burial in Grand Rapids, Michigan" (2017). Student Papers and Reports. 21.
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/pcs_student-papers/21