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30-577: The trail is constructed on a section of the former railroad the Grand River Valley Railroad , which ran from Grand Rapids to Jackson . Originally chartered on May 4, 1846, the railroad remained dormant for 20 years. Construction on the line began in 1868–1869. The first train, pulled by the locomotive 'Muskegon', arrived in Grand Rapids on January 1, 1870. Regular service commenced a few weeks later on January 17. Shortly after

60-460: A daily train heading from Grand Rapids to Jackson with a return trip the next day. On February 1, 1968, New York Central merged with Pennsylvania Railroad to form Penn Central Railroad . By 1970, Penn Central was in bankruptcy and track maintenance and service suffered. On April 1, 1976, Conrail took over operation of the line and discontinued service on the line east of Vermontville to Eaton Rapids. While Conrail did not wish to continue operating

90-595: A doctor, three Justices of the Peace , and an attorney. Later, a basket factory was built next to the flour and saw mills on the Thornapple River. The river was subject to periodic flooding. The 1904-1905 flood was "the worst flooding in Ada history." A number of dams were constructed in the early 20th century for flood control and power generation. In 1957, as part of a M-21 Grand River bridge replacement project,

120-675: A major tributary in the Coldwater River . The Thornapple is the only major left tributary of the Grand River. The major rivers and streams within the Grand River watershed were formed during the Pleistocene epoch and the subsequent advance/retreat glaciation cycle, terminating about 6–8000 years ago. Prior to European settlement, the Thornapple drainage basin had mixed hardwood / conifer forest and barrens . At

150-460: A small but significant portion of its 88-mile (142 km) extent. The Thornapple supports several canoe livery businesses. The Paul Henry–Thornapple Rail Trail parallels the river for a significant portion of its length. From the headwaters in Eaton County to Thornapple Lake, the river is creeklike, with narrow banks and tangled undergrowth restricting easy passage. The lower stretch of

180-481: Is a grass trail starting at Greggs Crossing Rd, extending southeast along the Thornapple River. It then follows alongside M-79 briefly before turning northeast through Nashville . The path through Nashville predominantly traces the old railroad's northeasterly route. With the exception of a brief 1000ft paved segment of trail west of Nashville over Quaker Brook, the trail remains grass until reaching Maple Valley High School. After leaving Nashville and crossing Reed St

210-460: Is claimed to be "nationally known as a fine smallmouth bass stream", and there are typically large numbers of small mouth bass in the free-flowing sections between Nashville and the junction with the Coldwater river. Fishing access is good, as most of the free-flowing Thornapple can be waded or floated during normal summer flows, and many county road crossings afford good access. In addition to

240-457: Is closed in November for hunting season. The trail continues south along the river through some wetlands, eventually crossing the river on an old converted rail bridge, before reaching Irving at McCann Rd where the trail changes from asphalt to grass. It then continues for another 2 miles before ending at private property on Irving Rd. The section between Irving Rd and Hastings is currently in

270-593: Is currently private property and is in the planning/proposal stage. Trail users in this area must navigate an on-road segment on Stimson Rd, heading south to M-37 and then east on Crane Rd across the Thornapple River . After crossing the river on Crane Rd the trail picks up again heading along the banks of the Thornapple River and crossing over Main St in Middleville . A section of the trail south of Middleville

300-504: Is significant recreational watercraft usage, both powered and sail , as well as personal water craft , although no provisions for specific clearances under bridges have been made, and the dams do not have locks, so portaging or trailered transport is required to move craft from one reach to another. Totaling over 857 square miles and covering portions of Barry , Eaton , Ionia , and Kent Counties in Central Michigan ,

330-679: The Grand River . The Thornapple rises in Eaton County, Michigan and drains a primarily rural farming area in Central Michigan . It joins the Grand in Ada , Michigan , 10 miles (16 km) east of Grand Rapids . The Thornapple, a major Grand River tributary, is about 88 miles (142 km) long. Its headwaters are located about 7 miles (11 km) east of Charlotte, Michigan in Eaton County's Eaton township (only 7 miles (11 km) west of

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360-501: The 1950s, the service had been downgraded from a train to a motorized passenger car called a Budd Rail Diesel Car or RDC. New York Central referred to the service as 'The Beeliner'. The tracks were well maintained, with relatively high speed limits of 60 mph for passenger service and 40 mph for freight. Passenger service concluded with the last Beeliner running in December 1959. Freight service continued and usually consisted of

390-462: The Grand River at Eaton Rapids ). It flows generally west and north through Eaton and Barry counties, before entering the Grand in Kent County . The Grand ultimately flows into Lake Michigan at Grand Haven , approximately 70 miles (110 km) down stream. The Thornapple is described as "An easygoing stream that meanders through low southwest Michigan woodlands." The Thornapple itself has

420-1213: The Thornapple River Watershed has approximately 324 miles of streams and rivers that flow into the Lower Grand River Watershed. The land within the watershed is: The Thornapple's tributaries are:Butternut Creek, Milbourn Allen and Crane Drain-Thornapple River, Thornapple Drain, Fish Creek-Little Thornapple River, Hayes Drain-Thornapple River, Darken and Boyer Drain-Thornapple River, Lacey Creek, Thompson Creek-Thornapple River, Shanty Creek, Quaker Brook, Scipio Creek-Thornapple River, Headwaters Mud Creek, Mud Creek, High Bank Creek, Cedar Creek, Thornapple Lake-Thornapple River, Jordan Lake-Little Thornapple River, Woodland Creek-Little Thornapple River, Messer Brook-Coldwater River, Duck Creek Creek, Pratt Lake Creek, Bear Creek, Coldwater River, Fall Creek, Butler Creek-Thornapple River, Glass Creek, Algonquin Lake-Thornapple River, Duncan Creek, Turner Creek-Thornapple River, and McCords Creek-Thornapple River. The Thornapple flows through: The river

450-596: The Thornapple. Robinson also established a fur trading post in conjunction with John Jacob Astor 's American Fur Company at the mouth of the Thornapple in 1821 to trade with the Ottawa and Potawatomi and conduct other business. By 1836, with the fur trade in decline, Robinson facilitated a treaty between local tribes and the Federal government that opened much of the area, including the Thornapple basin, to white settlement. Robinson later purchased hundreds of acres around

480-526: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 226319178 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:38:11 GMT Thornapple River The Thornapple River ( Ottawa : Sowanquesake , "Forked River") ( GNIS ID # 1075813 ) is an 88.1-mile-long (141.8 km) tributary of Michigan's longest river,

510-615: The border of Kentwood and Grand Rapids. The trail begins by heading southeast, and after a mile, has a connection with the East-West Trail in Kentwood. Continuing southeast, the trail progresses toward 60th St and Wing Ave, where it links to the Frederik Meijer Trail . From there, the trail heads east along 60th St, connecting to Paris Park Nature Reserve and passing through East Paris Nature Park. After traversing

540-480: The embankment and continuing southeast. The trail extends for 4 miles through rural farmland before reaching Kraft Ave and 92nd St and running through Caledonia Community Schools property. Continuing on the old railbed the trail has a connection to a township trail through Caledonia Lakeside Park before reaching Main St in the Village of Caledonia . At this point, the trail transitions to sidewalks and sharrows through

570-747: The line's creation on August 15, 1870, it was perpetually leased by the Michigan Central Railroad as a branch for their system. On September 15, 1916, the Grand River Valley Railroad was formally merged into the Michigan Central Railroad. Subsequently, on February 1, 1930, The New York Central Railroad absorbed the Michigan Central. In the 1920s, passenger service featured a daily train each way between Grand Rapids and Detroit. By

600-567: The line, an agreement was reached to ensure the line's operation under a contract with the State of Michigan. In 1979, Conrail did not renew its agreement with the state. On July 15, 1979, the Kent-Barry-Eaton Connecting Railway (KBEC) commenced operations under a contract with the state, securing a subsidy for operating the line between Grand Rapids and Vermontville, servicing 11 customers, 6 of them "regulars". It

630-466: The many fish species that live in the Thornapple, the river is also home to other wildlife including osprey , bald eagles , herons , and various species of ducks , some who winter in Michigan. People use the recreational facilities on the river to observe these species for pleasure and knowledge seeking. On the lower reaches of the river, especially in the several impoundments behind the dams, there

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660-440: The mouth of the Thornapple and lower channel were relocated about 500 feet upstream on the Grand, and land that had been the site of Robinson's first home in Ada and trading post was inundated. Today the Thornapple is not a navigable waterway , and there is no commercial water transport on it. The major use of the river is recreational. The Thornapple River sees significant use for rafting , kayaking , tubing , and canoeing on

690-413: The mouth of the Thornapple for the Ottawa to continue living on. As with many rivers in 19th and early 20th century America, the Thornapple had significant logging , milling , and manufacturing activity along it. As an example: by 1862 Ada had a number of businesses which included: general stores, a flour mill, a saw mill, hotels, a blacksmith, a carriage maker , a boot and shoe store, two churches,

720-436: The park, the trail turns south to follow East Paris Ave before crossing over M-6 . After crossing 68th St, the trail departs from East Paris Ave and resumes its southward course through farmland, eventually rejoining the old railroad embankment. At the embankment, a spur follows the old rail line northwest, connecting to Dutton Shadyside Park and 68th St. Continuing south, the trail reaches 76th St before turning east, rejoining

750-483: The planning/proposal stage. The trail within Hastings city limits has been completed and connects to both Tyden Park and Bliss Riverfront Park. To the east of Hastings, there are multiple trail sections divided by private property, comprising approximately 10 miles of mostly grass and some paved trail separated by 4 miles of private property. These sections are currently in the planning/proposal stage. Currently, there

780-818: The river is a series of dam-created reservoirs that are heavily developed. However, from the lake to the first dam impoundment below Irving, is a 14-mile (23 km) stretch of river that is suitable for family outings and float trips. The river is also very fishable. A large number of species inhabit the river, among them: sunfishes ( largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , rock bass bluegill , crappie , pumpkinseed , and warmouth ), bowfin , brown bullhead , minnows ( common carp , chub , dace , and shiner ), suckers ( white sucker and redhorse ), perches ( yellow perch , walleye , darter ), brook stickleback , northern pike , longnose gar , trout ( brown trout , brook trout , and rainbow trout ), and lampreys ( American brook lamprey and chestnut lamprey ). The river

810-489: The trail continues northeast, entering Eaton County. The trail continues to Maple Valley High School where the trail changes from grass to asphalt. Continuing its course the trail crosses the Thornapple River, again on another converted rail bridge, before turning slightly south, ultimately arriving at the trail terminus in Vermontville . Grand River Valley Railroad Too Many Requests If you report this error to

840-542: The turn of the 19th century, the Thornapple was home to bands of both Ottawa and Potawatomi . Into the 1830s, the Grand River Band of Ottawa had a village at the mouth of the Thornapple led by Nebawnaygezhick ("Part of the Day"). During the early colonial settlement of Michigan, Rix Robinson , the first permanent colonial settler of Kent County, married Sebequay ("River Woman"), the sister of Nebawnaygezhick, at

870-424: The village until South Maple St and Kinsey St, where the trail resumes its southeastward course. The trail then turns east to cross M-37 before quickly returning south to rejoin the embankment, continuing southeast to the county line at 108th St. Headed south across 108th St, the trail surface transitions from paved asphalt to graded dirt before ending at Stimson Rd. The trail section between Stimson Rd and Crane Rd

900-413: Was the first minority owned railroad in the country. Freight primarily consisted of grain, lumber, manufactured goods and scrap metal. A failure to build freight traffic on the line combined with "inexperienced railroad management" led to the state ending its contract with KBEC and service on the line ceasing completely on October 15, 1983. The northwest terminus is at Kalamazoo Ave just south of 44th St on

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