The era of the electric train in Michigan was brief, owing in large part to the development and mass production of the automobile. Because of the short life of the electric interurban train very little documented history exists, despite the enormous impact the trains had on areas such as the Godfrey-Lee community. From 1920-30, the population of Wyoming township went from 6,501 to 16,931, nearly triple. Most of this population was concentrated in the Godfrey-Lee, Godwin and Kelloggsville school areas. In fact, you might say the Godfrey-Lee or "GUB" area grew up with the Interurban since it provided relatively easy and inexpensive transportation from the commercial center of Grand Rapids to the rural and gradually suburban area of north Wyoming Township. As Grand Rapids residents rode the Interurban to Holland and beyond, they might have taken in the sites of the GUB and decided to move out away from the bustle of city life.  As early as 1895, there were many discussion about the need for an electric railway between Grand Rapids, Holland, the Macatawa Bay resorts, and Saugatuck. That year, several groups were in the area taking a serious look at the 45-mile route. However, it was at least another four years before any serious propositions were considered. Even then, the fledgling Holland & Lake Michigan Electric Railway company, which was already operating between Holland and Macatawa bay, struggled to obtain rights to operate on existing tracks within the city of Grand Rapids. The company battled with the city council for many months before an agreement was reached and the road opened, with the first car running out to Jenison on July 9, 1901.  Interurban grade separation near Grandville It would be several months before passengers could ride the interurban to Lake Michigan on a regular basis. The line angled through Wyoming township along a corridor that would later be known as Lee Street, with stops at Nagel Avenue, Beverly, and Wyoming Park before heading to Grandville. Once it got to the Ottawa- Kent boarder, it headed due south to Hanley before angling through Jamestown and following the Byron road corridor to Zeeland. From there, it went straight into the city of Holland where it connected to the lakeshore resorts. In 1904, work began to extend the rail so travelers could ride the electric train clear to Chicago but the work was soon halted and the route was never finished. Instead, travelers could board a steamer from Holland to Chicago. The Holland Sentinel reported on the start of regular service that began on October 1, 1901:
 The interurban train terminus in downtown Grand Rapids was located where the Civic Auditorium would be built several years after the trains ceased running. This is a view from the interurban bridge which still exists today, but is used as a foot bridge from the DeVos Hall side of the Grand River at Lyon Street to the President Ford Museum.  would be the site of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. The tracks curving to the left headed in the direction of both the Holland and Kalamazoo routes. Not everyone was excited about the coming of the "high-speed" noisy electric trains. There were reported attempts to block the tracks and disrupt service, particularly in the rural regions of Ottawa County. However, one incident occurred in the GUB, according to a newspaper report in January 1901:
Today, there are streets north of Burton and west of Godfrey named after Mrs. Kamp, although Hendrietje Street was later changed to Hendricks. In August 1902, a second track was completed between Jenison and Zeeland allowing a car to leave Grand Rapids for Holland every half hour. There were even early morning special express cars that catered to the resort trade in Holland, bypassing the stops along the way, including the GUB. In October, a store front in the Eagle Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids was leased so patrons would not have to wait on the streets for the next car. It had to be exciting along the line in July of 1919 when a special Interurban car was chartered to transport some of the men of the famed "Polar Bear" division, World War I soldiers who had served in Siberia, to their homes in Holland. You can almost imagine the interest in the GUB as these heroes travelled through. They were fast, but were they safe? The trains were not risk-free and travelled at a fairly high speed for that era. There were forty-four fatal accidents along the Grand Rapids, Holland and Lake Shore line, and its successor lines, between 1901 and 1926 alone. Crossings were not marked very well in those days. One of the worst accidents occurred in June of 1920, killing five near Jenison according to this account from the Zeeland Record:
Two fatalities occurred within the GUB, itself. One in particular was described in a graphic report from The Grand Rapids Herald of an accident on August 21, 1903:
On July 13, 1925, Harry Bos and Albert Boone were riding in an automobile on Nagel Avenue when the car was hit and both killed by an interurban train that was travelling down the Lee Street corridor.  The interurban bridge in 2002. In the background is construction of the DeVos Center. At right is the Civic Auditorium. Only the front facade of the Civic remains today, incorporated into the new structure.  Interurban train stop in Wyoming Park  This 1907 map of the GUB area shows the route of the interurban train. It didn't take long before the automobile began competing with the interurban. Shortly after 1905 more and more automobiles were showing up at people's homes. This led the state to enact the "Good Roads Plan" and the clock began ticking on the life of the electric train. No one at the time saw it coming despite Safety Motor Coach Lines becoming the first commercial enterprise to run regular trips to Holland and the resort area. This company was later known as Central Greyhound Lines. In 1926, after struggling to keep a number of shorter routes open, the Grand Rapids, Holland & Chicago line was abandoned. According to an article in the Holland Sentinel:
 Interurban tracks near Grandville In his book, The Interurban Era in Holland, Michigan, author Donald L. vanRenken quotes a nostalgic newspaper article that ran on September 9, 1926:
 This 1926 geologic survey map clearly shows the interurban line running diagonally through the GUB, Beverly and Wyoming Park. The Pere Marquette is shown running parallel to the Grand River with the roundhouse and yards on the top edge. A group did temporarily revive service between Jenison and Grand Rapids, calling it the United Suburban Railway, and business was good until it was forced to discontinue service in 1932. However, the golden age of the Interurban was long past but the period between 1901 and 1932 saw incredible growth in the Galewood-Urbandale-Burlingame area largely due to the electric railroad.  One last look at an era that had a tremendous impact on the growth of the Galewood-Urbandale-Burlingame community. Sources: The Evening Press, Grand Rapids, MI. Editions of January 14, 1895, February 28, 1899, March 1, 1899, October 18, 1899, October 19, 1899, January 27, 1900, July 9, 1901 Sanborn Fire Maps, 1912 The City of Wyoming-a History, Charles Vaughn and Dorothy Simon. 1984. Godwin's Past (website), http://godwin.bobanna.com/iii.html#[II-20], retrieved 10/15/11 (Errata: the reference to the A and B bus lines in the last paragraph should have a date of 1928, not 1982 as it states) Holland Sentinel, http://www.hollandsentinel.com/lifestyle/x776446558/COLUMN-82-years-ago-areas-electric-train-stopped, retrieved 10/15/11 vanReken, Donald L. The Interurban Era in Holland, Michigan. 1981 |
Chapter 2: The GUB >