On February 9, 1847, Rev. Albertus C. Van Raalte chose a site on
Michigan's Black River and founded what became Holland. Motivated in
part by a potato famine and crop failures, the settlers also sought
religious freedom. Other countrymen followed, leaving an indelible mark
on the character of southwest Michigan. Jan Douma and Matteus Notier,
Union soldiers from Graafschap, guarded the bier of slain president
Abraham Lincoln. Newbery Medal-winning children's author Meindert DeJong
came from Grand Rapids, as did Caldecott Medalist Chris Van Allsburg.
The legacy includes Hope, Calvin, and Kuyper Colleges, the world-class
Fredrik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, the Fred and Lena Meijer
Heart Center at Spectrum Hospital, DeVos Performance Hall, Van Andel
Arena, the DeGraaf Nature Center, Windmill Island, Dutch Village, and
Veldheer's Tulip Gardens. The Dutch forefathers passed their values on
to their progeny to make the area what it is today.