Our Growth. Our Story. Our Impact. is a web series highlighting the rich history of Grand Rapids Public Schools.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) -- One of the earliest records of public education in the Grand River Valley dates back to 1826 at the Thomas Station Baptist Mission, located on the west bank of the Grand River near present-day Bridge Street.
A school that served 25 pupils was established by Rev. Isaac McCoy. The students came from both the Ottawa Indian community settled on the west bank and children of white settlers from the east side of the river; the latter group reached the school by canoe (as shown in the drawing). Among the students were the offspring of Chief Noonday, one of the community's more prominent citizens and a respected public figure who lived to be over 100 years old.
Not long after the school opened, Rev. Leonard Slater (pictured) was placed in charge. Born in Massachusetts in 1802, Slater came from a fairly well-known family. His father, Peter, was a participant in the Boston Tea Party, and one of his uncles established one of the first cotton mills in the colonies. When Leonard married Mary Franch Ide in 1826, the couple migrated westward on horseback, eventually settling in Niles, Michigan. They moved to Grand Rapids shortly thereafter, with all their worldly goods delivered by rowboat down the Grand River.
Slater took his mission seriously and became fluent in the Ottawa language. He also served the community as its first postmaster and as a justice of the peace. The Slaters, Chief Noonday, and about 50 Ottawa families left the area a few years later, but new schools were established as the idea of educating the region's children became a mission in its own right.
Article by GF Korreck
