Log Jam of 1883

Log Jam of 1883. . , One of the most devastating events in Grand Rapids’ history occurred on the morning of July 26, 1883. Two weeks of record-setting rains had raised the Grand River to flood stage. When lumbermen tried to take advantage of the high water to float their logs downstream, a tremendous seven-mile log jam was created above the Grand Trunk Railroad Bridge, two miles north of downtown. On the morning of July 26, the jam broke loose. Over 600,000 logs rushed downriver, tearing out every railroad bridge in the city as they went., For two hours residents watched helplessly as the logs roared by. For a time it was feared the entire mass would flow all the way to Lake Michigan, but heroic lumberjacks at Grand Haven built booms strong enough to stop the logs short of the open water., Fortunately, no lives were lost, but timber losses and property damages were estimated at over $500,000. In addition to the railroad bridges, many street and pedestrian bridges were damaged, disrupting transportation for several months., Within a few years of the log jam, the heyday of the Grand River lumbering industry was over.