City of Grand Rapids v. Powers

Grand river is one of the largest and most important inland streams of the State. It is a navigable river. It has been a water highway, upon which for many years logs and lumber have been floated from the pineries to the lake at Grand Haven, or to mills at various points upon the river bank. It has never been navigable for boats, except canoes and bateaux, above Lyons, and no steam-boats have been above the rapids at Grand Eapids for many years. Small steam-boats have run between the mouth and the city of Grand Eapids, and, with the aid of government appropriations, the river below the rapids…