Dotted throughout the countryside of western Michigan are towns with names reminiscent of old-world charm--Zeeland, Vriesland, Drenthe, Overisel, Holland. In mid-May, the people of Holland scrub their streets clean, dress in copies of traditional Dutch provincial costumes, and stage the Klompen (Wooden Shoe) Dance as part of a weeklong festival. Colorful tulips are everywhere and the authentic Dutch windmill is set in motion. These people are serious about their display of Dutch heritage, because western Michigan is the center of a cultural and educational system with deep roots in the Netherlands.
A wave of Dutch emigrants came to the New World after crop devastation due to blight in 1845 and 1846 brought severe economic stagnation to the Netherlands. Unemployment was rampant, taxes were high, and there was a sense of urban unrest. The Dutch called this period de zwarte jaren (the black years), and it gave impetus to the Landverhuizing (Nation-move), in which over seven thousand people emigrated to the United States. But prevailing religious conditions also contributed to the Dutch migration. Many of these emigrants were members of the Seceders, a group that had broken with the state-supported Reformed Church in 1834, and since had faced employment and social discrimination. Some Seceder clergymen, seeking greater freedom of worship and education, led groups of their followers out of the Netherlands during the Landverhuizing.
During the winter of 1847, the Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte and a small band of followers from the Netherlands settled into a new Kolonie (settlement) near the shores of Lake Michigan. Van Raalte was a man of strong spiritual fortitude and the care of the entire company rested on his shoulders. He acted as physician when they were sick, gave counsel when needed, drew up legal contacts, gave references and addresses to those moving to new areas, and often supervised the shipment of goods. Many times he walked great distances to minister to his people because the needs of the settlement demanded it.
Mrs. Van Raalte, not as strong as her husband, was not accustomed to the rigors of a long, hard journey. She was a cultured, refined, and well-educated lady who had traveled in the highest circles of Dutch society before leaving Europe. She constantly struggled over the caliber of the people who gathered around her husband, because of their lack of education and lower standards. The unfamiliar language and mores of the new country also made life difficult for her. Van Raalte wrote about his wife, "At times her soul's barometer is too low."
The courageous party originally had intended to settle in the area around Milwaukee. However, when these bands--who were mostly farmers--reached North America, they found it difficult to secure employment due to their unfamiliarity with the new language, customs, and money. They were desperate to augment their meager financial means by settling where they could prosper both spiritually and materially.
Van Raalte conferred with a man originally from the Zeeland province of the Netherlands who had traveled through what was then known as the "West." This area included what is is now Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The Zeelander advised him to settle in Michigan, because that territory was at least in the first stages of development, had railroads, and was close to commercial markets. Van Raalte also consulted with the descendants
...
Read Full Article
|
