The Story Behind One of Grand Rapids’ Most Overlooked Landmarks

The year is 2011, and a teenage me is looking for a prime place to view the fireworks in Downtown Grand Rapids. My parents are wading through the crowds of people trying to find a place for a family of six to fit comfortably to watch fireworks, a feat not easily accomplished. But then the crowds parted, and I saw a prime spot: on top of one of the hills in Ah-Nab-Awen Park.

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But those hills serve more than a great place to sit. In fact, there is a little secret many aren't aware of: these hills, or mounds, sit on land that was once home to an incredible piece of history that was sadly destroyed as Grand Rapids grew.

Michigan's Lesser-Known "Mound Group"

If you've ever looked at those hills and thought about how perfectly round they are, that was a very intentional design meant to honor the area. The Norton Mound Group, an archaeological site along the Grand River, features ceremonial Native American resting places known as "mounds" that have remained untouched for thousands of years. Sadly, many of them were destroyed or excavated, with only 11 of the original 30 still 

READ MORE: Here Is How Much Of Michigan Is Native American Reservations

I mention 11 because the "mounds" at Ah-Nab-Awen Park are not part of the preserved collection; the mounds in the park are recreations, sitting near another group of mounds called the Converse Mounds.

The original Converse Mounds are long gone, with teams having looted and leveled them during the 1850s to make room for the city of Grand Rapids, and construction crews making "considerable financial benefit" from the sale of the artifacts to museums.

At the time, crews didn't think anything of it. However, as their value was recognized, it became clear that they needed to be preserved. Thankfully, some of the items buried in the mounds are now on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

The mounds at the park are placed near the original mounds that once peppered the region, a symbolic monument to what came before. So yes, the secret of these hills is that they really are just hills, but there are far more than that, too.