The Yesterdays of Grand Rapids

by Charles E. Belknap

Cornerstone Press

May 15, 2026

Originally published in 1922, Captain Charles E. Belknap's The Yesterdays of Grand Rapids is a writer's love letter to his adored city. Through 101 anecdotal columns, Belknap captured snapshots of life in 1850s Grand Rapids, Michigan, and beyond. His charming portrait was a success then, and a century later, beloved by local historians. This new and revised edition supplements the original columns with the nearly fifty that ran in The Grand Rapids Press subsequent to the book's publication.

For the first time, the full scope of his valuable and fascinating vignettes can be appreciated. Contextual essays by Alles clarify these unique, historic columns while celebrating, too, the extraordinary life of Captain Charles E. Belknap.