| The Heritage Center at Graafschap CRC |
| 5973 Church Street Holland, MI 49423 |
| THE ARRIVAL Establishing a new community in the wilderness, building log homes, overcoming extreme hardships and death, with Native American neighbors |
| Read what Janneke de Naaijehas to say about their early experiences here |
We came to the Promised Land, but oh my, it
was an untamed wilderness.
A walking trail took us here, through deep
forests of huge trees. Some of them were more
than 150 feet tall. We had never seen anything
like it.
There were no houses waiting for us.
Some of the first huts were built from the
branches of trees, good homes for toads but not
for people. The log huts that were built were
nothing more than cramped little shanties really.
We would often get rained on because the huts
were so poorly roofed at first.
was an untamed wilderness.
A walking trail took us here, through deep
forests of huge trees. Some of them were more
than 150 feet tall. We had never seen anything
like it.
There were no houses waiting for us.
Some of the first huts were built from the
branches of trees, good homes for toads but not
for people. The log huts that were built were
nothing more than cramped little shanties really.
We would often get rained on because the huts
were so poorly roofed at first.
The beginnings were terribly hard. The men
had to learn to cut trees. It was dangerous and
difficult work.
Many women became homesick.
had to learn to cut trees. It was dangerous and
difficult work.
Many women became homesick.
That first summer was rainy and humid. There
wasn’t enough good food. It was hard to get
anything to grow at first because of the forest and
wild animals. We shared the forest with poisonous
snakes, skunks, raccoons, groundhogs, and
Indians whose way of life we didn’t understand very
well, just like they didn’t understand us, especially
about personal property and land ownership. And
so they moved away from us after a while.
The mosquitoes were terrible too. People became
sick with malaria, typhoid, dysentery, smallpox,
scarlet fever, and other illness.
Death became common; there were funerals every
day.
We had no doctors or medicine to aid us. So many
young children died those early years. Many a
father had to dig his own child’s grave. It became
so bad that sometimes there were not enough
healthy people left to bury the dead.
Then we wondered why God had led us to this
wilderness.
But we kept praying and believing that God would
see us through.
And He did.
wasn’t enough good food. It was hard to get
anything to grow at first because of the forest and
wild animals. We shared the forest with poisonous
snakes, skunks, raccoons, groundhogs, and
Indians whose way of life we didn’t understand very
well, just like they didn’t understand us, especially
about personal property and land ownership. And
so they moved away from us after a while.
The mosquitoes were terrible too. People became
sick with malaria, typhoid, dysentery, smallpox,
scarlet fever, and other illness.
Death became common; there were funerals every
day.
We had no doctors or medicine to aid us. So many
young children died those early years. Many a
father had to dig his own child’s grave. It became
so bad that sometimes there were not enough
healthy people left to bury the dead.
Then we wondered why God had led us to this
wilderness.
But we kept praying and believing that God would
see us through.
And He did.
Later a monument was erected in our
graveyard in memory of the many early
settlers who were buried here so soon after
their arrival. They were not forgotten. The
inscription says, “With thankfulness to God,
we owe them a debt of gratitude for their
tenacious perseverance, unwearying
diligence, industriousness, and Godly piety...”
graveyard in memory of the many early
settlers who were buried here so soon after
their arrival. They were not forgotten. The
inscription says, “With thankfulness to God,
we owe them a debt of gratitude for their
tenacious perseverance, unwearying
diligence, industriousness, and Godly piety...”