Albertus C. Van Raalte - Holland, MI - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

The plaque near the statue reads:
"This statue was donated to the people of Holland, Michigan, by the Peter H. Huizenga family to honor the memory and the vision of the Reverend Dr. Albertus C. Van Raalte, founder of the City of Holland and Hope College, who brought a group of fellow immigrants from the Netherlands to this area on February 9, 1847. The monument was sculpted by James L. Gafgen, Sr., from a model designed in 1922 by sculptor Leonard Crunelle of Chicago, and dedicated on May 1, 1997, in celebration of the City's Sesquicentennial.

This plaque was unveiled October 2, 1997, on the occasion of the visit of Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret of the Netherlands

The nearby "Dutch in Michigan" historical marker reads:
"On February 9, 1847, the Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte and a band of Hollanders founded the city of Holland. Within two years the other four original colonies--Graafschap, Zeeland, Vriesland, Overisel--had also been established. Plagued by illness and not accustomed to the task of clearing a wilderness, the settlers found their first year a hard one, but their suffering was to be repaid in the bountiful days ahead."

From the Wayne State University Press review of Albertus C. Van Raalte: Dutch Leader and American Patriot:
"In 1845 and 1846, potato blight ruined the Netherlands' entire harvest of potatoes, causing long-lasting economic decline and poverty and leading many poor and middle-class Dutch to consider emigration to North America. Deeply affected by continuous hardship and suffering, Van Raalte and his followers emigrated to the United States in 1846. In 1847 Van Raalte founded Holland, Michigan, and nine years later founded Hope College. More than 150 years ago, Van Raalte and a small band of followers arrived in a desolate, snow-covered forest. Today, the city and the college he founded there continue to thrive."