Dirk Gringhuis

Who was Dirk Gringhuis?

Richard H. "Dirk" Gringhuis was an American artist and illustrator. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he studied from 1939-1941 at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, lived in New York for a year, then moved back to Michigan. He wrote and illustrated 28 books, half of them on Michigan history. He also was producer-host for the television series, “Open Door to Michigan.” He served as Curator of Exhibits at the Museum and Associate Professor in Elementary Education at Michigan State University. He received special awards for his work on Michigan, including the Governor’s Award, A National Educational Television Award, and an Award of Merit from the Michigan Historical Society. He was closely associated, as a contract author and artist, with the Mackinac Island State Park system from 1958 until his death. During that time he wrote and illustrated four publications on the Mackinac region, illustrated many others and painted exhibit murals. Having moved to East Lansing in 1952, he painted the Michigan Folklore Mural at the East Lansing Public Library.

His books include Here Comes the Bookmobile,Were-Wolves and Will-o-the-Wisps: French Tales of Mackinac Retold, Lore of the Great Turtle, and The Young Voyageur. He illustrated three volumes in the Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner—#4, Mystery Ranch; #5, Mike's Mystery; and #6, Blue Bay Mystery.