Saginaw is a city and seat of the county seat of Saginaw County in the US state of Michigan. 44,202 inhabitants (as of 2020) live on a total area of 47.1 km², which corresponds to a population density of 940 inhabitants/km².
Early History
The area that later became the city of Saginaw was
originally inhabited by the Anishnaabeg. French missionaries and traders
first appeared in the area in the late 17th century and met the Ojibwe
(Chippewa) people who lived in the area. The first non-Native American
settlement occurred in 1816 when Louis Campeau established a trading
post on the west bank of the Saginaw River. Shortly thereafter, the
United States established Fort Saginaw. Métis also lived at Campeau's
trading post.
During the Michigan Territory, county and town
governments were organized in Saginaw, and the lumber industry grew
rapidly in the 19th century. Saginaw had many sawmills and served as a
port for ships on the Great Lakes. The present city of Saginaw was
formed in 1889 when the cities of East Saginaw and Saginaw (West Side)
were merged.
Fort Saginaw
In 1819, Lewis Cass negotiated the
Treaty of Saginaw with Ojibwe leaders to grant the United States the
privilege of owning and settling the area; in 1820, Campeau attempted to
expand to the east bank of the river, but was denied by the Chippewa; in
1822, the U.S. Army built a fort on the west bank of the Saginaw River
and named it Fort Saginaw, and named it Fort Saginaw. Two companies were
stationed at the fort. A group of investors purchased land near the fort
and had it platted under the name Sagana Town. Due to very harsh seasons
and disease, Fort Saginaw was abandoned by 1824.
In the late
1820s, the American Fur Company operated a base at Saginaw.
Few
parcels were sold, and after the U.S. troops withdrew, the town
languished for most of the next decade. The town was rezoned in December
1830, with parcels along the river from Cass Street south to Harrison
Street and north to Jefferson. The parcels sold slowly; by 1835 only 24
had been sold, and the remainder were transferred to new owners, who
rezoned them in February 1837. However, the financial crisis caused by
the Panic of 1837 discouraged interest in purchasing real estate; after
58 of the 407 parcels were sold, the remainder were sold again in 1841.
Saginaw had been the site of annual government payments to the Ojibwe and Ottawa tribes in the area since the 1830s. This attracted many French-Canadian and European-American merchants, who were primarily involved in the sale of watered whiskey.
A major cause of Saginaw's establishment and subsequent development
was the massive demand for lumber as the United States expanded
westward. Much of Michigan was covered with old-growth forests
consisting primarily of white pine. The ease of transportation provided
by the Saginaw River and its numerous tributaries spurred a massive
expansion of population and economic activity. When trees were cut in
the area, the logs were transported down the river to sawmills in
Saginaw, where they were loaded onto ships and later railroad cars.
Today, there are several settlements in Saginaw. On the west side of
the river, the first settlement in the area where Fort Saginaw was
located developed into Saginaw, which was incorporated as a city in 1857
and became the seat of Saginaw County government. There was another
settlement on the east side of the river, East Saginaw, which was
incorporated as a village in 1855 and as a city in 1859. The village of
Salina was also formed on the east bank of the river, south of East
Saginaw. The name Salina is associated with the brine that triggered
salt production in the area. Saginaw and East Saginaw quickly developed
as centers of railroad transportation as well as ships navigating the
Saginaw River. Timber production peaked in the early 1870s but virtually
disappeared by the end of the 19th century. In addition to the salt
manufacturing industry, which eventually declined, a growing industry
developed that supported the region's agricultural and manufacturing
industries.
On June 28, 1889, the Michigan legislature passed Act No. 455,
consolidating the cities of Saginaw and East Saginaw into one city.
Prior to this consolidation, the nearby village of Salina was already
part of East Saginaw. The consolidation of the City of Saginaw became
effective with the election of officers on March 12, 1890.
The
provisions of the City Charter were enacted by the same act of Congress
that provided for consolidation. The City of Saginaw was to be governed
by a city council consisting of two aldermen elected from the 21 wards
and a largely ceremonial executive mayor with fairly weak powers. This
was because a number of other elected officials, along with elected or
appointed boards, managed most of the administrative and executive
functions. The efficient and cohesive functioning of Saginaw city
government was also constrained by the remaining rivalries between
residents, business owners, and politicians of the two former cities.
The distinction and conflict between the east and west sides of the City
of Saginaw continued in various forms into the 20th century and
continues to affect the social, political, and economic conditions in
the City of Saginaw into the 2010s.
In the early 20th century, automobile production flourished
throughout Michigan, but was especially prominent in Detroit. Other
Michigan cities became suppliers to the Detroit plant, sometimes with
their own factories. In Saginaw, the Jackson-Church-Wilcox partnership
began in 1906 to produce steering gear under the "Jacox" brand.
Jackson-Church-Wilcox was acquired by Buick in 1909 and became the
Jackson-Church-Wilcox Division, GM's first parts production unit, as
part of General Motors In 1919, the Jacox Division was Saginaw Marble
Iron, Central Foundry and merged to become GM's Saginaw Products
Company. This became the basis for the Saginaw Steering Gear division,
which was formed in 1928. General Motors and other manufacturers
established foundries and other automotive manufacturing facilities in
Saginaw to produce chemicals, sheet glass, and metal fabrication. This
early symbiotic relationship with the auto industry helped define the
future of the city of Saginaw.
Before the U.S. entered World War
II, Saginaw's industrial parks became oriented toward military
production. Focusing on the production of munitions, weapons, and parts
for military vehicles, Saginaw was instrumental in the Allied victory.
Saginaw had a "gun plant" that later became Saginaw Steering's second
plant, a production facility that produced 30-caliber machine guns,
armor-piercing anti-tank rounds, and more than 500,000 M1 carbine rifles
for the US Army more quickly and cheaply than the Army had thought
possible during World War II. Gear's first plant also began wartime
production in 1941, eventually concentrating on ball screws used in the
wing flaps of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Maleable Iron converted
Armasteel production from engine parts to gun parts and tank treads, and
Gray Iron specialized in the production of magnesium used in Pratt &
Whitney aircraft engines.
During the war and into the 1950s,
immigration from across the country, especially from the southern United
States, led to a dramatic increase in Saginaw's population. This
population growth included the growing presence of African Americans and
Latinos in Saginaw. Even before the war ended, Saginaw's need for growth
was obvious and was met by major investments in the city's
infrastructure. In 1947, Saginaw and neighboring Midland City built a
65-mile (105 km) long water pipeline drawing water from Whitestone Point
on Lake Huron to meet the anticipated demands of both communities. In
addition, the cities of Midland and Bay City joined with Saginaw to
develop and operate an airport on the former POW camp site in nearby
Tittabawassee Township, which eventually became MBS International
Airport.
In 1908, a new Michigan Constitution was adopted. The new Michigan
Constitution mandated greater local government powers, and the Michigan
Legislature enacted the Self-Governing Cities Act of 1909. Under this
act, cities were allowed to create and adopt their own city charters,
giving them great flexibility in structuring their local governments.
the 1889 charter-based government was inefficient and subject to
constant political infighting. in 1913, with voter approval, the
Michigan legislature created the early twentieth-century national
American A new city charter was adopted in 1913, with voter approval,
following the committee style of city government that was popular in
various cities throughout the United States in the early 20th century.
The new city government consisted of five commissioners, each of whom
was elected at-large, to serve concurrently in the role of city council
and in charge of various departments of city government. One of the
commissioners served as mayor, but this was a largely ceremonial role.
The 1913 City Charter lasted for a little over 20 years until 1935,
when a new City Charter was again adopted by the voters and a
council-manager system was adopted The 1913 City Charter retained some
of the independent commissioners, who were given independent powers from
the elected city commissioners. This led to inefficiencies and political
friction; the economic impact of the Great Depression of the 1930s was
the final impetus for city government reform.
The 1935 Charter,
which took effect in 1936, provided that the mayor would directly direct
all aspects of city administration, in contrast to the previous
administrative structure. The mayor was appointed by and accountable to
the city council, which consisted of nine members elected at-large from
the entire city. This system was designed to address two major problems
in the history of Saginaw city government: the inefficiencies and
political problems associated with the dispersion of executive and
administrative authority among many different officers and commissions,
and the political conflicts and friction between various geographic
areas of the city, primarily the east and west sides.
In the years following World War II, the Michigan legislature enacted laws that made it increasingly difficult for incorporated cities to expand by annexing territory from neighboring townships. Townships, which were historically more agricultural and had smaller populations than larger cities, were able to provide services nearly equal to those of the incorporated cities. While Midland pursued (and continues to pursue) a "no annexation, no water" policy, Saginaw opted to sell water to neighboring communities under long-term contracts. As a result, the city limits remained largely unchanged after the 1889-90 annexation, allowing the township to further develop at the expense of the city. The unintended consequence of this choice was that Saginaw's population growth ceased and new residential development was concentrated in the suburban townships, and eventually businesses followed suit.
During the second half of the 20th century, manufacturing in Saginaw declined and unemployment rates became high. As a result, the city's population plummeted: between 2000 and 2010, Saginaw's population declined by nearly 10,000 people. Michigan's population declined by 0.6% during this period, making Michigan the only state to experience a population decline during the decade of the 2000s. In addition, the City of Saginaw has a high unemployment rate, which has led to an increase in social problems related to poverty. Crime rates are a major community concern.
The global financial crisis of 2007-2012 further worsened the
economic situation in the City of Saginaw and has become a major concern
for its citizens. Unemployment is above average due to declining
employment in the manufacturing sector. Property values in the City have
declined and property tax collections have decreased. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Saginaw peaked in
July 2009 at 23.5%. The unemployment rate has dropped to 9.0% as of
April 2015, and crime has declined along with the drop in unemployment.
Saginaw's crime rate consistently ranks among the highest in
Michigan and in the U.S. as a whole; in 2020, Saginaw's homicide rate
was 50.2 per 100,000 population, narrowly ahead of Detroit's (49.7) and
ahead of the state and national rates (7.6 and 6.5 respectively).
Unemployment and population decline in the late 20th and early 21st
centuries led to urban decay and, in particular, to an increase in the
number of vacant houses that serve as sites for criminal activity. In
recent years, city authorities, police, and neighborhood watch groups
have been successful in preventing such activity by intensively
patrolling targeted areas and offering rewards for reporting illegal or
suspicious activity.
Efforts to reduce blight in Saginaw
increased significantly in 2013 when the U.S. Treasury Department,
through the Michigan Department of Housing and Community Development,
approved grants to demolish vacant and abandoned properties; the $100
million grant includes $11.2 million for Saginaw, $52.3 million for
Detroit, Flint 20.1 million, $3.7 million to Pontiac, and the final $2.5
million was allocated to Grand Rapids. Following approval of the grant,
Saginaw city officials announced a program to purchase abandoned
buildings no longer needed from their owners. City officials estimate
that there are nearly 1,200 homes worth tearing down within the city
limits.
In 2013, efforts to revitalize downtown gained momentum
when CBS television executive and Saginaw native David Strauss announced
in late 2013 an investment plan to save nearly the entire block of
buildings slated for demolition at the intersection of Washington and
Genesee in the heart of downtown Saginaw was announced. The plan called
for the renovation and redevelopment of four buildings with market-rate
apartments on the upper floors and retail space on the ground floors; in
2012, a similar agreement was signed for the Bancroft and Eddy
apartments at the same intersection. These buildings, formerly Section 8
housing, were transformed into market-rate apartments and retail space.
Economic development in the area is focused on technological
innovation, clean energy, and comparative advantage in continued
manufacturing exports. The City of Saginaw has more patent applications
per employer than any other mid-size community, and the percentage of
employment in research and production of photovoltaic technology is more
than 81 times the U.S. average. The City of Saginaw has a higher
percentage of manufacturing jobs than the U.S. average.
While Saginaw was once a prosperous industrial city, the timber and
auto industries have been in decline since the 1980s. During the
2007–2012 crisis, the decline accelerated, contributing to severe
demographic losses and increased unemployment. Saginaw is ranked 14th on
the list of crime-prone cities in the United States.
A
photovoltaic industry has been built up in recent years. The city can
once again be considered the seat of innovative companies. However,
Georgia-based solar cell maker Suniva, which operates a large plant in
Saginaw, filed for bankruptcy in April 2017.
The city is home to Delta College (established in 1961) with a technical profile and Saginaw Valley State University as higher education institutions. The city's museums include the Saginaw Art Museum.
Johnny Cash penned a song called Saginaw, Michigan, apparently
because it rhymes with fisherman.
Saginaw is mentioned by name in the
1968 song America by Simon & Garfunkel. Paul Simon is said to have
written the song here in 1966.
sons and daughters of the town
Paul Abler (1957–2017) jazz
guitarist and film composer
Dwayne Adway (born 1969), actor
Robert
Armstrong (1890–1973), actor in King Kong and the White Woman
Stephen
Bourdow (born 1966), yachtsman
Sophina Brown (born 1976), actress
Wilber M. Brucker (1894–1968), Republican Governor of Michigan, later
United States Secretary of the Army
Mortimer H. Chambers (1927–2020),
American ancient historian.
E. Irving Couse (1866–1936), visual
artist and co-founder of the Taos Artists' Colony
John K. Gerhart
(1907–1981), US Air Force officer
Draymond Green (born 1990),
basketball player
Robert G. Heft (1941–2009), designed the current
American flag
Ed Heinemann (1908–1991), as an aircraft designer at
Douglas Aircraft, designed more than 20 types of aircraft
Brian
d'Arcy James (born 1968), actor
Howard Mumford Jones (1892–1980),
literary scholar, historian and writer
Florence Knoll (1917–2019),
architect and designer
Nils Nilsson (1933–2019), computer scientist
Jason Richardson (born 1981), basketball player
Theodore Roethke
(1908–1963), poet
Titanic Sinclair (born 1987), director,
singer-songwriter and actor
Algee Smith (born 1994), actor and singer
Gerald Vincke (born 1964), Roman Catholic minister, Bishop of Salina
Serena Williams (born 1981), tennis player
Stevie Wonder (born 1950),
pop and soul singer and composer
Other people associated with
Saginaw
Stephen Lynch (born 1971), singer and comedian
Sonny Stitt
(1924–1982), bebop and hard bop saxophonist