We're located in Bay County, Michigan.
Bay County is about 100 miles north of Detroit and sits at the foot of the Saginaw Bay. Our nieghboring boarding countings are Arenac, Midland, Saginaw and Tuscola.
Our goal.
Our intentions are to cover a broad range of history on the Saginaw Bay in brief articles, old newspaper transcriptions and other sources of information. Our desire it that it will inform you about the essence of those who are responsible for the many things we enjoy today, sharing their times and their lives. Our hope that you will find it interesting enough to want to learn more and as a result, you'll want to visit your local library to read some of the many books on the subject of local history.
While while our primary at this time is on the area of Bay County. However, it's history and that of the other counties related to the Saginaw Bay are truly bound to the early pioneers who only method of distinguishing the local geography was by it’s lakes and streams. The only native settlers here were the Chippewa Indians, all of the white settlers immigrated here and for the most part, came from the eastern states. In fact, during their time period the Territory of Michigan was considered as the Far West.
History is not always a precise matter.
Early settlers were to busy surviving to spend time documenting their lives. In later years some pioneers wrote their own recounting of history based on their memory. Modern historians attempt to use these and official recorded documents to tell their story, and historians do not always agree on the same subject. Therefore, such content published on Bay-Journal should be considered as a "best efforts" to help enlighten on a subject. It is quite possible that other sources may have conflicting information.
We also provide comtemporary content.
We've tried to make Bay-Journal a valuable local internet resource by featuring current information on news, weather, sports, links to local weblinks, and more. We've even created special sections for kids to have fun learning about local history. All of these items are located in the INFORMATION CENTER.
Your participation is important.
If you would like to see your county’s history represented on Bay-Journal, and are willing to take a leadership position, contact us.
If you wish to contribute content, please don’t hesitate, we need your help. See our “Adopt A Piece of History” page if you need help getting Also, take time to see the names of those who have on the “Contributors & Credits” page.
History can be enjoyable.
For some, history may seem boring. It doesn't have to be. Learning to personalize history may help develop a prespective that is not only enjoyable but can enrich your own experiences:
- Imagine yourself in the time period you are reading about.
- Imagine the struggles of that time and compare them to those of today.
- Think about what has changed from then to now and how that affects you today.
Learn to enjoy and appreciate history. When you do, your environment will become a richer experience.
- Old brick and mortar buildings become monuments of the past.
- Paved roads become dirt paths trampled out of woods by early settlers.
- Parks along the river become filled with sounds industry -- sawmills, shipbuilders, crane manufacturers and sugur production.
- Open farm lands disappear and are replaced by dense forests filled with deers, bears and other game.
- A boat ride on the river becomes an adventure winding along a wilderness path once traveled by Indians in canoes.
If we've peaked your interest in history!
We are pleased for we have done our job. We encourage you to visit the library and to contact your local historical societies to learn more. They are there to help you.
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