Lost Bay City

When the phrase "Do you remember?" is uttered in Bay City, it is usually followed by the name of a hotel, restaurant, business, or building. Slowly, many parts of local history have been lost to the sands of time. Fire took many, followed by condemnations and the inevitable advance of progress. An empty lot may be all that remains of a once-prominent structure, but sometimes a new landmark emerges. In the case of one famous address at Center and Water Streets, the Wenonah Hotel rose out of the ashes of the Fraser House, another prominent facade. Seven decades later, the Wenonah, too, succumbed to fire; out of those ashes rose the Delta College Planetarium, a third-generation landmark. Photographs help residents remember, though each person who experienced something firsthand has his or her own distinct connection with these pieces of lost Bay City.

When the phrase "Do you remember?" is uttered in Bay City, it is usually followed by the name of a hotel, restaurant, business, or building. Slowly, many parts of local history have been lost to the sands of time. Fire took many, followed by condemnations and the inevitable advance of progress. An empty lot may be all that remains of a once-prominent structure, but sometimes a new landmark emerges. In the case of one famous address at Center and Water Streets, the Wenonah Hotel rose out of the ashes of the Fraser House, another prominent facade. Seven decades later, the Wenonah, too, succumbed to fire; out of those ashes rose the Delta College Planetarium, a third-generation landmark. Photographs help residents remember, though each person who experienced something firsthand has his or her own distinct connection with these pieces of lost Bay City.

In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville described the Saginaw Valley as the Ã"far westÃ" of our growing nation, predicting that its impenetrable forests would soon be felled, and its river would be lined with quays and filled with vessels. Influential settlers soon began to confirm those predictions, including the Trombleys, who arrived in 1831 and built the Trombley House in 1837. Albert Miller platted Portsmouth in 1836Ã--and Lower Saginaw, now known as Bay City, was platted the same year. Throughout the 20th century, majestic buildings were erected, schools, homes, and churches were established, and Bay City developed into a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family.

Join author Tim Younkman for a wild ride into Bay City's wicked side. From unscrupulous lumber barons to Hell's Half Mile, Bay City history casts a sinister shadow. Pope Leo XIII was forced to intervene when rioting Catholic immigrants seized St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and battled one another in the city's streets. The police discovered prostitute Lou Hall nearly beaten to death in the Block of Blazes. And respected publishing mogul Edwin T. Bennett's secret life led to the death of a young woman in a Bay City hotel room.

2000 Census of Population and Housing. On cover: United States Census 2000. Contains statistical tables.

Reports for 1898-1908 include the Report of state inspection of factories, 6th-16th.