Saginaw County, Michigan

The area was inhabited from about 1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D. by the Native American Hopewell culture, followed by the Anishnabeg. Some historians believe that the Sauk at one time lived in the area and were driven out by Ojibwe (Chippewa), before the area was first visited by Europeans.

The Saginaw region includes an extensive network of many rivers and streams which converge into the Saginaw River and provided a means for easy travel for the Native American population among numerous settlements and hunting areas, as well as access to Lake Huron. Saginaw was also a frequent meeting location for councils of the Ojibwe, Pottawatomi, and Ottawa—the Three Fires of the Anishnabeg.[6]

What is today Saginaw County was inhabited by the Ojibwe at the time of the arrival of Euro-Americans. The Ojibwe were still the dominant force in the area in the 1820s, and in 1827 they were attacked by a two groups of Winnebago people coming from Wisconsin. The Ojibwe prevailed in this fight with the aid of local Euro-American settlers.[7]

In 1853 the Ojibwe and Ottawa both established large hunting camps along the Saginaw River, although Euro-American settlers were beginning to establish saw mills and farms in the area by that point.[8]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 816 square miles (2,110 km²), of which 800 square miles (2,100 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (1.9%) is water.[9] It is part of the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Mid-Michigan. The median elevation in Saginaw County, Michigan is 620 feet (190 m) above sea level.[10]

The 2010 United States Census[16] indicates Saginaw County had a 2010 population of 200,169. This is a decrease of -9,870 people from the 2000 United States Census. Overall, the county had a -4.7% growth rate during this ten-year period. In 2010 there were 79,011 households and 52,287 families in the county. The population density was 250.2 per square mile (96.6 square kilometers). There were 86,844 housing units at an average density of 108.5 per square mile (41.9 square kilometers). The racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 70.5% White, 18.6% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 7.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

There were 79,011 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were husband and wife families, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 28.2% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The 2010 American Community Survey 1-year estimate[16] indicates the median income for a household in the county was $41,938 and the median income for a family was $52,243. Males had a median income of $27,691 versus $16,488 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,025. About 12.4% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under the age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Since 1988, Saginaw County has voted for the Democratic Party candidate in every Presidential Election except 2016. Donald Trump became the first Republican to carry the county since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

The largest employers in Saginaw County are:[23]

Saginaw County was the destination of a Sauk footpath that became one of the first roads in what is now Michigan, the Saginaw Trail. The trail, first authorized in 1819, was completed to Saginaw in 1841. Since then, Saginaw's access to the outside world has expanded with the development of maritime, rail, air, and freeway links to the major cities of Michigan and neighboring states and nations.

• George C. Hinkley (1892-1936), Wisconsin State Assemblyman and businessman, was born in Saginaw County.[28]
• Theodore Roethke (1908–1963) Pulitzer prize and National Book Award-winning poet was born and buried here.

There are twenty eight recognized historical markers in the county:[29] They are:

• Bliss Park
• Burt Opera House / Wellington R. Burt
• Coal Mine No. 8
• The Cushway House / Benjamin Cushway and Adelaide Cushway
• First Congregational Church [Saginaw]
• Fowler Schoolhouse (Fremont Township)
• Frankenmuth / Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn
• Freeland United Methodist Church
• George Nason House
• Hess School
• Hoyt Library
• Leamington Stewart House
• Michigan's German Settlers
• Morseville Bridge
• Presbyterian Church of South Saginaw
• Saginaw Club
• Saginaw Oil Industry
• Saginaw Post Office
• Saginaw Valley Coal
• Saginaw Valley Lumbering Era
• St. Mary's Hospital
• Saint Michael Catholic Parish
• St. Paul's Episcopal Mission
• Shroeder House
• Theodore Roethke / Childhood Home

• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Saginaw County, Michigan
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Saginaw County, Michigan
• Saginaw Trail

• "Bibliography on Saginaw County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved January 29, 2013.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saginaw County, Michigan.

• Saginaw County
• Historic Bridges: Saginaw County, Michigan