Bay City

In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville described the Saginaw Valley as the far west 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 1836—and Lower Saginaw, now known as Bay City, was platted the same year. Throughout th...