Saginaw Bay

Michigan

Saginaw Bay is a bay within Lake Huron located on the eastern side of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms the space between Michigan's Thumb region and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Saginaw Bay is 1,143 square miles (2,960 km²) in area. It is located in parts of five Michigan counties: Arenac, Bay, Huron, Iosco, and Tuscola.

Watershed

The Saginaw Bay watershed is the largest drainage basin in Michigan, draining approximately 15% of the total land area. The watershed contains the largest contiguous freshwater coastal wetland system in the United States. The Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network [1] leads the effort to promote sustainable development in the Saginaw Bay Watershed by coordinating watershed programs and providing grants to innovative projects across the region.

Origin of the name

O-Sag-e-non or Sag-in-a-we from the Ojibwa language, which means "to flow out", is a possible origin for the name "Saginaw". It may refer to the Saginaw River, which flows out into Saginaw Bay, and eventually into Lake Huron. The name "Saginaw" is not related to Saguenay, a region in Quebec whose name is of Algonquin origin.

History

1873 map of Saginaw Bay and Bay County, Michigan.

The modern history of Saginaw Bay dates back to early 17th century. French explorers were the first Europeans to visit the Great Lakes region. The first European to visit the Saginaw Bay area was Father Jacques Marquette, a French missionary priest, who went there in 1668 after establishing a mission in St. Ignace. In 1686, father Jean Enjalran^(fr) arrived in the valley to establish an Indian mission, but his efforts failed.

The region was ceded to Great Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1763. Twenty years later, it was ceded to the newly independent United States of America. It became part of the Michigan Territory in 1805 and later the State of Michigan.

It has recently been postualted that the Saginaw Bay may be an oblique impact crater, the result of an impact that also served to form the Carolina Bays and other suspected ejecta structures.

Settlements

About 1813, Louis Campau erected an Indian trading post along the Saginaw River which led to the settlement of Saginaw in 1816, and to which the history of other settlements of Saginaw Bay area are rooted.

Bay City, Michigan is a major port at the lower end of the bay. The two Charity Islands in the middle of the bay, Charity Island and Little Charity Island, are excellent fishing grounds.

Weather

Saginaw Bay Light No. 1, a navigational light near the mouth of the Saginaw River, houses NOAA weather equipment providing weather conditions for the Bay. Gravelly Shoal Light, located near Charity Island, also houses a weather station.

Culture

• A World War II escort carrier was named Saginaw Bay.
• The Saginaw Bay Yacht Club remains one of the most prestigious in the region.

External links

• Beacons in the Night, Michigan Lighthouse Chronology, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.

• Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network