County: Bay (09)

Bay County, Michigan was created in 1857 from parts of Midland, Saginaw, and Arenac counties. The name "Bay County" refers to the county's location surrounding Saginaw Bay. The county's current size of 443 square miles and 30 miles of shoreline was established in 1883.

The Sauk Indians first settled in the area around 1736. The Ojibway, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Indians also camped in the area. French Voyageurs traded furs with the Ojibway in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.


Created from: Midland, Saginaw and Arenac Counties (1857)

Boundary finalized: 1883

Hundred Year Population Change: 1900 = 62,378  | 2000 = 110,157


  • 20 Apr 1857 - BAY created from MIDLAND, SAGINAW, and all of ARENAC; ARENAC eliminated. IOSCO was authorized to be attached to BAY, but IOSCO had been fully organized on 16 February 1857 [mistake corrected 11 February 1859]. (Mich. Acts 1857, reg. sess., no. 171, secs. 1-2, 15/pp. 438-439, 441; Mich. Rpts., 5:114)

  • 11 Feb 1859 - BAY boundaries redefined [no change]; mistake of 20 April 1857, attaching IOSCO to BAY, was corrected [no change]. (Mich. Acts 1859, reg. sess., no. 97/p. 255)

  • 15 Apr 1871 - BAY gained from SAGINAW. (Mich. Acts 1871, reg. sess., no. 448/p. 194)

  • 01 Jan 1880 - BAY gained the Charity Islands from HURON. (Mich. Acts 1879, reg. sess., pub., no. 265/p. 287)

  • 03 Jun 1881 - BAY gained from SAGINAW. (Mich. Acts 1881, reg. sess., loc., no. 414/p. 343)

  • 21 Apr 1883 - BAY lost to re-creation of ARENAC. (Mich. Acts 1883, reg. sess., pub., no. 35/p. 25)

Source: [NL]

Bibliography

The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:

  • [AAB| = All Aboard!, by Willis Dunbar, Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids ©1969.
  • [AAN] = Alpena Argus newspaper.
  • [AARQJ] = American Association of Railroads Quiz Jr. pamphlet. © 1956
  • [AATHA] = Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical Association newsletter "The Double A"
  • [AB] = Information provided at Michigan History Conference from Andrew Bailey, Port Huron, MI

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