At first, it didn't seem an important thing for me to learn. After all, I knew where I was and where I wasn't going! But, now I understand it is important to know so I can share with someone else where I am, where I was or where I'm going.
Before I show you how to find Bay County, we will look at the geography that Bay County is a part of.
 | Delta College Planetarium: This is a special place for learning about planets and much more. Maybe you have been to the Delta Planetarium on a school field trip or with your parents. If not, ask your teacher about it or have your parents take you there. It is something you will not forget soon. |
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Our Home Planet.
Earth is the name of the planet where we live. It's shaped like a ball and it turns like a top circulating around our sun. About two-thirds of our planet is covered with water. Our Earth has one moon that circles around our us each day. We belong to a solar system (objects that circle a sun) that has many other planets. There are many solar systems that we refer to as a galaxy. All of these galaxies are what we call our universe.
We are constantly discovering new things about our universe from space exploration using special telescopes and from spacecraft that are able to visit distant places to provide us with new information. The more we learn about our universe, the more "amazing and unique" our planet becomes. We have yet to find any planet that is a better place to live than Earth.
We have a wonderful home in the universe that we need to take care of because we haven't found any other place where we could possibly live.
 | Can you name any other planets in our solar system?
If not, you'll learn this at school because it's important
-- especially if you want to be an astronaught (people who fly spaceships). |
The World That Is Our Planet Earth.
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The World:
This is what earth looks would look like if it could be laid out on a flat surface. Most of the Earth is covered with water that we call oceans. We are located inside the white circle that the arrow points to. |
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Large land areas on Earth separated by oceans are called continents Areas of water enclosed by continents are called lakes, bays and rivers. We live along the Saginaw Bay which is the largest fresh water lake in the world and is a part of Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes that surrounds Michigan.
Our Continent, Country And Where We Live.
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North America:
We live on the continent of North America in the country of the United States of America. The circle shows we Michigan is located in the United States. In this view the large bodies of water called the Great Lakes can be seen. To the north the United States is the country of Canada and to the south is Mexico |
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Below is a larger map of the United States of America showing lines bordering the states and the counties within a state. This map does not include the states of Alaska which is located above Canada or Hawaii which is located in the Pacific Ocean to the west. Countries are also called nations. The rules, laws, language and many other things of nations can vary from one country to another.
Our State, County And Where We Live.
The state of Michigan is shaped like a "mitten" and this makes it easy to find on a map. The arrow on the map above points to Bay County where we live. View a large Map of Michigan showing Bay County 
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Bay County is divided even further into smaller land areas which is shown on the Bay County map to the left. The larger areas are called townships and within townships are towns, villages and cites.
See if you can find the name of your city or township. The light blue color is the shoreline of the Saginaw Bay, the largest bay in the world and you live close to it!
The Saginaw River and Kawkawlin River connect to the Saginaw Bay inside of our county. Each of these rivers connect to smaller inland rivers and streams. Our county is pretty special because of all the water ways that are available for recreation, farming, industry and living. Water has played an important role in our history and continues to do so today. Here's an aerial view that shows the both rivers and what the Saginaw River looks like running from Bay City to Saginaw .
The photo on the left is an aerial view of Saginaw River in downtown Bay City. The Saginaw River flows off the Saginaw Bay through Bay County all the way to Saginaw. Many smaller rivers and streams flow off the Saginaw River through into other counties in Michigan. Before we had bridges, people had to cross the river by boat. People with horses used a barge (flat boat) to get to the other side. During the winter months when the river froze people and horses could cross over the ice.
Click {here} to take a peak at an aerial map of the Saginaw River from the bay to Saginaw.
Let's take a 10 minute break before we continue further.
I'll be right back. In the mean time -- you may enjoy looking at some nifty photos taken from an airplane. {aerial photos} .
... okay, if your ready -- let's talk about the importance of water.
Our drinking water comes from the Saginaw Bay. It is processed at a plant to make it safe for us to drink. Before water plants, people had to find water to drink. They chose to live near sources of water because of this. They would haul water by bucket to their home. Those who lived too far from water had to drill deep holes (wells) in the ground for water and use a special hand-pump to get it to the surface. Our water taster better today and in safer because it is "processed" to kill bacteria and remove waste that can cause sickness. View a picture of the old water plant in Bangor Township east of the by the Bay City State Park.
| Do you know where your water processing plant is located?
Ask someone if you don't know. Maybe they'll take you there! |
Wow! We covered a lot of things on this page -- don't be concerned if you can't remember all of it. Geography is important to learn as early as you can because the sooner you do the sooner you'll know what others are talking about when they mention places like Pinconning, Auburn, Essexville, Bay City, Bay County, Michigan and many other places.
| Welcome | History? 1-2 | Geography | Nature 1-2 | Discovery | Natives | Settlers | Lumber | Things | The End
Nature 1