FEATURED WEBSITES -- Menu | Featured History | News Highlights | Bay-Journal Updates | Each month we choose a website from our White Pages and Yellow Pages directories to draw attention to sources of local and region information available online. If you have a website and it doesn't appear in our directories, let us know and we'll add it. From the {Web White Pages}: Bay Area Family YMCA [Visit Website] The Bay City YMCA was organized in 1885. For many years that followed it share space in different buildings. Before moving into its present building on the north west corner of Columbus and Madison, it was located on Washington avenue on the north east corner of Seventh. Some seniors may recall the old building and the Rocky theater that was kitty-corner from it. On a Saturday, a youngster could spend the morning at the YMCA, then afterwards, head over to the Rocky to spend the afternoon for about a dollar watching featured movies with stars like Roy Rogers, Abbott & Costello, Durango Kid, etc., the latest Flash Gordon serial clip and several cartoons, plus a box of popcorn and a coke. Today, members of the YMCA includes both sexes and all ages. As their names implies it is a place of many families activities which you can learn more about on their website. From the {Web Yellow Pages}: Cliff Houser & Associates Advertising Corporation {Visit Website] You might not think that this major advertising company would be located in Detroit or some other metropolitain city, but, modern technology has allowed Cliff Houser & Associates Advertising Corp. to remain in Bay City since it was founded in the late 1970s by Cliff Houser, a Media Sales Consultant at the time. With a keen eye towards emerging technologies, he was able to partner with some local investors and begin an advertising business. The leading edge technologies they employed made it possible for local businesses to enjoy what was only available in big cities, and at a fraction of the cost. The expertise they developed to provide quality at a bargain price landed them contracts with several national companies. Today, they have a long list of well known clients. Their impressive website is what you would expect of a professional ad agency that has enjoyed a great deal of success.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS & COMMENTARY -- Menu | Featured History | Featurd Websites | Bay-Journal Updates | Index to Highlight News Items & Editorial Comments: B-J - Introduction. Jan. 1 - Mr. and Mrs. LeFevre Honored with Dick Hardy Award Jan. 1 - Governor Granholm Calls for Support of Tsunami Relief Jan. 3 - President Bush Calls on Americans to Help Tsunami Relief. Jan. 4 - Dow Chemical Pledges $5 Million to Tsunami Relief. Jan. 5 - Bay City and Bay County Governments Facing Difficult Budget Changes. Jan. 6 - Egads! Local Area Hit Hard by Snow Storm. Jan. 6 - Friends of Portsmouth Township Launch Petition Drive.[Updated] Jan. 6 - Bubba's Tri-City Cycle Rides to Help of Camp Fish Tales. Jan. 6 - Two Democrats Object to Vote Certification of President. Jan. 7 - Governor Granholm Declares January Mentoring Month. Jan. 8 - Donation May Save Indian Burial Grounds in Genessee County. Jan. 10 - Uptown At River's Edge Development Off to Slow Start. Jan. 10 - Good News On Job Front in Standish. Jan. 11 - Citizen to Secure History of Saginaw's Marion Township. Jan. 12 - Dow Expansion to Benefit Midland and Neighboring Areas. Jan. 12 - Governor Granholm Touts Michigan's Future As Auto Leader. Jan. 14 - Reopening of Pinconning Cheese Plant Is Past Due.[Updated] Jan. 14 - Royal Oak Developer Wants To Build Highrise in Frankenlust.[Updated] Jan. 14 - Annual "Statehood" Celebration Will Be January 23rd. Jan. 15 - Bay-Journal Featured In Town Crier of The Bay City Times. Jan. 17 - Birney Family Topic of Monthly Civil War Round Table Meeting.[Updated] Jan. 19 - State's Drinking & Driving Crackdown Yields 1,817 Arrests. Jan. 21 - State's Budget Woes Eliminates 54 Jobs At Caro Center. Jan. 23 - More Progress Coming For Bay City In 2005. Jan. 25 - Micro And Other Park Improvements Are Planned For Bay City. Jan. 25 - Michigan Approves $15 Million For Energy Assistance. Jan. 26 - New Manufacturer Possible At Monitor's Industrial Park. Jan. 26 - Bay City Expected To Benefit From Spike in Michigan Tourism in 2005. Jan. 27 - "2004 Trooper Of The Year" Is Yvonne D. Brantley of Bay City Post. Online Local News Sources: Bay City Times Bay-Journal Headline News Michigan News (Michigan.gov) MichigansThumb (Huron Co.) Midland Daily News My Bay City (local articles) Pioneer Times (Tuscola Co.) Saginaw News Search County News for: Arenac Bay Midland Saginaw Tuscola Bay Co. Courts Calendar (2005): Jan. Feb. Mar. Other Bay-Journal Resources: {Articles} {Events} {Forum} {Photos} News Icons Reference: Local & Michigan National & World Please note: Featured News & Commentary is an editorial service for our viewers that is primarily focused on local subjects appearing in various public news sources. Refer to "Online Local News Sources list above for in depth news coverage. ^ Introduction - Bay-Journal Commentary. Happy New Year to each of you! -- 2004 was a fantastic year for Bay-Journal. A year ago we reported figures on the growth of Bay-Journal that I thought were pretty good! The website had grown to 550 web pages and had been visited more than 120,000 times since going online on April 22, 2002. As of this writing, these figures have grown to 842 web pages and over 282,000 visits. In 2004 the website had 162,000 visits, this number was higher than the total for the previous 20 months that we've been online. The data is provide by our hosting website and they include visits from search engines collecting updates made to Bay-Journal. The 292 new web pages added in 2004 were mainly additions to the Heritage/Writings section. A large portion of these are attributed to the “Links to the Past” web site kindly gave us give us permission to use information on Great Lakes history that was relative to the Saginaw Valley area. Also, a large number of political biographies were added from the digital libraries of Michigan and the US Congress. The backlog of content to get online has grown as well. Sitting in piles waiting to be worked on are some interesting history stories. A rough guess is that the backlog represents around a hundred or more new web pages. ^ Jan. 1 - Mr. and Mrs. LeFevre Honored with Dick Hardy Award BAY CITY: The Ninth Annual Dick Hardy Community Improvement Award was presented by The Bay City Times to a Cathleen R. and Thomas M. LeFevre, a couple who has for the past nine years been volunteering thier time to the St. Vincent de Paul Store at 523 Michigan Avenue in Bay City. The award is presented by The Bay City Times in honor of Dick Hardy and his life contributions to this community. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com ^ Jan. 1 - Governor Granholm Calls for Support of Tsunami Relief LANSING: On Dec. 30, Governor Granhold issue a press release encouraging Michigan residents to contribute to the relief efforts that are devastating the people of south Asian nations. Full story: [Michigan Newswire] - Michigan.gov Related story: [Floods in Sri Lanka Prompt Evacuations] - Yahoo! News ^ Jan. 3 - President Bush Calls on Americans to Help Tsunami Relief. WASHINGTON DC: The US government has committed a minimum of 350 million dollars to aid relief efforts in south Asian countries. Today, President Bush announced that former Presidents Clinton and Bush senior will lead an effort to coordinate relief donations from the public and private sector. Information, facts, and how you can help is available from the government [USA Freedom Corps] website. Jan. 4 - Dow Chemical Co. Pledges Up To $5 Million to Tsunami Relief. MIDLAND: The Dow Chemical Company issued a news release today that it will it will... 1. Contribute 1$ million to the American Red Cross Internation Response Fund. 2. Contribute up to $1 million in matching funds donated by employee and retires. 3. Contribute an additional $3 million in vital products, technology and funds to assist the longer term reconstruction efforts. Andrew Liveris, Chief Executive Officer, issued the following statement: “As we’ve all seen, the reports and images from the tsunami-stricken regions in Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent are at once incomprehensible and heart-breaking,” said Andrew Liveris, Dow president and chief executive officer. “At times like these, we all struggle to come up with meaningful ways to contribute and help those who have lost so much.” Full story: [Dow Chemical Company] ^ Jan. 5 - Bay City and Bay County Governments Facing Difficult Budget Changes. BAY CITY: Members and guests at the Bay City Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday were forewarned by executive managers from Bay City and Bay County that further major changes are required in their respective budgets to off-set the erosion of revenue sharing funds from the state of Michigan. These difficult cuts will not be popular with many citizens and some government employees. However, the present economic situation that stems from the lack of revenue to withstand the cost of services must be dealt with to avoid tragic economic consequences. Full story: [MyBayCity.com] Snow Accumulation in Essexville (click to enlarge) ^ Jan. 6 - Egads! Local Area Hit Hard by Snow Storm. SAGINAW VALLEY: The winter storm that has been working its way east across the US is now upon us. Cable news weather forecasts at 11:30 are saying 1 to 3" of snow accumulation is possible, yet one look out the window shows the accumulation is more than that already? I decided to take a quick measurement and got a reading of over 5 inches. As evidence I took the photo snapshot shown here. I browsed over to the [Detroit/Pontiac NASA weather website] to see what they are forecasting: Saginaw, MBS International Airport Last Update on Jan 6, 10:53 am EST This Afternoon: Occasional snow. High around 25. North northwest wind between 11 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. You know, I think there might be a business opportunity here... maybe something like a “Window Weather” reporting service! ^ Jan. 6 - Friends of Portsmouth Township Launch Petition Drive. PORTSMOUTH TWSP.: A groups of Portsmouth township citizens against a recent zoning change that clears 31 acres along Tuscola Road for a new Wall-Mart store have launched a pitition drive to have the matter put to a public vote by the township's residents. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com [Update] Jan. 22 - Portsmouth Township Group Claims Enough Signatures For Vote. The Friends of Portsmouth Township claim they have well over the 212 minimum signatures required to force the Wall-Mart zoning issue to a vote of the township's electorate. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com ^ Jan. 6 - Bubba's Tri-City Cycle Rides to Help of Camp Fish Tales. PINCONNING: Bubba's Tri-City Cycle, located in Linwood, are raffling off a custom built chopper valued at more than $30,000. Proceeds from the raffle will go Camp Fish Tales in Pinconning. The goal is raise enough money to build a fishing pier in the camp for handicap kids. The raffle will be held May 29. Get your lucky ticket for a bargain price of $5.00 at Bubba's Tri-City Cycle (804 Huron Rd., Linwood) or Cashman's Comics (1018 S. Madison Ave., Bay City). Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com ^ Jan. 6 - Two Democrats Object to Vote Certification of President. WASHINGTON DC: Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California stalled the Congressional certification process of a Presidental election for only the second time in history. Members of Congress were forced into a delay of nearly fours before voting to to over ride the objection and certifying President Bush's 286-251 electoral vote victory. [Associated Press] - Yahoo! News ^ Jan. 7 - Governor Granholm Declares January Mentoring Month. LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has declared January Mentoring Month and is calling on people throughout the state to step forward to mentor children in their community. The Governor’s proclamation coincides with the national observance of Mentoring Month in January. Full story: [Michigan Newswire] - Michigan.gov ^ Jan. 8 - Donation May Save Indian Burial Grounds in Genessee County. GAINES TWSP.: Many of them walked this land more than 150 years ago. Since then, graves have been trampled, bones scattered and too many names forgotten. -- But now, thanks to a decades-long quest to save an ancient American Indian burial ground, they might finally be at rest. Full story [The Flint Journal] - MLive.com View south west of property (2004). (Click to enlarge.) ^ Jan. 10 - Uptown At River's Edge Development Off to Slow Start. BAY CITY: The Dec. 15 deadline came and went without a single developer responding to the city's request for a development proposal for the first phase of the Uptown At River's Edge project. The city did a follow up with those that it had sent the request to and recieved a variety of answers as to why these developers chose to not offer a prosposal. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com ^Jan. 10 - Good News On Job Front in Standish. STANDISH: Vantage Plastics Company is moving forward with a $1.2 million expansion of its factory in Standish that is expected to add 18 new jobs. Standish and the state of Michigan will provide funding to reconstruct Franklin Road which is in poor condition and is where the company is located. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com ^ Jan. 11 - Citizen To Secure History of Saginaw's Marion Township. SAGINAW: Mark "Marvin" Witt has accumulated a great deal of the history about Marion Township over the past 25 years, and he plans to share this knowledge in book form. Marion Township, Saginaw County's smallest township, was organized on January 14, 1880. Full story: [The Saginaw News] - MLive.com ^ Jan. 12 - Dow Expansion to Benefit Midland and Neighboring Areas. Dow Chemical Company Headquarters - Midland, MI MIDLAND: Good news for the local economy keeps pouring out of the Dow Chemical Company’s headquarters in Midland. A press release issued by the company today announced more than $100 million will be invested in its Midland. “We are pleased to bring this project to Midland. This is Dow’s world headquarters and we have done manufacturing here for more than 100 years,” said Romeo Kreinberg, senior vice president for Plastics. “This automotive project is an excellent example of a product area within our plastics portfolio that we are expanding to take advantage of business opportunities.” The story appeared in yesterday’s edition of the Midland Daily News yesterday and included further details. The investment is pegged at $132 million and expected to bring 109 new jobs to this area. Dow Chemical will be consolidating more businesses near its headquarters and research center. Phase one calls for an investment of $70.5 million that will transfer processes here for making automotive glass and protective sealants. It is expected to go into production by 2005 adding 79 new jobs. In addition, it is expected that another 225 jobs could be created by supporting businesses. About $11 million of the investment will go towards local labor involved in construction of the facilities at Dow Chemical’s existing plant in Midland. Phase two will involve a new technology for manufacturing diesel fuel filters which is expected to be operational in 2009. It will add around 30 new jobs and another 310 jobs are possible in supporting businesses. The state of Michigan and the city of Midland have responded positively with tax incentives that has helped to pave the way for the new local jobs. Dow’s sizeable investment will do much to help our local economy and the respective governmental budgets, both of which have suffered from a poor economy over recent years. Last October, Dow Chemical opened a brand new high-tech production plant in Bay County’s Williams Township to produce Silicon Carbide based semiconductors materials. The $20 million investment involved transferring technologies from three out of state plants and consolidating them here in a new facilities close to company's research center. It is expected to contribute 250 new jobs, mainly high-tech, within a few years. This was covered in a featured Bay-Journal article "Semiconductors and Saginaw Valley" that draws attention to Dow Chemical’s long history and economic influence in the Saginaw Valley. [Jan. 12, 2000 Press Release] - Dow Chemical Company {Semiconductors and Saginaw Valley.} - Bay-Journal article (June 2004) ^ Jan. 12 - Governor Granholm Touts Michigan's Future As Auto Leader. LANSING: Governor Granholm in comments made at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit spoke about the present strength of Michigan's role in the automobile industry that will remain positive in the future. Full story: [Michigan Newswire] - Michigan.gov ^ Jan. 14 - Reopening of Pinconning Cheese Plant Is Past Due. PINCONNING: When the city of Pinconning sold the assets and property of the former Pinconning Cheese plant in May 2003 it included a provision that the plant be up and running by December 31, 2004. It is not and that has some of the city's leaders concerned. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com [Update] Jan. 19 - Council Board Votes To Take Property Back. Members of the Pinconning City Council voted 6 to 1 to reclaim ownership of the former Pinconning Cheese plant property. Members are upset that the contract conditions of the sale were not met -- the city had an oblication to pay $90,000 in back taxes when they acquired the property from the state, they still owe about $11,000, and they expected to see the former Pinconning Cheese factory up and running no later than Dec. 31, 2004 as stipulated in the contract when the property was sold for only $350 to David Peterson, owner of Turner Cheese Co. in Whittemore. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com ^ Jan. 14 - Royal Oak Developer Wants To Build Highrise in Frankenlust. FRANKENLUST TWSP.: In the flat country side of Frankenlust Township may rise a senior citizens complex high above the historical farmland of this community, and along with it may come 90 new jobs. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com [Update] Jan. 20 - Frankenlust Planning Commission Clears Way for High Rise. On Wednesday the members of the planning commission approved a recommentation to the board of trustees clearing the way for a new senior citizens care facility. The matter is expected to come before the board at the next meeting held on Feb. 28. ^ Jan. 14 - Annual "Statehood" Celebration Will Be January 23rd. LANSING: A day of special activities is planned by the Michigan Historical Museum for the Annual Statehood Celebration which takes place on Sunday, January 23rd from 1 to 5 p.m. Besides the special historical displays and artifacts there will be demonstrations on historical subjects and from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. there will be a brunch and silent auction. The museum is located in the Michigan Library and Historical Center at 702 W. Kalamazoo Street near the State Capital. Full story: [MichiganNewsWire] - Michigan.gov Jan.15 - Bay-Journal Featured In Town Crier of The Bay City Times. Article Photo of me infront of Shearer building. BAY CITY, by Marvin Kusmierz: Bay-Journal got a boost in attention from The Bay City Times newspaper today for which we are very grateful. Times writer Tim Younkman wrote a story about Bay-Journal which appeared on the cover page of the Town Crier insert to the paper. Tim is a history buff and has written many fine articles related to the history our community, and I appreciate that he was the writer for the feature on Bay-Journal. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Carol Zedaker at the Times for her successfully persistent in getting me to agree to having a picture taken for the article. I tend not to care to much about putting this aging face before the camera anymore. A special thanks is due to photographer Clint Spaulding who was unfortunate enough to have me as the subject of his last photo job at Times -- he was leaving that afternoon to return to life in his home town. A special thanks is extended to The Bay City Times for introducing Bay-Journal and its history content to the to people of this area. Todate Bay-Journal has relied on its viewers to spread the word about its existence and they have been doing a good job as attested to by the dramatic growth we experience in viewers during 2004. However, the Times in one day has jumped the number of viewer visits ten times higher than what is normal for a day. It's only appropriate that I thank another group -- the viewers that responded to my pleading slogan of, "Help Us If You Can!" Which I couldn't help but repeat here for those new to Bay-Journal. Much of what they have contributed is unique, the things that don't often appear in history books -- but are just as interesting. In many respects its the personal history stories that touches the kinship that we have to the past and makes the present a little more valuable and enjoyable than it would be otherwise. I no drive or walk by an old building without thinking about who built it or who lived there at one time. My grandfather, Joseph, immigrated to this community from Poland around 1879. He was a skilled carpenter and worked on the construction of many of the heritage buildings. I often wonder and wish that I knew which them he left his mark on. Sometimes it's the history of normal things about life before now that offer the most rewarding reading. I suspect that future generation will share the same feelings yearning to know more about what dialy was like for their ancestors. I encourage you to keep a family journal and note some of the things that we often take for granted. I'm sure your descendants would like to know, and will appreciate it. For those of us nearing the day when we'll be joining our ancestors, it would be nice to share some of these memories for our the youth of this community. I can't think of better way of doing this than on Bay-Journal. Take a moment to view the names of our contributors {Credits Pages} Article on Bay-Journal {The Bay City Times} MLive.com ^ Jan. 17 - Birney Family Topic of Monthly Civil War Round Table Meeting. James G. Birney BAY CITY: If you enjoy history, but haven't attended a meeting of the Civil War Round Table Group, then the meeting this Wednesday (Jan. 19) is a good time to do so. D. Laurence Rogers will lead a discussion about the four descendants of James G. Birney that participated in the Civil War. Mr. Birney, a national figure as leader in the abolitionist movement as their candidate for the U.S. presidency. After visiting this area when it was a wilderness, he became enamored with its beauty and moved here around 1842. Mr. Birney along with James Fraser and Albert Miller were instrumental in the organization and early growth of the community. Mr. Birney's sons Dion and William, and grandson James all earned the rank of general, and his youngest son, Fitzhugh, was a major. Full story: [MyBayCity.com] Heritage/People/ {Birney Family History} Update: Jan. 20 - Good Turn Out At The Civil War Round Table Meeting. A large crowd of about 40 people were in attendance last night to hear Dave Rogers present data on the connection of the Birney family and Bay City to the Civil War. It was the first meeting that I attended. I'm not a Civil War buff, but I am facinated with the Birney family, and so is Dave Rogers. He has been researching the Birneys' for over five years, while I have been on that trail for less than two years. I had the pleasure of sitting next to John Bacon, a WWII veteran and retired mail carrier from Auburn who shared an interesting story with me about his time as a POW. Sitting on my right was Alan Flood, a person who is held in high esteem among local history buffs, and whom I have had the pleasure of knowing for the past two years. He has contributed much to furthering my awareness of the subject and to the content of Bay-Journal. Unfortunately, I had to leave right after the meeting and missed the opportunity of getting to meet some of the other people at the meeting, however, I'm anxious for the next opportunity in February when Tim Younkman of The Bay City Times will featured speaker. Much of the data presented by Dave appropriately dealt with the Birney boys participation in the Civil War, however, he often intermingled little known facts regarding their time in Bay City. Each lived here for different spans of time. The eldest son of James G., also named James, lived here the longest -- well beyound his father's departure in 1853. He house on the n.w. corner of 10th and Adams that is still standing. Daved called upon informaton from varous docement that he has been able find on the Civil War activities of the Birney boys, including fifteen documents from the Lincoln Papers. The wealth of information he has developed on the family could easily fill the discussion of several meetings on the subject. Hopefully, he'll be sharing some of it in future articles done for the {MyBayCity.com.} ^ Jan. 19 - State's Drinking & Driving Crackdown Yields 1,817 Arrests. LANSING: The "You Drink & Drive. You Lose" program ran by the State of Michigan this past December resulted in 1,141 arrests for drunk driving and 676 for alcohol-related offenses. Full story: [Michigan Newswire] - Michigan.gov ^ Jan. 21 - State's Budget Woes Eliminates 54 Jobs At Caro Center. TUSCOLA CO.: The state sponsored psychaitric hospital in Caro will be reduced by 54 works or 12% of the present staff of 450. The center presently cares for 187 patients of which 80 are forensic patients housed their because they have found not guilt of a crime due to insanity. The reported numbers reflect staffing per patient will decrease from 2.4 to 2.1 workers. Full story: [Huron Daily News] - Michiganthumb.com ^ Jan. 23 - More Progress coming For Bay City In 2005. BAY CITY: The potential of a new industrial project with 130 jobs leads a list of improvements and activities that the city is working on for 2005. Full story: {MyBayCity.com} ^ Jan. 25 - Micro And Other Park Improvements Are Planned For Bay City. BAY CITY: City planners have come up with a functional way to improve the appearance around the community, especially the downtown area, by turning small unattractive spots into mini-parks costing anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 each. The first one next to the Delta College Planetarium on the corner of Center and Saginaw streets will be completed in time for spring. Mini-parks in the downtown is certain to be a welcomed addition by shoppers providing them with easily accessible rest stops along the way as they are shopping. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com ^ Jan. 25 - Michigan Approves $15 Million For Energy Assistance. LANSING: The Michigan Public Service Commission has approved grants totaling $15 million to assist low-income utility customers with their bills which have risen substantially over the past two years due to the dramatic increase in natural gas costs. Full story: [Michigan Newswire] - Michigan.gov ^ Jan. 26 - New Manufacturer Possible At Monitor's Industrial Park. MONITOR TWSP.: Ametek, an automobile ring manufacturer, may locate their new factory in Monitor's industrial park. If so, 30 to 40 jobs would be created initially and that could grow to over 200 later on. Ametek has already signed a 10 year lease on the fromer United Technologies Automotive building. Full story: [The Bay City Times] - MLive.com The Travel Michigan magazine Jan. 26 - Bay City Expected To Benefit From Spike in Michigan Tourism in 2005. BAY CITY: Tourism in Michigan is expected increase this year according to the state's "Travel Michigan 2005 Magazine," and the improving tourist attractions of this city is expected draw more than its share of new visitors. Full story: [MyBayCity.com] Sign up for free magazine & MI map: [Travel Michigan Magazine] ^ Jan. 27 - "2004 Trooper Of The Year" Is Yvonne D. Brantley of Bay City Post. BAY CITY: Trooper Yvonne D. Brantley of the Bay City State Police Post was uniquely honored today with the "Dr. Carl A. Gerstacker Trooper of the Year Award" for 2004 for her exemplary performance of her duties and public service. We extend our congratulations to Trooper Brantley, is a resident of this city, for her outstanding achievement that reflects well on this community. Full story: [Michigan Newswire] - Michigan.gov

BAY-JOURNAL WEBSITE UPDATES -- Menu | Featured History | Featured Websites | News Highlights | Help us if you can! -- Contribute content to Bay-Journal. Jan - Maritime Biographies from History of Great Lakes 1899 (new) Heritage/Writings/ Jan 3. - James E. Davidson, Captain & Shipbuilder, West Bay City Jan 3. - Henry E. Ditzel, Captain, operated ferry service on Saginaw River. Jan 3. - Oliver E. Durrant, Engineer, born in Battle Creek, worked in Bay City, retired in Port Huron. Jan 4. - George A. McCoy, Captain, born in St. Clair, worked in Bay City, retired in Cleveland. Jan 4. - Walter McCrea, Engineer, born in St. Clair, worked in Bay City, retired in Chesaning, MI. Jan 4. - Christopher J. McGurn, Engineer, born in Bay City, lived and worked in Cheboygan, MI. Jan 4. - John McLachlin, Captain, born in Ontario, Canada, worked for Capt. Boutell of Bay City, MI Jan 10. - Biographical Sketch of Alfred E. Bousfield (new) Alfred was the son of John Bousfield of Cleveland who established the largest wooden-ware manufacturing business in the United States during the 1800s. The business was moved to Bay City in 1875 and ran by Alfred and his brothers. Donated by Patrick Wilhelm. Heritage/Writings/ {Alfred E. Bousfield, 1892 Bio. Sketch} Heritage/Writings/ {A.E. Bousfield, death of, Bay City Times 1937} Heritage/Writings/ {Bousfield Wooden Ware Co.} Jan. 14 - Updates to Bay-Journal News Sections (update) We've been adding some new features to the News section. Most recently we've added a news feed from the "Detroit Free Press" to the "Headline News" page which includes news feeds for subjects National, World, Government, Health, Science, Celebrity, Yahoo! Oddly Enough, and Political news. In addition there area special sections for Sports, Financial and Weather news. Special Features/ [Headline News] Jan. 17 - James Fraser, 1905 Biographical Sketch Pioneer James Fraser had his beginnings on a wilderness farm in 1833 near the Saginaw settlement before moving to the infant settlement in Lower Saginaw (now Bay City) and became a leading force in its growth. Heritage/Writings/ {James Fraser, 1905 Bio.} Jan. 18 - C.E. Jennison, 1905 Biographical Sketch Charles E. Jennison moved to Lower Saginaw (now Bay City) in 1850 and partnered with James Fraser initially before getting into the hardware business on the n.w. corner of Water and Fifth streets. Heritage/Writings/ {C.E. Jennison, 1905 Bio.} Jan. 18 - Guest Book (new) A guest book has been added to make it convenient for viewers to share their comments about Bay-Journal. It's actually a new board added to the Focus Forum. We hope it will make it easier for some to share their input. Focus Forum/ {Guest Book} Jan. 20 - Pioneer's 1886 Account of Saginaw Valley 50 years Ago. Bay City Tribune article penned by pioneer recalling what the Saginaw Valley, an insightful description of the primative Saginaw river settlements with nothing but forests and wilderness between them. Heritage/Writings/Places {Fifty Years Ago} Jan. 21 - Pinconning: Bay's Big Village (1886). A 1886 Bay City Tribune article about the progress being made in the village of Pinconning. Heritage/Writings/Places {Bay's Big Village} Jan. 22 - Wenona Beach Pictorial (update) Six new photos donated by Al Smith has been added to this pictorials. The photos show the French fry stand, the Jackrabbit roller coaster, the Octopus, the Miniature Train, and two of the Bullet. Al played with the Dick Jessup band at the Casino at a time when local favorite Harry Jarkey, a comedian, performed there. -- We can use more photos and stories about Wenonah Beach, so help us if you can.

[HOME] or [Return to BAY-JOURNAL MONTHLY]

Browse