Saginaw Bay

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Saginaw Bay is located on Lake Huron, and forms the space between "The Thumb" and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan on the eastern side of the U.S. state of Michigan. Bay City 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.

The name "Saginaw" is derived from the Ojibwe term, Zaagiinang, meaning "to flow out", likely in reference to the Saginaw River, which flows out into Saginaw Bay, and eventually into Lake Huron. [1] ("Saginaw" should not be confused with "Saguenay", a region in Quebec whose name is derived by the Algonquin.)

The modern history of Saginaw bay dates back to early 1600s when the French were the first to explore the northern regions of the American continent.

The first white to visit the Saginaw Bay area was Father Jacques Marquette, a French missionary priest, who came here in 1668 after establishing a mission in St. Ignace. In 1686, Father Jean Enjalran came to the valley to establish an Indian mission, but his efforts failed.

The first major settlement was at Detroit by Frenchman Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac who wanted to establish a post at this strategic location to defend France's territorial interests from the British. The two nations battled for control of the region until the Treaty of Paris in 1763 when France relinquished the area to Britain.

In 1776, the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence from Britain. For twenty years, Britain and the new United States of America fought for control of the area before Congress officially created the Michigan Territory in 1805. Eight years later, around 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.

An escort carrier was named Saginaw Bay during World War II.