Januarj lo, I Did 



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Bay Cicy'^s Hardwood Industry 0. 



Ua\ ritv nn n villiigp with n | "f 700 |ipo|ili'. The firnt i«'t- 



til iiiiiits lit Hiiy I'ity woro niiulr m l>.i7 niul w<ti> knuun nit Lower 

 S:i;;iii:iw and I'ortfuiuititli, tlic foniipr iH-iiig liny City |>ru|>i'r iiml tlio 

 liitttT what is novr the xixth ward. 



Tlio luinticriiiK mljiiront to the Snginnw rivor wan itiaii);iiratocl in 

 the early forti(>M when nn px|ii<ritnontal mill wan liiiilt at the foot of 

 Sixth utrcct. This wa» »hurtly folluwctl liy other inillH. In thu 

 nii'nntinio thin portion had W'^un imliiBtrial ilovolopnipnt in othor dircc- 

 tiorm folhiwinu the discovery of salt, whirh dovchipniiMit ha» enjoyed 

 reinnrkalilo pro);ros8, finally brinfjint; to the eity a varie^ateil and ex- 

 tensive line of industri<>s that turn out a ^rent many different ami 

 useful articles of popularity all 

 over Uie country and abroad. 



Boy City became a chartered 

 rity in the spring of 1S65 when 

 it had a population of 3,.').'i0 peo- 

 ple. It now has a population of 

 well over S.'i.noO and by this timo 

 lias become the center of a flour- 

 ishing, bountiful farm land of 

 immense potential wealth that is 

 being steadily realized. It is an 

 industrial center of remarkable 

 proportions and immense prom- 

 ise, and being supplied by cheap 

 fuel in the form of soft co.il 

 mined just outside of the city 

 limits is steadily making itself known to jiroaj cotivc factory builders 

 as a logical place of location. 



Bay City is situated on the Saginaw river about six miles from its 

 junction with Saginaw bay. It has a river frontjige of seventeen 

 miles and extends back therefrom distances varying from two to 

 three miles. It is served by seven lines of steam roads, namely three 

 branches of the Michigan Central, Granil Trunk, Pere Marquette, De- 

 troit & Mackinac and the Detroit, Bay City & Western Railway. In 

 connection with these roads are two belt lines or switching roads 

 operating in the city. 



Bay City's lumber industry began, as above stated, with the pine 

 operations of which it had a large share. It was for years recognized 

 as the hub of the pine industry all over the eastern part of the state 

 and served as a manufacturing jioint and outlet for tremendous quan- 

 tities of famous oM Michigan white pine. 



There seemed to be a tradition in the old pine days that the 



Til 10 Ol.n AND TIIK NEW. 



Snginnw river formed a wirt of dead line lielneen the profitable 

 operating flehU and those which offered less profltJible [losKibilitieii, 

 so that with the lieginning of the exhauHtion of the pine laiiiN south 

 of the river there came into iK'ing n mistaken idea that Hay City was 

 on the wane as u lumber center. On the contrary, there has simply 

 l>eeii a transition from the old slashing pine days when quantity was 

 the main point of accompliNhment to the more careful, more nkillful 

 nml more thoroughgoing operalioiiH in hanlwoods wliich aliouiid in 

 the territory north of Bay City in the eaKterii roiintieH of the state. 

 Today Bay City is distinctly a hardwood center having within its 

 limits Feven substantial sawmills which are fed by the superb hnrd- 

 woo.l forests of northeastern Michigan. The principal n|>erntionB in 



the city today are W. D. Young 

 ii Co., the liichardson Lumber 

 Company, the Kneelaiid Bigelow 

 Ciiiiipany, Kiieeland ■ Lumlen & 

 Higelow Company ami Hoss & 

 Weiitworth, while the Hanson- 

 Ward Veneer Company at the 

 southern extremity of the city 

 turns out n high-grade line of 

 veneers and panels. Each of the 

 .•ibove firms ojierates a mill adja- 

 cent to its offices and in addi- 

 tion there is opcrnte<l what is 

 known as the island mill which IB 

 lontroUcd by the W. D. Young 

 and Ross & Wentworth interests. 

 The most striking feature of the whole proposition is that not one of 

 the firms in Bay City's hardwood fraternity has in prospect less than 

 ten years' cut. Thus there is imparted to Bay City as a hardwoocl 

 center a remarkable degree of permanence which stamps it almost in 

 a class by itself as far as general lumber centers in the northern 

 hardwood territory are concerned and makes possible more efTicient 

 ojiorations. 



The Bay City hardwooil trade is composeil of men of national 

 reiiutation. Contrary to the course of most northern operating centers 

 its future holds development rather than retrogression as the perma- 

 nence of the institutions loeateil at Bay City makes possible the formu- 

 lation of plans and the institution of ideas that can lie worked out 

 only with the gradual passing of time. 



W. D. Young & Co. 

 One of the oldest institutions in Bay City is W. D. Young & Co., 



\V. D. YOIXf; & CO.S SAWMILL. FLOORING AND 



.ANING MILL PLANT. 



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