Dec. 20 - Color Drop Ball Game (new)
A simple but addictive strategy game for all ages.

Dec. 16 - Pictorials (update)
We've changed the "viewer" used for slideshows, all are now formatted using the the "jsviewer" which provides a full screen of each photo. Each will include an introduction page that provides some background on the subject of the pictorial. The "jsviewer" includes many enhancement features which the viewer can control for their personal viewing preference. Just click "HELP" on the dropdown menu to see these features.

Dec. 4 - Checkers Game (new)
The old fashion game of checkers played against your computer. Who's smarter, you or the computer? Give it a try.

Dec. 3 - Pictorial: Fire Departments (update)
New photos added. Our thanks Gary Gasta of the Bay City Fire Department for donating these.

Dec. 1 - Christmas Remembered (update)
We've added a bunch of new holiday graphics and a couple of new pages. We've also did a little tinkering with the colors and layout for a fresh new look. Hope you enjoy.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Nov. 18 - Capt. Armstrong's Troubles at Fifth Ave. City Dock
Contributed by Alan Flood. -
A series of short articles that appeared in the Bay City Daily Tribune newspaper during 1899, regarding disagreements with other parties in the use of the city's dock which led to legal action.

Nov. 16 - History of Bay County's Organization by Gen. B.F. Partridge (1876)
The forefathers of Bay County's organization had a fight on their hands to become a separate governoring unit. The counties of Saginaw and Midland did their best to keep it from happening. However, the leaders from Lower Saginaw (now Bay City) were persistent, they wanted independence from the county of Saginaw which they believed negatively affected their progress. Saginaw wasn't about to create a competitor to its north without a fight. They had no trouble in getting Midland county to align with them in regards. Midland had much to loose in the way of property proposed to create the new county. This history was capture in a document prepared by Gen. B.F. Partridge for an 1876 meeting held in Bay City of the Pioneer Society.

Nov 13 - Kidz Only! "Fish Tank" (new)

We've added a second "pin-up board" to the "Fun Room" in the Kidz Only section. This one is a "fish tank" with plenty of fish for kids to have fun creating their own arrangement. If you haven't been into the Kidz Only! rooms, have a look! There are four rooms: History Room, Learning Room, Fun Room, Show & Tell Room. Each has a variety of activities to help kids learn while having fun.

Nov. 11 - Pictorial: Heritage Libraries
We gathered images of libraries and these are now presented in their own pictorial. Include are recent pictures of the renovated Sage Library.

Nov. 10 - Martime Biographies from History of the Great Lakes by J.B. Mansfield (1899)
Heritage/Writings/

Nov. 10 - Civil War Diary of Mary (Craft) Hemminger (update)
We've added new entries from this unique diary which now spans from Jan to the end of May. Mary was living in the village of Banks in Bangor township. Banks is now a part of Bay City's west side.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Oct 21 - Maritime Biographies from History of the Greak Lakes.
Biographies by J.B. Mansfield, published in 1899. Contributed by "LinksToThePast.com"
Heritage/Writings/

Oct. 19 - Bay-Journal News Searcher
New to this page! You'll find it in the News & Commentary section above. The "news searcher" will find all current news items related to the "county" you chose from the selection list. Give it a try!

Oct. 19 - Fire Department Pictorial
Some new firehouse photos have been added to this pictorial and it has been updated to a different viewer.

Oct 4 - Maritime Biographies from History of the Greak Lakes.
Biographies by J.B. Mansfield, published in 1899. Contributed by "LinksToThePast.com"
Heritage/Writings/

Oct 3 - Maritime Biographies from History of the Greak Lakes.
Biographies by J.B. Mansfield, published in 1899. Contributed by "LinksToThePast.com"

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Sep. 26 - Gen. MacArthur Speeches.
We've added some memorable speeches of General Douglas MacArthur to the Selective U.S. History section, his brief speeches given at surrender ceremony of Japan, his address to Congress and his farewell address to cadets at the West Point military academy.

Sep. 26 - Pictorial: River of Time 2004.
Photos taken this date of the final day of the River of Time event.

Sep. 18 - Maritime Biographies and History. - Courtesty of Links to the Past.
The waterways of the Saginaw Bay area from the days of the earliest white settles been a location of maritime activities, from schooners to lake carriers hauling goods in and out of the Saginaw River. At one time, hundreds of tugs and barges help the large vessels navigation in and out the ports of Bay City and Saginaw. Thanks to permission from the "Links to the Past" website, we are able to share these histories here with you. Heritage/Writings/People/

Sep. 17 - Bay City South End Fire of 1892. - Contributed by Carolyn McGrath.

Jul. 28, 1892: View south from Fremont avenue of destruction on Water street.
Bay City's most disasterous fire happened on July 25, 1892, it started at the Miller & Turner mill at the foot of 31st street and spread to a forty block area, causing 1800 people to go homeless. This historical story begins with a personal letter written by Lilitia Dickie to her brother that evening about the fire and loosing her home. It is accompanied by seven articles that appeared in the Bay City Tribune newspaper on the 26th and 27th.

Sep. 15 - Captain Benjamin Boutell (1844-??) - Courtesy of Links to the Past.

Sep. 13 - Salvage of Propeller Globe (1867) - Contributed by Dave Swayze.
1867 Detroit Free Press article describing the salvage of the sunken vessel Globe off Charity Island in 1864. It was raised by Capt. Spaulding who hauled it to Bay City.

Sep. 8 - Ship-building at Bay City (1886) - Contributed by Dave Swayze.
1886 Detroit Tribune newspaper article reviewing shipbuilding at Bay City. Information includes listings of vessels built and commentary about early builders.

Sep. 5 - Time Clock.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Aug. 27 - River Navigation.
Excerpt from the book, "Bay County -- Past and Present", written by George E. Butterfield, describing the early history of navigation on the Saginaw river and bay.

Aug. 27 - History of Saginaw Valley Indians.
Article that appeared in the Bay City Journal in 1865 written by a pioneer recalling a story told to him by an Indian regarding the history of tribes in the Saginaw Valley. Includes referenced to Indian burial grounds along the Saginaw river and its tributaries.

Aug. 23 - 1874 Village of Wenona Directory
Lists street names, schools, churches and members of Mason lodge.

Aug. 23 - 1874 Village of Banks Directory
Lists village officers, school staff, street names and Methodist Episcopal church.

Aug. 21 - Abandoned St. Joseph cemetery.
An article on the abandoned St. Joseph cemetery that appeared in the July 29, 1951 edition of the Bay City Times decribes the conditions of this burial grounds off State street between Elm and Smith. It includes images taken at that time showing grave markers for the Trombley family and Guindon sisters.

Aug 16 - Ross & Wentworth Lumber Mill Closing.

Aug 15 - Opening of the Wenonah Hotel.

Aug 14 - GREAT NEWS! - WEBSITE UPDATES COMPLETED.

Efforts will now return to add new content to the website. There is a backlog of pages to be completed and uploaded. Work will concentrate on finishing the 1940s School histories that was begun before the major updating to the website took place.

Aug. 13 - Woods Opera House 1902 Fire.
Article that appeared in the Bay City Tribune on August 29, 1902 pertaining to the fire that destroyed the Woods Opera House theater. The building was erected in 1886 on the southeast corner of Washington avenue and Sixth street. It was Bay City's first building designed specifically for theater use.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Jul 26 - James Clements Airport Map
Basic overhead map of airport's layout. Includes brief notes on airport's history.

Jul 16 - Focus Forum: Want Ads Board
We've opened up this a new board for sellers and buyers interested in promoting, selling or buying items, and best of all it's free! To maintain a limited control we have restricted this to "members only" which is also free. We do ask that you do not abuse by flooding the board with messages on the same topic. As a member you are able to manage your posting by modifying it or deleting it when out dated. We will periodically review the board and delete messages that we consider out dated or in appropriate.

Jul 3 - Bay City Tribune 1909 Articles on Bay City Cardinals Baseball Team.
The Bay City Cardinals were a minor league professional team and were the first to play ball at the new Clarkson park in 1909. These articles describe the team's activity as they prepare for league play.

Jul 1 - Bay City Tribune 1909 Articles About John Clarkson.
Both of these newspaper articles were written within days after John Clarkson died in 1909. One of the articles is a reprint of an article published by the Detroit Free Press. Both articles recall Clarkson's outstanding baseball career.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Jun 3 - History & Pictorial Sections Done! (update)
The History and Pictorial sections have now been updated with the new look. Work will begin on the Heritage Library and this will be done over a longer period of time due to the large number of webpages involved. We will make no announcements regarding the new look until all pages have been completed.

Jun 1 - New Look for Bay-Journal
See "Introduction" in under the Highlight News & Articles for June 2004.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

May 6 - Corbin and Dolsen Schools Added to 1940 Histories
We're back at work trying to finish the 1940 Bay City school histories that we started a few weeks ago. Besides, Central High, Farragut, Lincoln and Woodside, we've just added Corbin and Dolsen schools. Schools to be done yet are listed on the main page for this series.

May 5 - Another Domain Name.
We purchased another shorter domain name for Bay-Journal. Besides, "www.bay-journal.com" you can also reach us at "bjmi.us" -- just think, Bay-Journal Michigan.United States! Down the road we hope to do some other things with the shorter domain by creating what is called a "sub-domain." Using a sub-domain you just ad to the front end of the regular domain name to create a direct link to special sections of Bay-Journal. One idea might be baycity.bjmi.us or auburn.bjmi.us. The shorter name makes it easier to remember and type. We were forced to use a hyphen "-" between Bay and Journal when we got that domain name because another user already had "bayjournal.com." But, we like the bjmi.us even more because it short and to the point. Want to give it try? Just click on {bjmi.us} then check the address bar on your browser.

May 3 - Obituary of Chesley Wheeler (new)
Obituary from Bay City Tribune, published Monday, June 5, 1911 about Chesley Wheeler, founder of Wheeler shipyard in West Bay City.

May 2 - Bay County Post Ecards (new)
We've added this new feature to the Tourist Center. There are 20 images of Bay County that you can select from to send an ecard. You can also customize your card by choosing its color, background, music or adding a special Java effect. This is a "free" service of Bravenet.com and as such, it includes their advertisements.

We've been reluctant to add such free services because of the these advertisements that are beyond our control, but this one we thought was worth it because it allowed us to customize the images. Presently, Bay-Journal is not supported financially by sponsors. At some point this may happen in order to improve the offerings of the website by purchasing paid services that will eliminate the uncontrolled advertisements.

May 1 - New Birney Genealogy. (update)
We've added some new family information to James G. Birney's descendants that was contributed by Allen W. Whittemore. The new information is on Sophie and Alice, daughters of James and Amanda (Moulton) Birney. Both married into the wealthy Blackwell family from New York. Both marriages took place in Bay City, Sophie was married at the Trinity Lutheran Church while Alice made married at her parents residence. We also added a "new" page for an obit on Alice.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Apr. 24 - Tourist Information (update)
We've done some updating to the Tourist page to increase the amount of information on attractions in the Saginaw Bay Area. The idea, of course, is to make it easy for visitors to our area to understand what's we have to offer to them. Feel free to let us know what else you think should be added.

Apr. 12 - Aerial views of Bay City and Ridge Road Cemeteries (new)
While researching some information on the internet, we stumbled onto an aerial mapping feature available from the US Geologoical Survey. Being of a curious nature, we looked to see what we could find on the Bay City area. The results are presented in three new aerial maps. One is of Bay City metropolitain area, another of the cemeteries along Ridge Road, and the third is a view of the Saginaw River from Bay City to Saginaw. The later two, are a series of images that create an overall composite map.

Apr. 11 - More Biographies from Pioneer Society of Michigan (new)
Brief biographies have been added for the following pioneers:
Heritage/Writings/

Apr. 7 - 1940 School History Articles (new)
In 1940, The Bay City Times rans a series of articles that appeared in their Saturday editions covering the history of Bay City's schools. The articles give some good details about the early schools most of which has long disappeared. Include with each article was a photo of the school building. At this time we have posted four of the articles -- more will be posted as we get the webpages done. Each of the webpages has a menu that so you will be able to easily move from article to another.

Apr. 5 - Civil War Diary of Mary (Craft) Hemminger of Bangor (new)
Like so many other young brides, Mary struggled at home while her husband went off to war. Thanks to Phyllis Nilsson, who transcribed and contribute this diary, we are able to better understand what life was like for a Civil War bridge, and the times in which she lived. At home in Bangor township, she was left to care for her young daughter and fend for herself while worrying about the safe return of her husband, Isaac.

Apr. 1 - Residents of Bay County in 1847. (new)
In 1891, Judge Albert Miller made this document recalling the early people of Bay County for the Pioneer Society of Michigan. It includes the names of many people and their family members and a number includes the place they were from or went to after a living here. We created an index to make it easy to identify the names contained in the document and provided photos on those that have a picture.

Apr. 1 - Bay City Polk Directory 1883-94. (update)
This directory was originally indexed by name, we've added an index by "location" so it is now easy to see who else was on a street or nearby.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Mar. 22 - 1905 Sketches of Bay County People (new)

Mar. 21 - Elizabeth (Wilcox) Rodgers (new)

Mar. 20 - Pin Up Board (new)

Mar. 18 - Recalling Old Streetcar Days (new)
Robert Trudell, who was a youngster when streetcars first appeared in Bay City wrote down his recollections of that time period, and this appeared in Leslie Arndt's book, "The Bay County Story -- From Footpaths to Freeways." He makes reference to the evolution in transportation that took place beginning with streetcars and ending with the jitney (buses) that eventually ruled the day.

Mar. 17 - Heritage Homestead Pictorial (new)
We gathered images we had stored on some of the early Bay City homes and created a pictorial for them. We'll add more as we go along. If you can contribute some -- that would be great!

Mar. 16 - Biography of John McGraw (new)

Mar. 15 - Memories of Third Street Bridge (new)
Article recalling my fond memories of the old Third Street Bridge that was at one time the only bridge connecting the east and west banks of the Saginaw River in Bay City. Before it, a wooden toll bridge in the same spot was the first structure crossing the river. Until it was created -- travel across the river had to be made by barge or boat.

The only other bridge that I can remember from my more youthful years was the Balinda Street Bridge which was a knotch or two narrower than the Third Street Bridge, and a bear to cross if driving an automobile. Maybe you can recall the Cass Avenue Bridge -- it's one that I have no memory of at all. If so, why not share on Bay-Journal so I can enjoy learning what it was like. For that matter, I encourage you or others to help keep these memories alive for others by contributing a Personal Memories article about any subject that was special to you during your younger years.

Mar. 14 - Building of Michigan Central Railroad Depot (new)

Mar. 14 - Patrick Henry and Liberty. (new)
Another document addition to the Selective U.S. History section, the words of Patrick Henry written in 1775 on the subject of liberty.

Mar. 13 - Articles of Confederation (new)
Added to the Selective U.S. History section. Many may not know that the Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the U.S., it eventually was substantially rewritten because it severly limited the role of the national government -- all power lied with the states. The national government was limited to diplomacy and defense of the nation.

Mar. 11 - Bay County Historical Society (new)
Added a Personals page. Features some of the many activities that the society is involved in related to our county's history. I stopped by the museum that other day and had a chance to see the construction going on to ready a "new" exhibit area for displaying larger and more artifacts of the past. The new exhibition is planned to ready for the public in the first quarter of 2005.

Mar. 1 - New Map Resources (new)
Added an 1802 heritage map of Michigan which at this time was still undeveloped except for settlements in Detroit.

The Library of Congress has an extensive collection of maps online that many may not be aware of. We added a link page to their website which includes direct links to a selected number of maps that we picked for your awareness.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Feb. 20 - Bay County Historic Plat Maps (new)
We've created an index page in the Maps Library to some of the older plat maps of Bay County that are available from the State of Michigan website. The index page provides some basic data to browse saving you time searching on their website. There is also a link to pre-seached listing of all Bay County plats.

Feb. 17 - Ethnic Genealogy & History of the Saginaw Bay Area (new section)
We've added a whole new section to the Heritage Library for individuals interested in their family's heritage. This section is intended to include content related to ethnic history and a forum community where individuals can interact with others to further their genealogy. As of this writing there is a content section for Polish descendants and specific forum boards for French, German and Polish heritage groups.

During the heavy immigration period family's and their neighbors typically migrated to the same location in America. Once settled here, they eventually spread out to neighboring communities to improve their lot. In the case of the new section, the family's neighborhood is the Saginaw Bay Area settled by many ethnic families who had their initial homesteads in places like Saginaw, Midland or Bay City.

The growth of this new section will rely heavily on contributions from viewers who are interested in furthering the knowledge on their ethnic history with others. If you are doing your family's genealogy this a good opportunity to help us develop what can become a valuable resource that will benefit everyone.

Feb. 9 - Journal of People (updated)
We've modified this page by replacing the standard static alphabetical listing of people with a dynamic spreadsheet table that allows sorting and search of the data.

Feb. 8 - 1899 Paper on French Missions to Saginaw Valley (new)
Paper written by Fred Carlisle for the Michigan Pioneer Society in 1899 providing historical references to French Missions in the Saghinaw as early as the 1680s. Include references to the Saginaw Treaty of 1819 and lands distributed to the Riley boys; John, Peter and James, who were sons of Me-naw-cum-e-goqua, a Chippewa woman.

Feb. 7 - The Park City (new)

This is the title of an article published in The Daily Tribune of Bay City in 1884 regarding recent improvements made to the city's parks. Parks at that time were: Carroll Park, Washington Park (no longer exists), Park Place (now Battery), Madison Park (now Birney Park) and South Bay City Park (now, Rooselvelt Park). Include with this article are other news items that appeared on the same page.

Feb. 7 - 1864 Thanksgiving Proclamation (new)
On November 10, 1864, the Bay City Journal published a reprint of President Lincoln's National Thanksgiving proclamation that year. Included with the reprint is background references on the history of Thanksgiving which dates back to the pilgrims.

Feb. 6 - 1884 Obituary of Luther Westover (new)
Luther Westover was a wealthy and prominent citizen of Bay City in the late 1800s. He was involved in lumbering and banking, and was a state representative for three years.

Feb. 6 - 1864 Article on Gen. David Bell Birney (new)
Gen. David B. Birney was the fifth child of James G. and Agatha (McDowell) Birney, pioneer residents of Bay City. Gen. D.B. Birney fought with the Union army during the Civil War, as did many members of the Birney family, Gen. William and Gen. Dion, brothers of David B., Major Fitzhugh a step-brother, and Lt. James G. a nephew. The article was written at the time of Gen. D.B. Birney's death and gives details of his early life and action during the Civil War.

Feb. 4 - Header Icons (update)
The primary page of the main sections now have an icon menu replacing text previously used. No change has been made to the text menu of the content pages themselves. While we have attempted to make the icons symbolic of the contents of each section, this may not be evident to many, however, as you hover of the icon a text of its description will pop-up. An explanation of the icons and the main pages also appears on the primary page of the Information Center in the right-hand column.

2004 - Jump to | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Jan. 29 Project Gutenberg (new)

Jan. 28 - Gen. David B. Birney (new)
Gen. David B. Birney was the fifth child of James G. and Agatha (McDowell) Birney. In 1864, the Bay City Journal carried an article written in the N.Y. Herald regarding the passing of Gen. Birney and this is the basis for the new page on him.
{Heritage/People/Birney, David Bell}

Jan. 27 - Bay County 1860 Businesses Listing (new)
Extracted from the 1860 Michigan Gazetteer of Businesses Directory. List companies/people by type of business.

Jan. 26 - Kidz Only (new section)

If you have a child, we hope you'll take some time to view the new section to see whether or not it'll fit in with your child's learning activities. We also welcome your comments or suggestions on how we may improve its content.

Jan. 19 - Description of Wenonah Hotel - Newspaper Accounts (new)
More contributions by Alan Flood. This time it is a series of six articles on the Wenonah Hotel that appeared in the Nov 9, 1908 issue of the Bay City Tribune.

Jan. 18 - Lumbering - Newspaper Accounts (new)
Three newspaper accounts from the Bay City Tribune of 1887 contributed by Alan Flood. One covers salt manufacturing which many of the lumbering companies also were involved in.

Jan. 12 - Walleye Express (new)
We welcome Capt. Dan Manyen to our Personals pages. Capt. Dan is owner of Walleye Express a charter fishing service available year round. If you would like to go first class with the lastest electronic gear, give Capt. Dan a call.

Jan. 10 - Biography of Henry W. Sage (new)

Along with the biography regarding Sage's contributions to this area, we received permission from Tompkins County, New York, NYGenWeb to reprint two articles written in 1894 about Henry W. Sage's early life and his many contributions to the growth of Cornell University.

Jan. 10 - Article: "Historic Saginaw Bay Ice Fishing." (new)
See "Commentary" section of {Jan. 2004 magazine}.

Jan. 6 - Fire Department Pictorial (update)
Added photos of 1928 American LaFrance and 1973 American LaFrance Pioneer fire trucks courtesy of John Kustuch of Essexville Fire Department.

Jan. 1 - Article: "Dreams Of An Uptown At River's Edge." (new)