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The county was created by September 10, 1822 and was fully organized on February 9, 1835. The etymology of the county's name is uncertain. It may be derived from Sace-nong or Sak-e-nong (English: Sauk land), as the Sauk (French: Sac) tribe is believed by some to have once lived there. A more likely possibility is that it comes from Ojibwe words meaning "place of the outlet" –sag (English: an opening) and ong (English: place of).
The Saginaw region includes an extensive network of many rivers and streams which converge into the Saginaw River and provided a means for easy travel for the Native American population among numerous settlements and hunting areas, as well as access to Lake Huron. Saginaw was also a frequent meeting location for councils of the Ojibwe, Pottawatomi, and Ottawa—the Three Fires of the Anishnabeg.
What is today Saginaw County was inhabited by the Ojibwe at the time of the arrival of Euro-Americans. The Ojibwe were still the dominant force in the area in the 1820s, and in 1827 they were attacked by a two groups of Winnebago people coming from Wisconsin. The Ojibwe prevailed in this fight with the aid of local Euro-American settlers.
In 1853 the Ojibwe and Ottawa both established large hunting camps along the Saginaw River, although Euro-American settlers were beginning to establish sawmills and farms in the area by that point.
For a complete list of Townships & Communities, please see Wikipedia.
Adjacent Counties
- Bay County
- Midland County
- Gratiot County
- Clinton County
- Shiawassee County
- Tuscola County
- Genesee County
Cities & Villages
- Birch Run
- Chesaning
- Frankenmuth
- Merrill
- Oakley
- Reese (part)
- Saginaw (County Seat)
- St. Charles
- Zilwaukee
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