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Statistics of Saginaw Valley Communities in 1901.
Source: Annual Report of the Michigan Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics.

BAY CITY

Population, 27,628; has city hall, value $200,000; eleven school houses, value $250,000; eleven other public buildings, value $181,000; in 1900 expended $41,290 for paving; brick used for paving; $14,000 for sewers; $5,000 for other permanent improvements; a total of $60,290 for permanent public improvements; city indebtedness $739,000; all public work done by contract; average wages paid day laborers $1.50; man and team $3.00. Has paid fire department, consisting of 13 full time men and 35 part time men; full time men receive $720 per year; part time men $240, and $252 per year; chief $1,500; men are allowed off 24 days each year; 186 calls were made on department in past year, of which two were false alarms; estimated value of property destroyed $165,000 ; saved $1,500,000. Has chief of police, 24 regular men, two deputy sheriffs, four constables, two night-watchers and police matron doing duty in the city; salary of chief $1,200; regular men $2.00 per day; matron, $180 per year; has city jail, in which four prisoners were confined on the first day of May, 1900.

Alex. McEwan, mayor;
Thomas K. Harding, chief fire department;
N. N. Murphy, chief of police.

BELDING

Population, 3.282; has no city hall; four school houses; value, $13,000; in 1900 expended $300 for parks; $500 for sewers; $2,000 for other permanent improvements ; a total of $2,800 for permanent public improvements; city indebtedness $5,000; all public work done by city; average wages paid day laborers $1.25; for man and team, $2.50. Has volunteer fire department, consisting of ten part time men, who receive $20 each per year; chief $50 per year; 13 calls were made on department in past year, of which four were false alarms; estimated value of property destroyed $750; saved $4,000. Has city marshal, one regular man, one deputy sheriff, three constables and one night-watcher doing duty in the city; salary of marshal $600; regular man $1.75; has city jail, in which no prisoners were confined on the first day of May, 1900.

W. M. Francisco, mayor;
Robert Peebles, chief fire department;
W. W. Mitchell, marshal.

ESSEXVILLE

Population. 1.639; has no village hall; in 1900 expended $3,500 for public improvements; has no village indebtedness; has two police officers, including marshal; entire expense of police force in 1899, $530; general business is the same as in 1899; has some idle men unable to obtain work; average wages paid day laborers $1.50; for man and team $3.00. Has a volunteer fire department consisting of 20 men who receive $1.00 per fire; chief, John Lenox, with no salary; has a chemical engine: value of property belonging to the department $1,000. Has a village marshal who receives $480 per year and statutory fees; has one regular man who receives $75 per year and fees, and two constables actively serving in the village; has no village lockup.

Sidney A. Hall, president;
William Felker, clerk;
John Lenox, marshal.

MIDLAND

Population, 2.363; has no city hall; four school houses, value $45,000; one other public building, value $1,500; in 1900 expended $250 for sewers; $725 for other permanent improvements; a total of $975 for permanent public improvements; city indebtedness $23,000; 50 per cent of public work done by city; 50 per cent by contract; average wages paid day laborers $1.25; for man and team $2.50. Has volunteer fire department consisting of 14 part time men, who receive $25 per year; chief $50; 17 calls were made on department in past year, of which four were false alarms; estimated value of property destroyed by fire $4.000; saved $14,000. Has city marshal, one deputy sheriff and four constables doing duty in the city; salary of marshal $25 per year; has no city jail.

Ray Hart, mayor;
James Phetteplace, chief fire department;
John Modell, marshal.

SAGINAW

Population, 42,345; has city hall, value $170,000; 26 school houses, value $516,000; 18 other public buildings, value $75,000; in 1900 expended $1,000 for parks; $52,000 for paving; brick, macadam and cedar blocks used in paving; $15,000 for sewers; $85,000 for other permanent improvements; a total of $153,000 for permanent public improvements; city indebtedness $1,347,780; 33 per cent of public work done by city; 67 per cent by contract; average wages paid day laborers $1.50; for man and team $3.00. Has paid fire department consisting of 30 full time men and 13 part time men; full time men receive an average salary of $636 per year; part time men $360 per year each; chief $1,400; men are allowed off 36 days; 292 calls were made on department in past year, of which 33 were false alarms; estimated value of property destroyed by fire $170,296; saved $566,682. Has a chief of police, 41 regular men, six deputy sheriffs, six constables and a police matron doing duty in city; salary of chief $1,400 per year; regular men $2.00 per day; matron $300 per year; men are allowed off six days each year; has a city jail in which 15 prisoners were confined on the first day of May, 1900.

William B. Baum, mayor;
George W. Wallis, chief fire department;
P. Kaiu, chief of police.

WEST BAY CITY

Population, 13,119; has no city hall; seven school houses, value $150,000; five other public buildings, value $31,000; in 1900 expended $3,700 for public buildings; $28,890 for paving; brick on concrete used for paving; $10,000 for sewers; $117,410 for other permanent improvements; a total of $160,000 for permanent public improvements; city indebtedness $431,000; all public work done by contract; average wages paid day laborers $1.50; for man and team $3.00. Has paid fire department consisting of four full time men, and 12 part time men; full time men receive $45 per month; part time men $12.50 per month; chief $800; men are allowed off 12 days per year; 98 calls were made on department in past year; of which seven were false alarms; estimated value of property destroyed by fire $21,690; saved not reported. Has chief of police, five regular men, one deputy sheriff, two constables, three night- watchers and a police matron doing duty in city; salary of chief $1,000; regular men $1.67; matron $12 per year; seven days allowed off each year; has a city jail in which no prisoners were confined on the first day of May, 1900.

Peter Lind, mayor;
Godfrey Kulbach, chief fire department;
George V. Davis, chief of police.

NOTED EVENTS CHRONOLOGICALLY

• Jan. 29 — SAGINAW: The Michigan Wheelbarrow & Truck Company, organized with a capital of $25,000, expects to have its plant in operation in 90 days.
• Mar. 12 — SAGINAW: About 125 employes of the Palmerton Woodenware Company went out on a strike for an increase of wages of about 10 per cent which the company refused to accede to and on Thursday following the plant was shut down. On April 12 about three-fourths of the strikers resumed work under practically the same conditions that existed before they quit work.
• Mar. 14 — BAY CITY: Clara McQuinn, 16 years old, unmarried; took carbolic acid. Despondency.
• Mar. 30 — BAY CITY: Joseph L. Langevin, 50 years old, married; took carbolic acid. Mystery.
• Apr. 2 — BAY CITY: Several small strikes among the coal miners of Bay county took place over the deficient work clauses adopted in the scale for District No. 24, U. M. W. of A., but were all amicably settled with but little loss to either the mine owners or the men.
• May 1 — SAGINAW: Between 75 and 100 carpenters employed by the builders of Saginaw went out on a strike for an eight-hour day. This did not affect carpenters employed in shops and factories, but stopped all work as far as construction of buildings were concerned. The question of wages did not enter into this strike.
• May 3 — BAY CITY: The employes of the box factories of Bay City struck for an increase of 25 cents per day. There are four factories affected by the strike and about 250 men are out. On May 17 a satisfactory settlement was brought about and the men all returned to work.
• May 5 — MIDLAND: Andrew Fransen, 58 years old, married; shot himself. Mental trouble.
• May 24 — BAY CITY: W. J. Cook, married; attempted suicide by taking a dose of paris green. Domestic troubles
• May 28 — BAY CITY: Alice Travis, years of age; took carbolic acid. Despondency.
• Jun. 12 — BAY CITY: F. S. Clute tried to jump in river. Unbalanced.
• Jun. 13 — SAGINAW: Ice peddlers went on a strike, the result of a demand for higher wages. The strike was settled by the demand being partially granted.
• Jun. 21 — BAY CITY: Workmen employed at the bridge approach struck for an increase in wages of 25 cents a day, on account of lost time from steam concrete mixer getting out of order, which they were not paid for. Demands not granted.
• Jun. 23 — BAY CITY: Ross Bros', saw mill at Beaverton will begin operation at once, the mill being 30x100 feet.
• Jun. 23. — BAY CITY: W. F. Jones, of Alpena, who has been lumbering for 20 years, says he never found it so hard to hire men, and would employ 200 at once if he could secure them.
• Jun. 23. — SAGINAW: The committee received word from the glass manufacturers that they would be ready to close a deal by July 1, and would commence the construction of a factory at once, employing 150 hands.
• Jun. 24 — SAGINAW: S. S. Fleams, 67 years of age, married; jumped into the river in an attempt at suicide. Ill health.
• Jul. 3 — SAGINAW: Alex Heinalt, 20 years of age; took morphine. Ill health.
• Jul. 5 — BAY CITY: Parties who operate a coal mine in this county, being unable to supply the demand, will sink another shaft at once in Zilwaukee township.
• Jul. 6 — BAY CITY: Frank Teauro, married; attempted suicide by taking rough on rats. Domestic troubles.
• Jul. 9 — SAGINAW: D. H. Hearns, 38 years of age, married; attempted suicide by shooting himself. Domestic troubles.
• Jul. 11 — SAGINAW: The miners employed by the Northwestern Coal & Transportation Company go out on a strike demanding their railroad fare of 5 cents a day for round trip be paid. Request granted and men returned to work.
• Jul. 15 — BAY CITY: The Valley Coal Mining Company, on their property near Salzburg, has an abundance of fine clay and are placing in position a Berg brick press that has a capacity of turning out 20,000 brick daily.
• Jul. 16 — SAGINAW: Mrs. M. H. Orr, age 29 years; drank carbolic acid. Cause unknown.
• Jul. 28 — BAY CITY: Mrs. Frank Fairbanks, 19 years of age; attempted suicide by taking carbolic acid. Love affair.
• Sep. 21 — SAGINAW: Dr. W. P. Morgan has a flock of 175 Angora goats on his farm, all of which wintered well. The fleeces are silky and heavy and grow to a length of 5 or 6 inches, marketing at 25 and 50 cents a pound.
• Oct. 6. — BAY CITY: Plans for building several new boats at the Davidson shipyards are maturing.
• October 16 — ESSEXVILLE: Mrs. Louis Mills after giving a dose of laudanum to her four-year-old daughter, from the effects of which the child died, attempted to end her own life in the same manner. Unbalanced.
• October 31 — WEST BAY CITY: An unknown woman attempted suicide by drinking carbolic acid. Cause unknown.
• November 2 — BAY CITY: Another large sugar beet factory will be built in Bay City next spring, capitalized at $600,000.
• November 27 — BAY CITY: Mrs. Lillian Cummings took laudanum. Domestic troubles.
• December 13 — BAY CITY: Another large industry in Bay county, will be erected for the manufacture of cement. The plan of the projectors is to build a factory with a daily capacity of 500 barrels.
• December 13 — SAGINAW: The Saginaw Sugar Company, which has recently been organized with a capital of $500,000, will begin erecting its plant at once.
• December 17 — SAGINAW: A large plate glass factory will be located in Saginaw, capitalized at $350,000. The factory will begin operation July 1 next, and will be the first industry of its kind in the State.
• December 27 — SAGINAW: Wendell Otto; shot himself. Despondency.
• December 27 — WEST BAY CITY: Mrs. Louis Ponton; swallowed a quantity of carbolic acid with suicidal intent. Domestic troubles.