Heritage \ Writings \

Rivalry Between Bay City and East Saginaw
Describes the friendly competitiveness that existed between these cities.

Transcribed (January 2005)

Bay City Chronicle & Tribune - December 19, 1879 THE RIVAL CITY UP THE RIVER. _____________________ The East Saginaw papers have taken particular pains to magnify the importance of their city and by a dexteron use of figures and garbled statements have endeavored to show that <Saginaw is ahead of Bay City in all the essential elements of a city’s greatness and prosperity. The TRIBUNE has corrected their mis-statements from time to time, but it has now discovered an element of “superiority” in our neighboring city which it is quite willing to concede them without the slightest controversy, and which should be given due prominence. While Bay county claims to be (and is sustained in its claim by the official figures) the principal lumber point in the Saginaw valley as well as furnishing the largest portion of salt produced in the valley, it lays no claim to equality with Saginaw in wickedness and the features which distinguish a city for good order, good morals, and progressive civilization. An illustration of this will be found by a comparison of the liquor traffic of the two counties or cities. The report of liquor taxes made the treasurer of Saginaw county shows 344 places in that county where distilled or malt liquors are sold or kept for sale. Of this number East Saginaw alone supports 199. An examination of the assessment rolls of the liquor tax in Bay county shows but 172 places where liquor is sold. Of this number Bay City has 118. The “greatness” of East Saginaw over Bay City is in an excess of nearly one hundred liquor dealers. They may claim this distinction without contradiction, and upon the theory of “giving the devil his due” the TRIBUNE gives it the prominence which our envious neighbor seeks. There is nothing mean about us!