Saginaws history begins with its river system; the first inhabitants of the area were the Chippewa Indians who used the Saginaw, Shiawassee, and Tittabawassee Rivers for transportation, fishing, and rice harvesting. In 1675, Jesuit priest Fr. Henri Nouvel arrived by canoe from St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula to minister to the local tribes. As the first European visitor, he arrived before the rivers brought the fur traders, who established trading posts to barter with the Native Americans. In 1819, territorial governor Lewis Cass negotiated a treaty with the Native Americans in which...
Saginaws history begins with its river system; the first inhabitants of the area were the Chippewa Indians who used the Saginaw, Shiawassee, and Titta...
