Editing Gaylord, Michigan (section)

==History==
{{See also|Northern Michigan}}
{{Cleanup rewrite|date=April 2023||section=yes}}

=== Founding and early years ===
The town was unofficially called '''Barnes,''' after secretary of the [[Michigan Central Railroad]] and state representative [[Orlando M. Barnes|Orlando Barnes]], the town was settled in 1873 when the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw Railroads were extended north from Otsego Lake Village in the same year.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} All property north of Main Street was owned by the railroad. Barnes owned all of the property to the south. Main Street was the borderline for two townships. This put the northern half of the new community in [[Livingston Township, Michigan|Livingston Township]] and the southern portion in [[Bagley Township, Michigan|Bagley Township]].

The town became known as the “Village of Gaylord” in 1874. In the same year, Gaylord was also granted a post office of the same name. If the community was truly ever named Barnes, the name change would have occurred between November 1873 and October 1874. William F. Parmater, a township supervisor, was appointed to find a location for the town's court house in November 1877. Parmater and George Smith, a local store owner, were given land owned by Barnes and his wife to build the court house.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Gaylord |url=http://www.otsego.org/ochs/Towns%20Red%20Buttons/Gaylord/GaylordJumpPage.htm |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=Otsego County Historical Society}}</ref>

Augustine Smith Gaylord, who is the namesake for the town, was an attorney associated with the Michigan Central Railroad. His law firm was located in Saginaw. Gaylord never lived in his namesake town, but he did own property in [[Hayes Township, Otsego County, Michigan|Hayes Township]]. His distinguished career included serving as a school teacher, church choir director, county clerk, and member of the State Legislature, Gaylord was appointed to serve as an attorney for the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]] in 1875.

Gaylord became the county seat of [[Otsego County, Michigan|Otsego County]]. Prior to 1877, Otsego Lake Village had been designated as the temporary county seat. Gaylord's central location in the county, along with its growing business community, prompted the change. In the same year, the namesake of the town, Augustine Smith Gaylord died at his home in [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw]] at the age of 46. It is believed that a trip to negotiate a treaty with Native American tribes out west in [[Montana]] and [[The Dakotas]], at the request of President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] was possibly too strenuous for his pre-existing health conditions at the time, which declined his health, which prevented him from returning to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]].

In 1879, the state legislature appropriated state-owned lands to be exchanged for construction of a state road from [[Petoskey, Michigan|Petoskey]] through Berryville to Gaylord. These lands were originally conveyed to the State of Michigan by the Federal government in 1850 by the [[Swamp Land Act of 1850]].

Gaylord was officially incorporated as a village in 1881, with the first council meeting being held in March of the same year which was presided by Chester C. Mitchell.<ref name=":0" />

=== 20th century history ===
{{See also|Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord#History}}
During the early 20th century, many fires and epidemics swept through the town.

In 1905, a marketing campaign was undertaken to attract outside business investors and new residents to locate in Gaylord. A 38-page photo booklet entitled “Gaylord Illustrated” was published to showcase the many benefits of living in the town.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Gaylord Illustrated |publisher=Herald Printing House |year=1905 |location=Gaylord, Michigan}}</ref> Among the many photographs featured in the booklet were the Otsego County Courthouse and the Dayton Last Block Works. The Dayton Last Block Works was located south and west of downtown Gaylord between the Michigan Central Railroad and U.S. 27. It was bordered on the south by Wisconsin Avenue, and to the north by Third Street. The 14-acre industrial site included 27 buildings, and the owners claimed it to be the largest factory of its kind in world. The company, headquartered in [[Dayton, Ohio]], operated its Gaylord branch from 1895 to 1931.

Otsego County hardwoods were used to produce wooden shoe forms, bowling pins, and golf club heads. One of the original brick buildings still stands on South Otsego Avenue as the Bavarian Office complex.

A second railroad, the Boyne City, Gaylord and Alpena (BC,G&A), reached Gaylord in 1906. This provided east–west rail travel and transportation. The tracks entered Gaylord from Hallock from the northeast. The BC,G&A shared the Michigan Central Railroad depot on Michigan Avenue. Heading east, the tracks paralleled Fourth Street and headed toward the town of [[Sparr, Michigan|Sparr]].

Another important manufacturing venture in Gaylord's past was the Gaylord Motor Car Company. Formed in 1910 by local investors who had dreams of becoming the next [[Detroit]], the company offered four innovative styles designed to compete with other automakers. Approximately 350 cars were produced before the company went bankrupt in 1913. The only known Gaylord car still around was a Gaylord 30 restored by Ivan Polus, a resident of [[Whitefish, Montana]], which was then purchased by the Gaylord 30 Car Committee, who bought it for $20,000, the restored car is on display at the Chamber of Commerce in downtown Gaylord.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Granlund |first=Bill |title=The Rise and Fall of the Gaylord Motor Car Company |url=http://www.otsego.org/ochs/GaylordCar/gaylordcar12232000.htm |access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref>

In 1921, roads were officially paved downtown Gaylord became a city in 1922. The change from village to city required a vote by town residents. The residents voted in favor 114 to 93, a 21-vote margin. John Hamilton was elected the first mayor of Gaylord. A sewage system was installed in the late 1930s or early 1940s.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=http://www.otsego.org/ochs/county_centennial_book/cent_book_1975.htm |title=County Centennial Book |year=1975 |pages=20}}</ref>

Throughout the 20th century Gaylord grew, with summer tourism, winter sports including downhill and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. In December 1970, a [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord|Roman Catholic Diocese]] was created by [[Pope Paul VI]], and erected it on July 20, 1971, with [[Edmund Szoka]] becoming the first bishop of the diocese, and named [[St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral (Gaylord, Michigan)|St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral]] as the cathedral for the diocese, the current bishop is [[Jeffrey Walsh]].<ref name=":1" />

===Modern history===
In 2002, Bishop [[Patrick R. Cooney]] allowed Gerald Shirilla to serve as pastor of a [[Church (building)|church]] with a [[Catholic school|school]], having known that Shirilla had been removed from the [[Archdiocese of Detroit]] in 1993 following decades-long allegations of [[Catholic sex abuse cases|sexual abuse]], After the ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' reported on the situation in 2003, Cooney said that Shirilla had made "some errors in judgment" but was "no threat to the well-being of our children," but suspended him two weeks later.<ref name="abuse">{{cite news |title=Special Reports: Catholic Bishops and Sex Abuse |work=Bishop-Accountability.org |url=http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/databases/DallasMorningNewsBishops.htm#cooney}}</ref>

The Edelweiss Village Shopping Center opened in 2004 on Dickerson Road.

On [[Tornadoes of 2022#May 18–21 (United States and Canada)|May 20, 2022]], an EF3 [[tornado]] with winds of {{convert|150|mph|km/h}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Update [5:45 PM]: Survey team has completed the survey. EF3 rating with maximum winds of 150 mph. |url=https://twitter.com/NWSGaylord/status/1528130684161642498 |access-date=May 21, 2022 |website=Twitter |publisher=National Weather Service Forecast Office in Gaylord, Michigan |language=en}}</ref> struck the city killing two people and injuring 44. There was major damage to several businesses and a mobile home park.<ref>{{cite news |title=Large Tornado Strikes Northern Michigan Town; 2 Killed, Dozens Injured |url=https://www.wunderground.com/article/news/news/2022-05-20-gaylord-michigan-tornado-latest |access-date=May 21, 2022 |work=Weather Underground |date=May 21, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Incumbent Michigan governor [[Gretchen Whitmer]] declared a state of emergency for the Gaylord area and stated that Lansing will provide reconstruction to Gaylord.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Elamroussi |first1=Aya |last2=Afshar |first2=Paradise |last3=Rose |first3=Andy Rose |last4=Elassar |first4=Alaa |title=Michigan governor declares state of emergency after powerful tornado rips through town Friday |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/21/weather/gaylord-michigan-tornado-saturday/index.html |access-date=May 21, 2022 |work=CNN |date=May 21, 2022}}</ref> This tornado was the first to hit the city since records began in 1950.

In 2023, Gaylord's high school softball team won their first state championship, defeating [[Vicksburg, Michigan|Vicksburg]] 8–3, the team set a [[Michigan High School Athletic Association|MHSAA]] home run record (72) in their championship season, the team would repeat as champions again in 2024, defeating Vicksburg 3–2.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kendra |first=Tom |date=June 17, 2023 |title=Record-Setting Gaylord Makes Most Historic Headline Yet with 1st Finals Win |work=[[Michigan High School Athletic Association]] |url=https://upnorthlive.com/sports/hometown-highlights/gaylord-brings-home-d2-softball-state-championship-in-8-3-in-over-vicksburg |access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Wright |title=Michigan high school softball: Gaylord tops Vicksburg in 8 to repeat as Division 2 champ |url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/high-school/2024/06/15/michigan-high-school-softball-gaylord-wins-in-8-to-repeat-in-d-2/74109763007/ |access-date=2024-06-17 |website=Detroit Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref>