Editing Saginaw, Michigan (section)

====Early history====
The site of what later became the city of Saginaw was originally inhabited by the [[Anishinaabe|Anishnabeg]]. French missionaries and traders first appeared in the area during the late 17th century and encountered the [[Ojibwe|Ojibwe (Chippewa)]] living in the area. The first permanent settlement by those other than Native Americans was in 1816 when [[Louis Campau]] established a trading post on the west bank of the Saginaw River.<ref name=wses>{{cite news|last1=Manning|first1=Nancy Sajdak|title=West Side, East Side|url=http://www.greatlakesbaymag.com/2014/06/west-side-east-side/|access-date=January 22, 2015|work=Great Lakes Bay Magazine|issue=June 2014|publisher=Great Lakes Publishing}}</ref> Shortly thereafter the [[United States]] established Fort Saginaw. Campau's trading post was also inhabited by Metis.

During Michigan's territorial period, a county and township government were organized at Saginaw. Growth of the settlement was fueled rapidly during the 19th century by the lumber industry. Saginaw was the site of numerous sawmills and served as a port for Great Lakes vessels. What is now the city of Saginaw resulted from the consolidation of the cities of East Saginaw and Saginaw City (West Side) in 1889.