History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.

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THE DETROIT, SAGINAW & BAY CITY RAILROAD.
A branch of this road was completed to East Saginaw in January,
1879.
THE OWOSSO & SAGINAW NAVIGATION COMPANY
was organized in 1837. This company desired merely to improve
the Shiawassee river, so as to create a slack-water navigation between the confluence of that river with the Flint and Owosso. The
capital stock subscribed was $100,000; the shareholders agreed to
complete the work within five years succeeding the grant of charter;
but the project being so prematurely conceived, and the circumstances of the time so opposed to progress in any direction, that the
" slack-water navigation of the Shiawassee " fell through never,
perhaps, to be revived.
THE NORTHERN CANAL.
The work of building a canal from the forks of the Bad river to
the north bend of the Maple river, a distance of 15 miles, was
entered upon in June. 1838, under the charge of Charles F. Smith.
This canal was intended to connect the Saginaw and Grand rivers,
and would doubtless be carried through to completion had not the
financial crisis of 1838 checked the progress of that enterprise
which then had seized upon the people. The work was projected
by the new State under the supervision of the Board of Commissioners of Internal Improvements, appointed under authority of the
Legislature, in March, 1837. The construction of the canal proper,
and the rendering of the waters of the Bad and Maple rivers
navigable were estimated to cost $238,246, but the sum actually
appropriated to commence operations was $62,000. This amount
was expended, and like many other State investments of the
period, resulted in a direct loss.
NAVIGATION AND SHIP-BUILDING.
The first boat built in the Saginaw Valley was that by Nelson
Smith, in 1837. This was a schooner of light tonnage, named the
"Julia Smith," intended for the coasting trade.
The "Buena Vista" was the first steamboat constructed on the
waters of the Saginaw. The shipyard in which it was built was
located at the foot of Bristol street, East Saginaw. Both yard
and boat were gotten up by a stock company in a most primitive
manner, but the work was so novel that during the year 1848 the
builders received continued visits from the Indians, half-breeds,
and even white settlers. The building of the ship completed, the
machinery was arranged, and the day of the launch announced.
Addison Mowrey was appointed captain of the little steamer, and