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Like all cities, Saginaw's story is the story of the people who shaped it and who are still shaping it today.  Among them was Peter C. Andre, an early pioneer who served as Mayor from 1863-1865 and again in 1883 - and who left his mark that is still visible today.

Born in Detroit in 1817, Andre settled in Saginaw in 1846 when there were fewer than 900 people.  Along the river, he initially established a fur-trading post at which many of his customers were indigenous Chippewas whose language he learned to speak fluently.  

Saginaw's vibrant present and bright future rests on the foundation of its rich and storied past. 

First settled in 1822, the U.S. Military built Fort Saginaw where Court and Hamilton Streets now intersect. 

Within a year, the military abandoned the fort. Fur traders and farmers took over the buildings, a small settlement took root and Saginaw's earliest commercial ventures sprouted.