Bay City's Role in the Western Frontier

Frederick Jackson Turner on Michigan's Contribution

A great deal of the billions of board feet of lumber that was shipped from the forests of Michigan went to build the towns of the plains states. Just as many of the citizens of Bay City came from New York state, many from the region went west. Many graves in this city are filled with people who were part of the frontier further west. Frederick Jackson Turner is a pre-eminent historian on the frontier.