Before the cars, the bricks and the buildings, the roads and highways, and before the United States were established, a small footpath led the way from the lands of the Ottawa in the south (Detroit) to the lands of the Chippewa (Saginaw) in the north. Native Americans strode this path for centuries, up and down the state as they hunted, formed treaties, celebrated and settled. In the middle of this long and winding path flowed Peiconigowink – “the river of the firestone.” At the point where the path met the river, a rich history was born in 1811, when a fur trader named Jacob Smith built a trading post around which sprang up a city. The path, named the Saginaw Trail, became an iconic thoroughfare now known as Saginaw Street. This central path through the remarkable city of Flint was the setting for celebrations and parades, protests and upheaval, triumphs and tragedies. It perseveres, as Flint does, through changes both good and bad, still holding open the door for travelers coming home or simply passing through.

From the mid-1940s to the beginning of the 1960s, Flint was operating at peak efficiency and success. General Motors was nearly unrivaled in car production, Flint schools were the envy of the state in both education and sports programs, impactful social groups and organizations were being started, infrastructure updated and major businesses were built. Parades and celebrations dotted the time period between multiple visits from presidents and presidential hopefuls on the campaign trail. It was also during this time that Flint proved to the nation how resourceful and close-knit a community could be after the Beecher Tornado ripped through in 1953 and disrupted hundreds of lives. The mayors of this time period had to simply sit back and let progress happen and were mostly concerned with necessity improvements (water) and expansion.

In the late 1920s, Flint was hoppin’. The automobile industry was driving population, production, innovation and expansion. The city as we know it today was mainly shaped during this time period. In 1928, Hurley Hospital was built, the Kearsley Dam was installed forming the Kearsley Reservoir, the Flint Institute of Arts was founded by George Crapo Wilson, Northern High School was opened on McClellan Avenue (the first Central-Northern football game was held as a result), the Capitol Theatre opened its doors and the C.S. Mott Foundation bestowed its first grants. General Motors was in the middle of record-breaking success and, in 1928, built its 5 millionth car. They were the law of the land and employed nearly 80% of all working men in the area. Flint was a GM town and, with a change in public charter, ruled it from the top down … that is until a little event that happened in 1936 changed the public support to that of the working man.

From 1912 to 1928, Flint became known as one of the centers of manufacturing and commerce in the nation. “Business” was the name of the game and new ventures popped up daily – some that still operate today. Immigrants and wandering workers flooded the city bringing with them new ideas, work ethics and politics. The mayors of the time period had much to oversee and overcome including legal, social and political challenges. The start of Prohibition in 1920 offered its own temptations that at least one mayor couldn’t resist. It was a time of great noise and great challenge. Were the mayors up to the task?

The time period between 1901 and 1912 was characterized by an explosion of population and industry in Flint – the fastest growing city in the nation. Buggy, road cart and car production dominated business. In 1908, Billy Durant and friends started the General Motors Corporation and propelled the city’s economy into the stratosphere. Flint was overrun with migrant workers from all over the United States, each arriving with the hope of gaining and maintaining steady employment. In 1905, the Golden Jubilee Celebration marked the city’s 50th anniversary which brought out every major player in the city including mayors – past, present and future.

As the century ended, Flint was poised to explode in both vehicle production and population. Carriages were going strong and utility companies were beginning to spring up around the city offering power to businesses and individual households. The mayors of this time period acted as stewards to the city’s upcoming growth and economic strength. At the turn of the century, an automobile hit Saginaw Street for the first time and forever change the city’s future, while one mayor would add something that would become iconic and central to Flint’s character.

By the mid-1880s, the road cart and buggy were dominating the realm of transportation and the City of Flint jumped into the industry feet-first. Between 1885 and 1893, six companies were busy in the city producing high-end vehicles. They were: Flint Road Cart Co. (Durant & Dort), Flint Buggy Co. (the Mallery brothers), Webster Vehicle Co. (T. P. Webster), Flint Wagon Works (James H. Whiting), Randall Carriage Co. (the Randall brothers) and the W. A. Paterson Co. Manufacturing had finally taken over from the mills and logging industries of the pioneers. The mayors of this time period were mostly shrewd business owners who had an eye for city expansion and growth.

March is Women’s History Month and Greater Flint has produced its share of heroines throughout the years. From the arts, healthcare, education, civil rights and more, local women have been (and continue to be) a major force in the molding and shaping of Genesee County and our nation. There is no doubt that without the influence and courage of women working for a better world from the pioneer days to our current time, we would never have achieved all the best of our cities or realized our true potential.

By the late 1870s, manufacturing and factories were beginning to dominate the City of Flint, taking the lead from the lumber and mill industries. Carriages filled the streets; banks were busy creating the world of finance and technological advances offered new opportunities through communication and the advent of affordable electricity. During this time period, the first telephones were placed in businesses and homes, and street lamps were installed along Saginaw Street. The mayors of this time played multiple roles in city government and social organizations, and helped to start the city’s manufacturing revolution as the last of the area’s lumber barons began to fade away.

When the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, the soldiers and members of the upper ranks slowly journeyed back to their homes and returned to normal daily routines. When they returned to Flint, the lumber and milling industry was booming and storefronts were opened up and down Saginaw Street selling wares from dry goods to textiles. With the addition of the railroad, Flint was becoming a destination for commerce. Near the end of the 1860s, the carriage business began booming with other companies joining the Randall Carriage Company (est. 1858) in the market, setting Flint on its path toward becoming “Vehicle City.” During this time, the mayors of the city were an odd mix of professionals and businessmen from lumber barons to doctors and war veterans.

After the establishment of the Michigan School for the Deaf, the building of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, and 44 years after Jacob Smith built his trading post at the Grand Traverse of the Flint River, the growing village of Flint became a city. After reaching a population of 2,000 in 1855, Flint was quickly becoming a center of commerce and industry in Michigan. Soon after being incorporated as a city, the first municipal elections were held on April 2, 1855 in the city’s three early wards. The next day, Grant Decker became the first Mayor of Flint.

My affection for Atwood Stadium began in the late 1950s, when my grandparents and father took me to several Thanksgiving Day football games played there between Flint Central and Flint Northern.