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Midland: A Familiar History

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In the late 1820s, Midland was formed as a trading post for the American Fur Company, who were using the area to purchase from Ojibwe fur trappers. Midland was supervised by the already established post in Saginaw, and this relationship lasted until Midland was founded as an official city in 1887. The region was also home to Chippewa Indians, whose Wikkiups lined the riverbanks as late as the 1850s. In fact, the 1,000-acre area known today as the Chippewa Nature Center (a very popular attraction for Midland) was originally part of a 6,000-acre region that the Chippewas retained under the Treaty of Saginaw (1819).

After the era of the Indians, Midland held many farmers and loggers and their families during the earlier days of logging in Michigan. The area being so close to the crook of Michigan’s thumb helped populate the area with able and willing loggers and businessmen. In fact, what is now known as Main Street in downtown Midland used to be a dirt road with dozens of businesses built from the timber of the surrounding forests. By 1850, Midland County was formed, and by 1874, the Pere Marquette Railroad ran through the center of Midland. Today, visitors can hop on a bike and ride the dedicated Pere Marquette Rail Trail to the Nature Center or even to Clare if they wish.


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