City of Flint history

He purchased pine lands in Lapeer County, and in order to develop them, he and his family moved to Flint in 1858.

A rapidly growing city, the population of Flint according to the 1860 United States census indicated that Genesee County had a population of 22,498 of Michigan’s 750,000, which is a major increase from just the couple thousand who lived in the area in recent years.

The first schoolhouse in Flint Township was built in 1878 on the banks of Swartz Creek on land owned by Jesse Torrey.

In 1899, the city erected a series of arches with electrical lights along Saginaw Street; six years later, as part of the city's Golden Jubilee, an additional arch was added -- this time, emblazoned with the words "Vehicle City" along the top.

The body, spring, and wheel companies of the carriage industry became suppliers for the Buick Motor Company, which moved from Detroit to Flint in 1903.

In a twist of irony, the arches were torn down in 1919 to make way for traffic lights, as the use of motorized vehicles grew.

Most of Henry H. Crapo's papers went to the Michigan Historical Collections (Bentley Historical Library) in 1935.

He also drained land near what is now Swartz Creek and established Crapo Farm, which passed to his son William Wallace Crapo and his descendants and remained in the family until 1955.

The University of Michigan-Flint began in the fall of 1956 with a junior class only.

The Flint Institute of Arts, the Robert T. Longway Planetarium, and the Alfred P. Sloan Museum (which displays carriages and antique autos) form part of the Flint Cultural Center, a cultural complex founded in 1957.

The first freshman class was admitted in 1965.

Student Papers from UM-Flint History Department Dating from 1970 the papers in this collection of history major papers concerns aspects of the history of Flint, Michigan, and its surrounding area.

The documents and photographs presented here tell the story of the school from its conception to the start of the development of the riverfront campus in 1974.

These days, however, the "Vehicle City" arch is once again a landmark in Flint, thanks to a volunteer campaign in the early 2000's to create new ones similar to the originals.

Flinn offers the reader the often-overlooked but fascinating history of Flint, including how the 2014 water crisis was a half century in the making.

In January 2015 the city informed residents that elevated levels of carcinogenic trihalomethanes had been detected in Flint’s water but insisted that it remained safe to drink.

The matter of blame appeared to be settled conclusively in March 2016, however, when Snyder’s nonpartisan task force released its blistering final report.