Who would have thought a city would one day stand where there was
nothing but swamp, with long grass--where there was scarcely an opening
in the woods, and in which the wolves made plenty of howling. This
observation was made by Leon Trombley, one of the first to try to settle
in this part of the Michigan frontier in the early 1800s. His nephews,
Mader and Joseph, would soon follow and ultimately become noted among
the area's first permanent residents. The residents of Bay City have
always aspired to be legendary, whether by design, accident, or sheer
determination. Annie Edson Taylor, the area schoolteacher turned
daredevil who would ride her Bay City-built barrel over Niagara Falls
(and survive!), is only one among a large group of local legends that
includes Olympic champions, community leaders, artists, musicians,
scholars, philosophers, and historians.