Yet Another Saginaw – Saginaw Texas

This week, we are taking a road trip to another of our namesakes, the city of Saginaw, Texas. For guidance on how the city received its name, we turn to the Texas State Historical Association:

“Saginaw, TX. Saginaw is a commercial and residential city on State Highway 496 ten miles northwest of Fort Worth in north central Tarrant County. The area was settled before the Civil War and the small agricultural settlement that developed there was called Dido. In the 1880s three rail lines built through the area: the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf; the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe; and the Fort Worth and Denver City. In 1882 the growing community was renamed Saginaw, for the Michigan hometown of J. J. Green, a local landowner. A post office opened there in 1888, and the community school enrolled thirty students during the 1896–97 term. Forty-three pupils were registered ten years later, when two teachers were employed. By 1926, the earliest year for which Saginaw population figures were available, the town had 103 residents. It continued to report this population through the next decade, and in 1936 it had eleven businesses. Also around 1936 the Burrus Mill and Elevator Company and the Globe Aircraft Company located in Saginaw. At that time the Burrus facility was the largest grain elevator in Texas and the second largest in the nation. Its first manager was W. Lee O'Daniel, later governor of Texas and a United States senator. By the 1950s Saginaw had become a residential suburb of Fort Worth. Saginaw had incorporated by the late 1950s, when it had a population of 561 and twenty-five businesses. By the late 1960s it reported 1,200 residents, and by 1976 it reported 3,450 residents and thirty-seven businesses. In 1990 Saginaw had a population of 8,551. The population was 12,374 in 2000.” 

(https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/saginaw-tx)

Although other sources concur that Saginaw, Texas was given its name by J.J. Green – Jarvis J. Green, there are questions about Green’s relationship to Saginaw, Michigan. Green was a Michigander; however, it does not appear that he lived in Saginaw. It is likely he was from Pontiac and had a business on Saginaw Street - a street named Saginaw because it followed the indigenous trail to our Saginaw. His Pontiac residency is supported by census and directory listings. However, even if there is a degree of separation, the name of the street is directly related to our community, and in 1982, when the Texas city was planning the celebration of its centennial, The Saginaw News reported:

“James and Debbie McGinty plan to fly to Saginaw [Michigan] Monday and appear before the City Council in full centennial garb to let council members know that the son of Saginaw, Mich, is alive and kicking.

The Texas city even has been hospitable enough to invite Saginaw Mayor Ronald M. Bushey to come down for the big Good Ole Days Centennial Celebration Scheduled Sept. 3-6” (The Saginaw News, August 16, 1982.)

Except for one incident, Mayor and Mrs. Bushey had a wonderful experience celebrating the centennial of Saginaw, Texas. On their last day, they planned a small gathering in their hotel room in Fort Worth. However, their plans were interrupted when a woman trespassed into their suite to use the Sauna. The complicated story resulted in the food for the reception being thrown into and around the pool and the mayor being punched by a 6-foot 7-inch honky-tonk owner. However, the event did not dim Mayor Bushey’s enthusiasm:

“Bushey said the event didn’t spoil his trip, and that he has been invited back next year.

‘I felt sorry for the people because they just couldn’t do enough for you,” he said.

“It [the Centennial Celebration] was one of the greatest events I’ve ever been to.”  (The Bay City Times, September 9, 1982.)

Our namesake – even if it carries our name because it was named after a street leading to our city - continues to thrive and grow. Today, its population is over 20,000. We hope representatives from Saginaw, Michigan, will be invited to Saginaw, Texas, in 2032 for its sesquicentennial.

The Recipe – Saginaw, Texas Vegetable Dip

This recipe is a Saginaw – a Saginaw, Texas - recipe from the 1982 Limited Centennial Edition Cookbook compiled by the Saginaw [Texas] Extension Homemakers, its cover is graced by an image of the Lonestar state enclosing a railroad track, windmill and grain elevators – symbolic of the history of Saginaw, Texas.

2 large Pkg. cream cheese

4 carrorts, grated

6 or 8 radishes, grated

1/2 bell pepper, chopped fine

4 or 5 green onions, chopped fine (including tops)

2 or 3 stalks celery, chopped fine

Soften cream cheese, (beat by hand) and stir in 5 or 6 tablespoons sweet milk. Add vegetables and mix well. Serve with Fritos or crackers. Mrs. Glenice Naugle, Saginaw, Tx.

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CTK NOTES:

This was easy and quite good. We would suggest some experimentation with the amount of vegetables. Perhaps – a little less carrot and celery and a tad more radish and onion. Also some very finely minced garlic might be interesting.  Also, this is a dip not a spread – something the CTK staff did not consider when staging the dip for its camera appearance.  

We were thinking of mentioning adding some salt; then we realized it was suggested to use either crackers or Fritos.

There are other interesting recipes in the Limited Centennial Edition Cookbook. We are definitely interested in a return visit to Saginaw, Texas.