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Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of U.S. Highway 131 and Michigan State Highways 55 and 115. The city is between Haring Township on the north and Clam Lake Township on the south. Cadillac became the county seat after the so-called "Battle of Manton" in which a show of force was involved in enforcing a controversial decision to move the county seat from Manton, Michigan.
History
Village of Clam Lake
Although European explorers and traders visited the area since the 1700s, permanent white settlement did not begin until some time later. Initial settlements were connected with the logging industry.In 1871, Cadillac's first sawmill began operation. Originally called the Pioneer Mill, it was built by John R. Yale. That same year, George A. Mitchell, a prominent Cadillac banker and railroad entrepreneur, and Adam Gallinger, a local carpenter, formed the Clam Lake Canal Improvement and Construction Company. Two years later, the Clam Lake Canal was constructed between Big and Little Clam lakes, present-day Lakes Mitchell and Cadillac. Sawmill owners used the canal to transport timber from Big Clam Lake to the mills and railroad sites—the G.R. & I. Railroad had reached the area in 1872—on Little Clam Lake, in Cadillac.
Cadillac was originally called Clam Lake and was incorporated as a village in 1874. George Mitchell was elected the first mayor. The village changed its name and was incorporated as the city of Cadillac three years later in 1877, named after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, a Frenchman who made the first permanent settlement at Detroit in 1701.
Battle of Manton
The Wexford County seat of government was established in nearby Manton, in 1881, as the result of a comprimise between the fueding residents of Cadillac and Sherman. Cadillac partisans, however, won the county seat in April 1882. After the election a sheriff's posse left the city for Manton by special train to seize the county records. When they arrived, however, an angry crowd confronted the Cadillac men and drove them out of town. After collecting several hundred lumbermen, a supply of whiskey and a brass band, the sheriff returned to demand the records. Manton residents barricaded the courthouse but the posse broke through the doors and windows, seized the documents and returned to Cadillac.City of Cadillac
In 1878, Ephraim Shay perfected his Shay locomotive, which was particularly effective in its ability to climb steep grades, maneuver sharp turns and manage imperfections in railroad tracks. Cadillac was home to the Michigan Iron Works Company, which manufactured the Shay locomotive for a short time in the early 1880s. The lumber industry continued to dominate the city, drawing in a large immigrant labor force, most of whom were Swedish; two of Cadillac's sister cities are Mölnlycke, Sweden, and Rovaniemi, Finland.In 1899, the Cadillac Club formed, the forerunner of the Cadillac Area Chamber of Commerce. Gradually, various manufacturing firms found success in Cadillac. By the early 1900’s, lumber was depleted and the timber industry was in decline. Industrial development soon dominated the local economy. Today, Cadillac has achieved recognition throughout Michigan as a leader in the growth of industrial development. Industries include the manufacture of pleasure boats, automotive parts, water well components, vacuum cleaners and rubber products.
In 1936, the Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps created the Caberfae Ski Area, which led to promotion of the area as a tourist center. The ski resort remains in operation today. Tourism has since become the second most important sector of Cadillac's economy. In the summer, tourists come to the city for boating, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and camping. In the fall hunting and color tours are popular. The winter is possibly the busiest season; the area can be found packed with downhill skiers, cross-country skiers, ice-fishers, snow-shoers and-most of all-snowmobilers. The North American Snowmobile Festival (NASF) is held on frozen Lake Cadillac every winter.
Thirsty's, a gas station on M-55 right outside of Cadillac's city limits, was the home of Samantha or "Sam The Bear" from the 1970s through the late 1990s when Sam died of old age. Sam was the only brown bear in captivity in the US at the time to hibernate naturally. Sam lived in a large cage in front of the gas station and was lovingly fed ice cream cones by tourists every summer.
In October 1975 the rock group KISS held a free concert at Cadillac's Veterans Memorial Stadium. They played the concert to honor the Cadillac High School football team. In previous years, the team had compiled a record of sixteen consecutive victories. But the 1974 squad opened the season with two losses. The assistant coach, Jeff Neff, an English teacher and rock'n'roll fan, thought to inspire the team by playing KISS music in the locker room. He also connected the team's game plan, K-I-S-S or "Keep It Simple Stupid", with the band. The team went on to win seven straight games and their conference co-championship. After learning of their association with the team's success, the band decided to visit the school and play for the homecoming game. *.
Historic Landmarks
Cadillac maintains a number of state historic landmarks. There are six within the city limits ('Cadillac Carnegie Library,' 'Charles T. Mitchell House,' 'Clam Lake Canal,' 'Cobbs & Mitchell Building,' 'Cobbs & Mitchell No. 1' and the 'Shay Locomotive'), two within the Cadillac area ('Caberfae Ski Resort' and 'Greenwood Disciples of Christ Church') and two dispersed in surrounding Wexford County ('Battle of Manton' and '1st Wexford County Court House'). *
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.3 km² (8.6 mi²). 17.7 km² (6.8 mi²) of it is land and 4.6 km² (1.8 mi²) of it (20.70%) is water.
Cadillac is situated in Clam Lake and Haring Townships at the junction of 3 major highways, US-131, M-115 and M-55. The 1,150 acre Lake Cadillac is entirely within the city limits, and some claim it is the largest lake entirely in any city in the United States. The larger, 2,580 acre Lake Mitchell is nearby on the west side of the city, with 1,760 feet of shoreline within the city's municipal boundary. The lakes were connected by a stream which was replaced in 1873 by the Clam Lake Canal. Lake Cadillac was formerly known as Little Clam Lake, while Lake Mitchell was Big Clam Lake. Lake Mitchell was renamed for George A. Mitchell. The canal was featured on Ripley's Believe It or Not in the 1970s because in winter the canal freezes before the lakes and then after the lakes freeze, the canal thaws and remains unfrozen for the rest of the winter. Although it is illegal to attempt to use a snowmobile to cross the open water on the canal, some individuals occasionally try to do so.
Cadillac sits on the eastern edge of the Manistee National Forest and the surrounding area is heavily wooded with mixed hardwood and conifer forests. A main agricultural industry in the area is Christmas tree farming. In fact, Cadillac was chosen in 1988 to donate the Christmas tree to sit on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 10,000 people, 4,118 households, and 2,577 families residing in the city. The population density was 566.1/km² (1,466.0/mi²). There were 4,466 housing units at an average density of 252.8/km² (654.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.55% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 1.18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,118 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,899, and the median income for a family was $36,825. Males had a median income of $29,773 versus $21,283 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,801. About 10.9% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government and Politics
Representative Municipal Government
By Michigan law, Cadillac is a home rule city. The city was incorporated in 1877, with a Council-Manager form of government--one of the first in Michigan. Under this system, the reponsibilities of government are shared between an elected City Council and a hired full-time City Manager.The elected City Council is the legislative authority of the City, composed of five members, one of whom is Mayor. All members have equal authority. The Council is responsible for making policy, passing ordinances, voting appropriations, and having overall supervisory authority in the city government *. The terms of office are four years for Council Members and two years for the Mayor. The salaries of each council member are set by an independent advisory committee, which meets every two years.
The chief administrative officer of the City of Cadillac is the City Manager. The City Manager is responsible for the administration of all City departments, as well as the enforcement of all laws, provisions of the City charter and acts adopted by City Council.
Current Council members are Ronald Blanchard (Mayor), Gordon Baas, Thomas Dyer, Arthur Stevens and James Dean. The present City Manager is Peter Stalker.
Political Culture
Cadillac and the surrounding communities have traditionally been a politically conservative area. In state and national elections the majority of citizens vote for members of the Republican Party.The city is in the Michigan's 2nd Congressional District, represented by Republican Peter Hoekstra. The city of Cadillac supported George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presedential elections.
Economy
Manufacturing
Manufacturing has been the greatest employer in Cadillac since the logging industry. Presently, over 26% of the city’s labor force is employed in manufacturing. There are three industrial parks within the city limits, comprising 7% of the total land use in Cadillac and 47% of the City’s tax base. [http://www.cadillac-mi.net/economic_development/industrial_parks/BusinessClimateTestimonials.htm Much of the city’s economic performance is determined by the fortunes of local industry.Major manufacturers include Four Winns, AAR Manufacturing, Avon Rubber and Plastics, FIAMM Technologies, Michigan Rubber Products, Rexair and Piranha Hose.
Tourism
Cadillac is frequently considered by those who know it to be a tourist town. The center of the city is generally perceived to have a "small-town-feel;” in the summer the downtown fills with tourists, most of whom are from southern Michigan and are referred to by locals as "Flat-Landers." The city center is in fact only one block from Lake Cadillac and is as accessible by boat as it is by car. The city’s immediate proximity to two lakes, as well as Manistee National Forest, Pere-Marquette State Forest, Mitchell State Park and a number of major highways has ensured that tourism occupies a major sector of the local economy.During the winter months Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell freeze over and the city becomes covered with snow. Cadillac is connected to a number of trail systems heavily used by winter recreation enthusiasts, and the city itself integrates unusually well into the corridors of travel created by snowmobilers.
Cadillac is also known as Chestnut Town, USA. The local area is home to a relatively large number of American chestnut trees, planted by pioneers from New York and Pennsylvania who settled in western Michigan. A blight in the early twentieth century wiped out nearly every American Chestnut tree, but those in western Michigan developed a mysterious resistance and survived. The Cadillac Chestnut Harvest Festival is held every year, on the second saturday of October.*
Lou Gehrig's Disease
Based on a single, limited study involving twenty people, some people have labelled Cadillac as one of three "hot spots" for Lou Gehrig's Disease in the US. However, the study made no attempt to ascertain the occurrence of the disease in other parts of the state, or elsewhere in the country. The study was designed to examine the possible occurrence of the disease due to genetic influences. * The occurrence of the disease within the city limits of Cadillac is reportedly over 100 times the normal rate. The cause of the abnormally large occurrence of the disease in Cadillac is as of yet unknown.
Colleges
External links
Wexford County, Michigan | Cities in Michigan | County seats in Michigan
"Cadillac, Michigan"