Situated within five miles of the geographic center of Michigan, the City of Cadillac is the county seat of Wexford County.
Lake Cadillac is a 1,150-acre lake that is wholly within the city limits, and Lake Mitchell is a 2,50-acre lake immediately adjacent to the city to the west. Lake Cadillac is fed by two inlets, a small river flowing from Lake Mitchell and a short canal of the same origin, and one outlet, known as the Clam River. Originally known as Little Clam Lake and Big Clam Lake, the lakes were renamed in 1903 to Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell, respectively.
The City of Cadillac has its origins in the Village of Clam Lake.
The first Europeans to visit the region were explorers and fur traders, largely French and French-Canadians who came in the 1700s to trade with the regional Native Americans. However, European-American settlements did not occur until the late 1800s, when logging camps were established after the American Civil War.
The first sawmill was the Pioneer Mill, built by John R. Yale in 1871. The land that made up the original townsite was purchased from the US government by L.J. Clark and I.H. Maquest in that year but, rather than moving there, they sold out to George A. Mitchell, a lumberman, railroad man, and banker. Along with Adam Gallinger, a carpenter, Mitchell formed the Clam Lake Canal Improvement and Construction Company for the purpose of constructing a canal between Big and Little Clam lakes, which sawmill operators could use to transport timber from Big Clam Lake to the mills and railroad connections on Little Clam Lake.
The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad extended its tracks to Little Clam Lake in 1872, the year that Mitchell platted the village of Clam Lake on the eastern end of Little Clam Lake, which was incorporated as a village in 1875. A post office was established at Clam Lake on January 3, 1872, with John S. McClain as postmaster. In 1877, the village was incorporated as a city, and renamed Cadillac, with George Mitchell as its first mayor, although he was killed in a fall in 1878. The post office was renamed to match the city on June 13, 1877.
The seat of government for Wexford County moved from Sherman to Manton in 1881. However, in April of 1882, a county-wide vote chose Cadillac as the county seat. The following day, a sheriff's posse left Cadillac to travel to Manton to seize the county records. They were able to collect a portion of the records, but an angry Manton crowd drove them out of town. When the group returned to Cadillac, the townspeople had assembled a force of several hundred armed men, which included a brass band. The sheriff's posse, accompanied by this civilian force, returned to Manton to seize the remaining records. Although Manton residents had barricaded the courthouse, the Cadillac group was able to retrieve the documents they were looking for. This bit of history became known as the Battle of Manton.
During the 1880s, Cadillac was home to the Michigan Iron Works Company, which manufactured the Shay locomotive, although the lumber industry dominated the city's economy. By the early 1900s, the timber industry throughout much of Michigan was in decline, given a depletion in the availability of lumber. Industrial development came to dominate the economy of Cadillac and continues today.
Cadillac's commercial center is in the area where the town began, on the eastern edge of Lake Cadillac. Most of the buildings in downtown Cadillac are from two to five stories high, many of them facing Mitchell Street, a tree-lined corridor of travel through town. The Historic Courthouse Hill District is adjacent to the commercial center and includes several large Victorian residences built for early lumber barons. A more recently developed commercial district is situated on the western bank of Lake Cadillac, where M-55 intersects M-115. Known as Cadillac West, this smaller district caters mostly to tourists. Cadillac's chief residential areas are along the northern and southern banks of the lake.
The chief routes through the city are M-55, M-115, and US-131, the latter of which mostly bypasses the city to the east, but touches its northeast corner. Business-131, also known as Mitchell Street, serves as the city's main street. The city of McBain is 13.4 miles southeast, Lake City is 14.0 miles northeast, and Manton is 14.9 miles north of Cadillac.
The focus of this guide is on the City of Cadillac, Michigan. Appropriate resources include websites representing the city government, as well as any industries, businesses, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, events, sports teams or leagues, and recreational opportunities.
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Located on Paluster Street in Cadillac, Michigan, the eye care clinic serves patients of all ages, providing a variety of services and products, such as lenses, frames, and contacts, and offering vision correction services, the treatment of eye diseases and conditions, and other vision problems. Its address is posted and its location is shown on a map, its staff is introduced, and new patient information, forms, special offers, and an online store are available, along with a photo gallery.
https://advancedoptometry.com/
Cadillac Area Chamber of Commerce
Serving business members in Cadillac, Michigan, and the surrounding region, CACC assists its members with local, state, and federal communications through partnership and legislation initiatives, local engagement through networking, and increased marketing opportunities for members. Membership benefits and pricing are featured, along with its advocacy and economic development services, publications, leadership, and a calendar of events.
https://www.cadillac.org/
Traditionally known as the Young Men’s Christian Association, the Y was formed to put Christian principles into practice through programs that benefit the spirit, mind, and body. The Cadillac YMCA began operations in 2002, offering year-round programming, group exercises, drop-in sports, as well as aquatics, gymnastics, lacrosse, summer camps, nutrition programs, early childhood education, arts, and teen activities. Its schedules, programs, and memberships are defined.
https://www.cadillacareaymca.org/
Offering local news from Cadillac, Michigan and the surrounding area, Cadillac News offers limited content without a subscription, but subscriptions are available for its print and e-edition, online-only, or full-access that includes home delivery of its print edition and access from a desktop, tablet computer, or smartphone. Special offers for active military personnel are available, along with advertising opportunities, submission forms, and a community calendar.
https://www.cadillacnews.com/
Cadillac Wexford Public Library
Offering free services to residents living within the Wexford County boundaries, the CWPL is headquartered on Lake Street in Cadillac, Michigan, with branches on South Lake Street, as well as in Buckley, Manton, Mesick, and Tustin. Each of its locations is highlighted, with addresses, contacts, and hours of operation. Other resources include information about its collections and services, book groups, youth programs, genealogical resources, and a community calendar.
https://www.cadillaclibrary.org/
Cadillac is the seat of Wexford County. The official municipal website features a calendar of upcoming meetings and events, demographics, a history of the city, a map, and a guide to local parks, services, and facilities. The city manager, council, boards, and commissions are identified, along with office hours, telephone and fax numbers, and an email address. City departments are highlighted, with contacts and information about each, and job openings are posted to the site.
http://www.cadillac-mi.net/
Wexford County Historical Museum
Maintained by the non-profit Wexford County Historical Society, the museum is housed in the former Carnegie Library, which includes the public museum, library, and meeting places, offering displays relating to the history of the county, including artifacts, photographs, maps, paintings, documents, and exhibits depicting daily life in northern Michigan since the 1870s. Online resources include a calendar of events, a gallery of historical images, and a history of the county.
https://www.wexfordcountyhistory.org/
