The Complete An Unabriged History Of Flint

The Complete An Unabriged History Of Flint: Well, Almost! Essay, Research Paper The History of Flint The history of Flint is perhaps as long and complex as the federal bureaucracy. OK, maybe not. The first white man to visit Flint was the famous fur trader Jacob Smith. He was the first to settle in the area and established his lucrative trade here. His trading post was the cornerstone of the city, that is until it was torn down to make room for a parking ramp. The social life of this time was not great. In fact, the husky, rugged guy to girl ratio was about 10-1. This does not include the women who could have been men. These numbers are not good in anyone’s book. Then, out of the utter despair came a beacon of hope…the first tavern in the Flint area was established.

Contrary to popular belief this oasis in the desert was not Paddy McGee’s, but Todd’s Tavern, founded in 1830’s. Although the settlers still had no women, at least they now had a place to go where everyone knew their name. Things ran pretty smoothly, but the city didn’t boom until the entrepreneur William Durant came to town and established Flint as the vehicle city, with his production of carriages. “Carriage town” as the area was termed still stands today. It is one of few remaining historic areas left in the city. The others being Todd’s Tavern. Oops, that was done away with when women came to town. But we still have “the hole” where the first sit down strike in the nation occurred…Oh, wait, they just tore that down didn’t they? Well at least there’ s

still AutoWorld…I forgot, that’s going down, too, isn’t it? Thanks to the Irish folk we still have one historic place left…Italia Gardens. (Just Kidding). 3. Around this time William Durant began to notice a new up and coming gizmo, known as the automobile. Along with Charles Stewart Mott, Dallas Dort, who was himself very fond of the Vu, Louis Chevrolet, David Buick, Charles Nash, Walter Chrysler, and Henry Ford, William Durant turned the carriage town into the horseless carriage town. When Flint boomed, the social life went right with it. Dort highway sprung up and there were now “hussies” on every street corner, not silver bells, as the carol leads you to believe. There were now a whopping three watering stations in the city, but nothing prepare the townsfolk for

what was to come next. A young desperado strolled into town, some hotshot who just graduated from some Irish school in the midwest. He bought, and converted an old, run down place into a location that was to be treasured and revered for several generations to come. This was not your average Cheers. This was a full-fledged, beer battered, deep-fried, big juicy hamburger, green beer drinking Irish pub. This was Paddy McGees. This was the good life. Today, the passion and the glory of Flint may have faded, but two landmarks still remain, Dort Highway and Italia Gardens. And some other Irish place on Flushing Road. 4. The City Government The Mayor Woodrow Stanley The City Council The Judicial Branch Budget Office The Ombudsman Friend of the Court Treasury Department City Clerk Zoning

Committee Internal Revenue Service Public Works and Utilities Water Supply and Pollution Controls Building and Safety Inspection Committee Waste Distribution Center City Engineers Parks and Recreation Community Development Office Traffic Engineers Street Maintenance Fire Department Police Department 5. The Flint City Government has many parts and divisions, as you can see. Each has its own set of goals and duties to perform. The Mayor, Woodrow Stanley, is the head of the operation. He has a lot of power over the committees and departments in the city. He gets to appoint several key figures. The Ombudsman, Daryl Baker, acts as the mayor’s voice to the people and the departments when the mayor can not be present. Along with these duties, the ombudsman also conducts investigations