It used to be the home of one of the biggest fairgrounds in the country, beginning way back in 1866.

Sometime in the early 1900's, a dirt track & grandstand were built for auto racing.  Up through the 1950's, the fairgrounds were extremely popular & successful, bringing in as many as 350,000 people in one week.

In 1980, Saginaw Valley Downs racetrack opened, bringing in a crowd of 6,600. When the casinos started popping up throughout Michigan, a day at the fair & horse races were being replaced by endless days & nights of gambling at the casinos.....and by 2002, the fair moved to Chesaning. By 2005, the races ceased to exist.

To this day, the buildings, fairgrounds and racetrack remain abandoned and overgrown, reminding passersby what they're missing or might have missed.

The old gate of the Saginaw County Fairgrounds still sits on the corner of Genessee & Webber streets, restored, and greets people to what is now a registered Historical Site.

The pictures below show the present-day grounds.

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