Photos / Videos
Liberty Bell Award
Guy Greve presents the award to Don Comtois. (Photo courtesy of Guy Greve.)
Don Comtois received the prestigious Liberty Bell Award on May 2, 2025. It honors citizens who serve in an outstanding way to improve their community and is presented by the Bay County Bar Association. Don was a founding member of the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society in 1990 and was our longest serving president. He has always been a valuable asset to the society, volunteering in various roles such as newsletter editor, collection and archive management, and serving at community events such as the Tall Ships. Don has worked tirelessly to preserve the Saginaw Rear Range Lighthouse for the community. Don has an extensive knowledge of local history and has shared this during presentations both for the society’s and other community programs. He has been an instructor for Saginaw Valley State University's OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) educational program.
Watch the video of Carl and Marcia Jahn, and Ric Mixter receiving their Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Lifetime Memberships on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
Some highlights of the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society over the years.
A short video with information about the exhibits in the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Museum and Gift Shop in the Bay City Town Center (formerly known as Bay City Mall), as of December 16, 2024.
A short video of Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse, built in 1876. Video taken in May 2022, by Tim Murray.
On the evening of Saturday, September 21, 2024, the programs "Things Our Society Has" by Don Morin and Don Comtois, and "Saginaw River Reminiscing" by Don Comtois were presented to the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society. This event took place at Trinity Episcopal Church, 815 N. Grant (corner of Center Ave. and N. Grant St.) in Bay City, Michigan.
Don Morin and Don Comtois discussed of some of the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society's artifacts in "Things Our Society Has." In "Saginaw River Reminiscing," Don Comtois talked about some of his favorite photos and stories dealing with the Saginaw River.
Don Morin is President of the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society. Don Comtois is the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society’s historian and President Emeritus, and has been actively involved with the history of the Saginaw River his entire life.
You can find more FREE videos on the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society (SRMHS) YouTube channel at youtube.com/@srmhs, including video recordings of some of the past SRMHS monthly presentations. You can subscribe to the SRMHS YouTube channel to be notified about new presentations and other content.
During the Bay City Tall Ship Festivals, public tours of Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse were given by the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society. Top and bottom photos were taken on July 16, 2016 and the middle photo was taken on July 13, 2013.
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Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse was the "January lighthouse" in the 2014 Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival calendar.