Etymology
The name Saginaw is widely believed to mean "where the Sauk were" in the Ojibwe language, possibly in reference to the Sauk tribe who lived at the mouth of the river. Another possible explanation is that it originated from "Sace-nong" or "Sak-e-nong" (English: Sauk Town) because the Sauk people once lived there, or from Chippewa words meaning 'place of the outlet' from "sag" (English: opening), and "ong" (English: place of).
However, this name may be a mistake. When Indians told Samuel de Champlain that the Sauk nation was located on the west shore of Lake Michigan, Champlain mistakenly placed them on the western shore of Lake Huron. This mistake was copied on subsequent maps, and future references identified this as the place of the Sauks.
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