European explorers and fur traders visited this area from the 18th century, most of them initially French and French-Canadians who traded with regional Native Americans.

[8] The day following the election, a sheriff's posse left the city for Manton by special train to seize the county records.

After they arrived and collected a portion of the materials, however, an angry crowd confronted the Cadillac men and drove them out of town.

[10] When the sheriff returned to Cadillac, he encountered a force consisting of several hundred armed men; this group reportedly included a brass band.

Although Manton residents confronted the Cadillac men and barricaded the courthouse, the posse successfully seized the documents.

Cadillac was home to the Michigan Iron Works Company, which manufactured the Shay locomotive for a short time in the early 1880s.

[11] The lumber industry continued to dominate the city, attracting a large immigrant labor force, most of whom were Swedish.

[14] Cadillac's range of industries includes the manufacture of pleasure boats, automotive parts, water-well components, vacuum cleaners, and rubber products.

[18][19] In the summer, tourists travel to the city and region for boating, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and camping.

[21] The North American Snowmobile Festival (NASF) is held on frozen Lake Cadillac every winter.

[23] Sam lived in a large cage in front of the gas station and was fed ice cream cones by tourists every summer.

In previous years, the team had compiled a record of sixteen consecutive victories, but the 1974 squad opened the season with two losses.

The assistant coach, Jim Neff, an English teacher and rock'n'roll fan, thought to inspire the team by playing Kiss music in the locker room.

After learning of their association with the team's success, the band decided to visit the school and play for the homecoming game.

Given the small size of nearby communities, the city is a major commercial and industrial hub of the region.

The downtown contains a movie theater, gift shops, restaurants, a bookstore, specialty food stores, jewelers, clothing retailers, and various other businesses.

[29][30] The Courthouse Hill Historic District, recognized in April 2005, lies adjacent to the city's commercial center.

The District contains a number of large Victorian-style residences built by the lumber barons and businessmen who helped develop the city in the 1870s.

This is a small commercial district, bordering Mitchell State Park and the two lakes; it caters mostly to tourists.

One is located at 1100 Wright Street,[39] the former site of Kysor Industrial Corp, which operations resulted in toxic wastes.

[44] Three industrial parks are located within the city limits, comprising 7% of the total land use in Cadillac.

The city's immediate proximity to two lakes, as well as Manistee National Forest, Pere Marquette State Forest, Mitchell State Park and a number of major highways, has established tourism as a significant sector of the local economy.

The local area has a relatively high number of American chestnut trees, planted by pioneers from New York and Pennsylvania who settled in western Michigan.

A blight in the early 20th century killed nearly every American Chestnut tree, but those in western Michigan had developed a mysterious resistance and survived.

[50] Current council members are Shari Spoelman, Antoinette Schippers, Arthur Stevens, and James Dean.

Northwoods Aviation, located at Wexford County Airport, offers training programs for piloting and servicing aircraft.

[57] The Cadillac Institute of Cosmetology is a full service teaching salon in downtown Cadillac that offers training for general cosmetologists and specialized technicians to high school students through a partnership with Wexford-Missaukee Intermediate School District.

The school has an enrollment of more than 1,300 students and offers Associate's and bachelor's degrees, in addition to professional certifications.

Prior to 2001, the northern end of the freeway portion of US 131 was located at the southern entrance to Cadillac.

The trail, which stretches 92 miles (148 km) and originates from Comstock Park, follows an abandoned railroad bed into the center of the city.