Cadillac was incorporated as a city in 1877, after its settlement as a logging community. The city covers nine square miles including Lake Cadillac. It was named after Antoine De La Mothe Cadillac, a Frenchman who made the first permanent settlement at Detroit in 1701. In addition to being the site of numerous logging mills, Cadillac was also home to the Michigan Iron Works Company, which manufactured Shay locomotives. Ever proud of our heritage, a restored Shay locomotive is on display in downtown Cadillac’s City Park.

• The City was founded based on the lumbering of large tracts of pine timber.
• The Shay Locomotive was invented in Cadillac by Ephriam Shay in 1878. The Shay Locomotive was one of the first to have the ability to haul logs on uneven terrain, sharp curves, and up steep hills. Shay Locomotives were used throughout the United States between 1880 and 1945.
• The canal between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac is one of the man-made wonders of the world. It freezes before either of the lakes, thaws after the lakes have frozen, and does not freeze again for the rest of the winter.
• In 1840, Wexford County was called "Kautowaubet," an Indian name supposedly meaning "land of water." In 1843, it was named Wexford after a county in Ireland.
• Cadillac previously was known as the Village of Clam Lake. The Village of Clam Lake incorporated in 1874 and three years later in 1877 it became a city and changed its name to Cadillac in honor of the French explorer, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
• Tourism became a major industry after World War II with the expansion of the Caberfae Ski Resort.
• Famous "Humpty-Dumpty" folding egg crates were designed in Cadillac.
• Cadillac was world renown for its production process of maple and hardwood flooring.