Huron River (Michigan)
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The Huron River is the name of three different rivers in the U.S. state of Michigan and had previously been the name for the Clinton River.
The Huron River is located in Southeast Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County. The Huron River is a typical Southeast Michigan stream; mud banks, slow stream flow and a low gradient define this river. It runs 136 miles through the following counties, in order from the headwaters to its mouth, Oakland, Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, and Monroe. There are 24 major tributaries totaling about 370 miles in addition to the mainstream. The Huron River watershed drains 908 square miles. It is the only state-designated Country-Scenic Natural River in southeast Michigan. This includes 27.5 miles of the mainstream, plus an additional 10.5 miles of three tributaries.
The river was named after the Huron band of Native Americans who lived in the area. In Native languages, it was called cos-scut-e-nong sebee or Giwitatigweiasibi. It was part of a Native American trade route.
The river has several dams forming lakes behind them. Some of these are Kent Lake, Barton Pond, Argo Pond, Ford Lake, Belleville Lake, and Flat Rock Pond.
The Huron River flows through numerous parks and is a prime canoeing river with a generally slow current and only few minor rapids or obstructions except for the short Delhi rapids which is runnable by experienced canoeists and kayakers except during low water. The Huron passes through the cities of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Belleville, Flat Rock and Rockwood.
The river is heavily fished by sportsmen for rock bass, sunfish, bluegill, black crappie, white bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, catfish, trout, muskie, and below Belleville Dam, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and Steelhead. Suckers and carp are also common fish in the river.
The Big Huron River and the Little Huron River both flow mostly north near one another in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The east and west branches of the Big Huron arise in L'Anse Township in western Baraga County near the boundary with Marquette County. The east branch runs through a corner of Marquette County before flowing back into Baraga County. The east and west branches merge in Arvon Township shortly before flowing into Lake Superior in the northwest corner of Marquette county at the west end of the Huron Mountains and a few miles east of Huron Bay. The Little Huron River flows entirely within Powell Township in northwest Marquette County. It arises in the west end of the Huron Mountains and flows into Lake Superior about one mile east of the mouth of the Big Huron and about four miles south of the Huron National Wildlife Refuge. Somewhat confusingly, this is about four miles west of Huron River Point on Lake Superior.
Historically, the Clinton River, also located in Southeast Michigan north of Detroit, had been known as the Huron River until it was renamed in 1824 by the Michigan Territorial Council to avoid confusion.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Leeson, Michael A. [1882] (2005). "Organization", History of Macomb County. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Library, p. 297. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
