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Huron River (Michigan)
Encyclopedia
The Huron River is a 130 miles (209.2 km) river in southeastern
Michigan
, rising out of the Huron Swamp
in Indian Springs Metropark
in northern Oakland County
and flowing into Lake Erie
on the boundary between Wayne County
and Monroe County
. In addition to thirteen parks, game areas, and recreation areas, the river passes through the cities of Dexter
, Ann Arbor
, Ypsilanti
, Belleville
, Flat Rock
and Rockwood
.
The Huron River is a typical Southeast Michigan stream; mud banks, slow stream flow and a low gradient define this river. It runs 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 (595.5 km) in addition to the mainstream. The Huron River watershed
drains 908 square miles (2,351.7 km²). It is the only state-designated Country-Scenic Natural River in southeast Michigan. This includes 27.5 miles (44.3 km) of the mainstream, plus an additional 10.5 miles (16.9 km) 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 many dams, 19 on the mainstream and at least 96 in the entire system. Most dams are only a few feet high, built to slightly increase and maintain water levels in existing lakes, a use that is now environmentally controversial. However, at least a dozen dams that were built for mill or hydroelectric power and several formed large new lakes behind them. Some of these on the Huron River mainstream 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 canoe
ing river with a generally slow current and only a few minor rapids or obstructions, except for the short Delhi rapids which is runnable by experienced canoeists and kayakers except during low water.
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
. Sucker
s and carp
are also common fish in the river.
In 2009, faculty and students from the University of Michigan
produced "Mapping the River," a multimedia presentation combining dance, poetry, music, and projected images which explored the role of the Huron in communities along it.
north of Detroit, it is also located in southeast Michigan and shares about 10 miles (16.1 km) of watershed boundary with the Huron River system. The Clinton River was renamed on July 17, 1824, by the Michigan Territorial Council to avoid confusion between the two rivers.
Southeast Michigan
Southeast Michigan, also called Southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are concentrated in Metro...
Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, rising out of the Huron Swamp
Huron Swamp
The Huron Swamp is a heavily forested wetland located in Springfield Township, in Michigan's Oakland County. It is nine miles northwest of the city of Pontiac. It is part of the local Indian Springs Metropark, which is then a component of the Huron-Clinton Metroparks system...
in Indian Springs Metropark
Indian Springs Metropark
Indian Springs Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton system of metro parks in the US state of Michigan. The headwaters of the Huron River lie within its boundaries....
in northern Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
and flowing into Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
on the boundary between Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
and Monroe County
Monroe County, Michigan
Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2010 population is 152,021. The largest city and county seat is Monroe. The U.S. Census Bureau defines all of Monroe County as conterminous with the Monroe Metropolitan Area...
. In addition to thirteen parks, game areas, and recreation areas, the river passes through the cities of Dexter
Dexter, Michigan
Dexter is a village in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The majority of the village is in the northwest corner of Scio Township with a small portion in Webster Township. The population was 4,067 at the 2010 census...
, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
, Belleville
Belleville, Michigan
Belleville is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,991 at the 2010 census. It is the sister city of Machynlleth, Wales. Belleville is southeast of Ann Arbor and southwest of Detroit.-Geography:...
, Flat Rock
Flat Rock, Michigan
- Racial makeup :As of the census of 2000, there were 8,488 people, 3,181 households, and 2,306 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,266.9 per square mile . There were 3,291 housing units at an average density of 491.2 per square mile...
and Rockwood
Rockwood, Michigan
Rockwood is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,289 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.- National Register of Historic Places :...
.
The Huron River is a typical Southeast Michigan stream; mud banks, slow stream flow and a low gradient define this river. It runs through the following counties, in order from the headwaters to its mouth: Oakland, Livingston
Livingston County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 156,951 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 276 people per square mile . There were 58,919 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
, Washtenaw
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
, Wayne, and Monroe. There are 24 major tributaries totaling about 370 miles (595.5 km) in addition to the mainstream. The Huron River watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
drains 908 square miles (2,351.7 km²). It is the only state-designated Country-Scenic Natural River in southeast Michigan. This includes 27.5 miles (44.3 km) of the mainstream, plus an additional 10.5 miles (16.9 km) of three tributaries.
The river was named after the Huron band of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
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 many dams, 19 on the mainstream and at least 96 in the entire system. Most dams are only a few feet high, built to slightly increase and maintain water levels in existing lakes, a use that is now environmentally controversial. However, at least a dozen dams that were built for mill or hydroelectric power and several formed large new lakes behind them. Some of these on the Huron River mainstream 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 canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ing river with a generally slow current and only a few minor rapids or obstructions, except for the short Delhi rapids which is runnable by experienced canoeists and kayakers except during low water.
The river is heavily fished
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
by sportsmen for rock bass
Rock bass
The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...
, sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, black crappie, white bass
White bass
The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass (MoroneIt is the state fish of Oklahoma.- Range :White bass are distributed widely across the United States, particularly in the midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie...
, smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, muskie
Muskie
Muskie may refer to:*Ed Muskie, American politician*Muskellunge, freshwater fish native to North America...
, and below Belleville Dam, Coho salmon
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
, Chinook salmon
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
, and Steelhead
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
. Sucker
Catostomidae
Catostomidae is the sucker family of the order Cypriniformes. There are 80 species in this family of freshwater fishes. Catostomidae are found in North America, east central China, and eastern Siberia...
s and carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
are also common fish in the river.
In 2009, faculty and students from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
produced "Mapping the River," a multimedia presentation combining dance, poetry, music, and projected images which explored the role of the Huron in communities along it.
Floods
Notable floods have occurred on March 23, 1904, March 14, 1918, June 24, 1968, and March 15, 1982.Tributaries
Significant tributaries of the Huron River are listed below, in order of progression upstream. Sub-tributaries are indented below their parent watercourse.- Smith Creek
- Silver Creek
- Port Creek
- Willow Run
- Swift Run
- Mallett's Creek
- Traver Creek
- Allen Creek
- Boyden Creek
- Honey Creek
- Millers Creek
- Portage Creek
- Livermore Creek
- Arms Creek
- Honey Creek
- Hay Creek
- Chilson Creek
- Horseshoe Lake Creek
- South Ore Creek
- Davis Creek
- Woodruff Creek
- Mann Creek
- Pettibone Creek
- Norton Creek
Path
The river flows through the following parks and cities:- Indian Springs MetroparkIndian Springs MetroparkIndian Springs Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton system of metro parks in the US state of Michigan. The headwaters of the Huron River lie within its boundaries....
- Pontiac Lake Recreation AreaPontiac Lake Recreation AreaPontiac Lake Recreation Area is located in White Lake Township, Oakland County, Michigan, just west of Waterford, Michigan. It is in size.-Facilities:* Campground - 176 Sites, 24 Equestrian sites* Beach House* Boat Launch* Picnic Area...
- Proud Lake State Recreation AreaProud Lake State Recreation AreaProud Lake Recreation Area, located in Commerce Township, Oakland County, near Wixom, Michigan, is a state park under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources...
- Kensington MetroparkKensington MetroparkKensington Metropark is a unit of the Huron-Clinton Metroparks system in Michigan, USA. The park covers 4,481 acres . It has wooded hilly terrain and surrounds Kent Lake .. The park has an 18-hole regulation golf course, a disc golf course, toboggan hill, a nature center, a farm learning center,...
- Island Lake Recreation AreaIsland Lake Recreation AreaIsland Lake State Recreation Area is a state-run park in Green Oak Township, Livingston County, near metro Detroit in Michigan. The park lies on the Huron River just downstream of Kensington Metropark with which it is also connected by a bike trail. It is the 3rd busiest park operated by the...
- Huron Meadows MetroparkHuron Meadows MetroparkHuron Meadows Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton system of metro parks. The park covers along the Huron River. It has a Par-3 golf course, hike-bike trails and self-guided nature trails. In the winter, the park has ice skating ponds....
- Hudson Mills MetroparkHudson Mills MetroparkHudson Mills Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton system of metro parks in Michigan, USA. It is located on North Territorial Road at the crossing of the Huron River, twelve miles northwest of Ann Arbor...
- DexterDexter, MichiganDexter is a village in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The majority of the village is in the northwest corner of Scio Township with a small portion in Webster Township. The population was 4,067 at the 2010 census...
- Delhi MetroparkDelhi Metropark-External links:*...
- Ann Arbor
- Ypsilanti
- Lower Huron MetroparkLower Huron MetroparkLower Huron Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton system of metro parks. The park covers along the Huron River and has a Par-3 golf course, hike-bike trails and self-guided nature trails. In the winter, the park has ice skating ponds. The park also has a water slide amusement facility, the...
- Willow MetroparkWillow MetroparkWillow Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton system of metro parks. The Huron River runs through the middle of the park and has an 18-hole golf course, a skatepark, a pond, a hike-bike trail, a disc golf course, a children's play area. In the winter, the park has groomed cross country ski...
- Oakwoods MetroparkOakwoods MetroparkOakwoods Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton system of metro parks. The park has wooded nature trails, a nature center, and a view of the Huron River.-External links:*...
- Lake Erie MetroparkLake Erie MetroparkLake Erie Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton system of metro parks. The park is a recreational facility located at the mouth of the Huron River on Lake Erie and consists of meadows, a marsh and lagoons. It has a three-mile shoreline along the lake and is a popular bird-watching site...
- Pointe Mouillee State Game AreaPointe Mouillee State Game AreaPointe Mouillee State Game Area is a state game area located primarily in Berlin Charter Township in the northeasternmost corner of Monroe County, Michigan. It consists of of coastal wetlands in Lake Erie near the mouth of the Huron River...
Historical name confusion with Clinton River
The Clinton River was also known as the Huron River until 1824. Although the Clinton River drains into Lake St. ClairLake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...
north of Detroit, it is also located in southeast Michigan and shares about 10 miles (16.1 km) of watershed boundary with the Huron River system. The Clinton River was renamed on July 17, 1824, by the Michigan Territorial Council to avoid confusion between the two rivers.