River Raisin
Encyclopedia
The River Raisin is a river
in southeastern Michigan
, United States
that flows through glacial sediments
into Lake Erie
. The area today is an agricultural
and industrial
center of Michigan. The river flows for almost 139 miles (223.7 km), draining an area of 1072 square miles (2,776.5 km²) in the Michigan counties of Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw, Jackson, Hillsdale, and also a portion of Fulton County, Ohio. It was named La Riviere aux Raisin by French
settlers because of the wild grape
s growing along its banks, since the French word for grape is raisin.
and Wyandot including a portage
between the upper river into the Grand
and Kalamazoo River
s flowing west toward Lake Michigan. The river is still called canoeable throughout its length; however, low gradient, access issues, frequent logjams in the upper reaches and 22 dams on the mainstream limit its recreational use. The first European settlement of the river was the "ribbon" farms of Frenchtown established in the 1780s. Now part of Monroe, Michigan
, this area is still the most populous area along the river. The resort area of Irish Hills
lies in the uppermost region of the watershed which includes 429 lakes and ponds. The largest of these is the 800 acres (3.2 km²) Lake Columbia.
During the winter of 1813 as part of the War of 1812
, the Battle of Frenchtown
occurred near the river between British
and Native American
troops under the command of British General Henry Procter and Native American chief Tecumseh
, and a small division of Kentucky
militia under command of General James Winchester
. Outnumbered and facing total slaughter, Winchester surrendered with British assurances of safety of the prisoners, but the next day many were massacred and scalped by the Native Americans without British intervention. The slaughter was only ended by the return to the area of Tecumseh, who had been away. He admonished the British officers for not stopping such behavior.
The Massacre of the River Raisin became a rallying cry ("Remember the River Raisin") particularly for Kentuckians, and American troops returned in the spring to drive the British from Michigan forever. The original battlefield was a local park in Monroe, Michigan
and has a monument to the Kentucky soldiers who died there. On October 12, 2010, the land was transferred to the federal government to become River Raisin National Battlefield Park
.
The river has been polluted by industrial wastes and agricultural runoff. While cleanup efforts have mitigated some of the pollution
, there remains a problem with difficult-to-remove PCB
s. An established Area of Concern covers only 2 square miles (5.2 km²) of the watershed at the mouth of the river, much of which is indrustrial and harbor use including the Ford Motor Company
plant, Detroit Edison
Monroe powerplant and the Port of Monroe. Environmental authorities advise people not to eat some kinds of fish
from the river, below the outlet of the Monroe Dam.
The river has many small dams to control water flow, a legacy of the paper mills constructed along it in the mid-1800s and of Henry Ford
's rural industry program. While most of the dams are in Monroe, the most significant one is located in Dundee, Michigan
. The Port of Monroe was constructed near the mouth of the river in the 1930s. Flooding along the river comes from three causes: heavy rains, ice dams during spring break-up, and on-shore winds pushing Lake Erie waters upstream. The worst flood was recorded on March 16, 1982 at 15300 cuft/s, compared to an average mean flow of 741 cuft/s. Flooding mostly affects only the lowest portions of the river. In contrast on July 13, 1988 during a severe drought, a measuring station found 0 cuft/s of water flow.
Most of the flow of the river is diverted through the Detroit Edison plant and then discharged into Plum Creek. Previously it was discharged back into the river but is now diverted to limit additional pollution of the river mouth area. In fact, the power plant's peak use of 3000 cuft/s of water exceeds the river's average flow of 741 cuft/s, so water is drawn upstream from Lake Erie into the plant on some occasions. The high level of water use is thought to kill large number of fish in the intake screens and to make fish migration into the Great Lakes almost impossible.
In addition to the river forming from the Upper River Raisin and the South Branch River Raisin, the following streams flow into the River Raisin:
The Eagle Island Marsh is part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
.
, white sucker
, channel catfish
, walleye
, carp
, white bass
, black buffalo
, freshwater drum
and smallmouth bass
. Very few fish migrate between the river and the Great Lakes because of the seven dams in Monroe as well as the power plant intakes. Bird species use the area as part of the flyway along eastern Lake Erie and include bald eagle
s, sandhill crane
s, ducks and seagulls. Invasive fauna include zebra mussel
s and rusty crayfish
. The threatened American lotus is present in Eagle Island Marsh but several invasive species are present in the watershed, including Flowering Rush, Eurasian milfoil, curlyleaf pondweed, Phragmites
and purple loosestrife
.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in southeastern 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"....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that flows through glacial sediments
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
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...
. The area today is an agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
center of Michigan. The river flows for almost 139 miles (223.7 km), draining an area of 1072 square miles (2,776.5 km²) in the Michigan counties of Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw, Jackson, Hillsdale, and also a portion of Fulton County, Ohio. It was named La Riviere aux Raisin by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
settlers because of the wild grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s growing along its banks, since the French word for grape is raisin.
History and geography
The River Raisin was used by local PotawatomiPotawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
and Wyandot including a portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
between the upper river into the Grand
Grand River (Michigan)
The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...
and Kalamazoo River
Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch...
s flowing west toward Lake Michigan. The river is still called canoeable throughout its length; however, low gradient, access issues, frequent logjams in the upper reaches and 22 dams on the mainstream limit its recreational use. The first European settlement of the river was the "ribbon" farms of Frenchtown established in the 1780s. Now part of Monroe, Michigan
Monroe, Michigan
Monroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ...
, this area is still the most populous area along the river. The resort area of Irish Hills
Irish Hills
The Irish Hills is an area of land located roughly in southeastern Jackson County and northwest Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its name comes from the Irish immigrants who settled there from 1830-1850...
lies in the uppermost region of the watershed which includes 429 lakes and ponds. The largest of these is the 800 acres (3.2 km²) Lake Columbia.
During the winter of 1813 as part of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the Battle of Frenchtown
Battle of Frenchtown
The Battle of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin or the River Raisin Massacre, was a series of conflicts that took place from January 18–23, 1813 during the War of 1812...
occurred near the river between British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Native American
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...
troops under the command of British General Henry Procter and Native American chief Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
, and a small division of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
militia under command of General James Winchester
James Winchester
James Winchester was an officer in the American Revolutionary War and a brigadier general during the War of 1812. He commanded the American forces at the Battle of Frenchtown, which led to the Massacre of the River Raisin....
. Outnumbered and facing total slaughter, Winchester surrendered with British assurances of safety of the prisoners, but the next day many were massacred and scalped by the Native Americans without British intervention. The slaughter was only ended by the return to the area of Tecumseh, who had been away. He admonished the British officers for not stopping such behavior.
The Massacre of the River Raisin became a rallying cry ("Remember the River Raisin") particularly for Kentuckians, and American troops returned in the spring to drive the British from Michigan forever. The original battlefield was a local park in Monroe, Michigan
Monroe, Michigan
Monroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ...
and has a monument to the Kentucky soldiers who died there. On October 12, 2010, the land was transferred to the federal government to become River Raisin National Battlefield Park
River Raisin National Battlefield Park
The River Raisin National Battlefield Park was established as the 393rd unit of the United States National Park Service under Title VII of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which was signed into law on March 30, 2009. The park is located in the city of Monroe in Monroe County, Michigan. It...
.
The river has been polluted by industrial wastes and agricultural runoff. While cleanup efforts have mitigated some of the pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, there remains a problem with difficult-to-remove PCB
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx...
s. An established Area of Concern covers only 2 square miles (5.2 km²) of the watershed at the mouth of the river, much of which is indrustrial and harbor use including the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
plant, Detroit Edison
Detroit Edison
The Detroit Edison Company, founded in 1903, is an investor-owned electric utility which serves most of Southeast Michigan. Its parent company, DTE Energy , provides energy services to a variety of clients beyond Detroit Edison's service area.- History :...
Monroe powerplant and the Port of Monroe. Environmental authorities advise people not to eat some kinds of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
from the river, below the outlet of the Monroe Dam.
The river has many small dams to control water flow, a legacy of the paper mills constructed along it in the mid-1800s and of Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
's rural industry program. While most of the dams are in Monroe, the most significant one is located in Dundee, Michigan
Dundee, Michigan
Dundee is a village in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,522 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Dundee Township. Through a series of annexations and land transfers, the village has greatly increased in size over the past several years...
. The Port of Monroe was constructed near the mouth of the river in the 1930s. Flooding along the river comes from three causes: heavy rains, ice dams during spring break-up, and on-shore winds pushing Lake Erie waters upstream. The worst flood was recorded on March 16, 1982 at 15300 cuft/s, compared to an average mean flow of 741 cuft/s. Flooding mostly affects only the lowest portions of the river. In contrast on July 13, 1988 during a severe drought, a measuring station found 0 cuft/s of water flow.
Most of the flow of the river is diverted through the Detroit Edison plant and then discharged into Plum Creek. Previously it was discharged back into the river but is now diverted to limit additional pollution of the river mouth area. In fact, the power plant's peak use of 3000 cuft/s of water exceeds the river's average flow of 741 cuft/s, so water is drawn upstream from Lake Erie into the plant on some occasions. The high level of water use is thought to kill large number of fish in the intake screens and to make fish migration into the Great Lakes almost impossible.
Tributaries
- Goose CreekGoose Creek (River Raisin)Goose Creek is a small stream in Hillsdale, Jackson and Lenawee counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a tributary of the River Raisin. The headwaters form in Somerset Township in northeast Hillsdale County flowing northeast to join the River Raisin just north of the village of Brooklyn. ...
- Black Creek
- Evans Creek
- Iron Creek
- Little River RaisinLittle River RaisinThe Little River Raisin is a tributary of the River Raisin in southeastern Michigan in the United States.-References:*...
- Macon Creek
- Saline RiverSaline River (Michigan)The Saline River is a river in southeastern Michigan in the United States. A tributary of the River Raisin, it originates in Washtenaw County; flows through the cities of Saline and Milan, where it enters Monroe County; then joins the River Raisin at the village of Dundee...
The Eagle Island Marsh is part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. It was established in 2001 and is managed jointly by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service. The refuge is located along the western coast of Lake...
.
Flora and fauna
The River Raisin is home to "warm-water" fish including bluegillBluegill
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:...
, white sucker
White Sucker
The White Sucker is a bottom-feeding freshwater fish inhabiting North America from Labrador in the north to Georgia and New Mexico in the south. It is a long, round-bodied fish with a dark green, grey, copper, brown, or black back and sides and a light underbelly. When fullgrown, it is between 12...
, channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, black buffalo
Black buffalo
This page is about a species. For the Indigenous American warchief, see Crazy Horse. For the Indigenous American woman see Black Buffalo Woman.-Introduction:...
, freshwater drum
Freshwater Drum
-Introduction:The freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, is a fish endemic to North and Central America. It is the only species in the genus Aplodinotus. The Freshwater drum is a member of the family Sciaenidae, and is the only member of the species that inhabits freshwater for its entire life...
and 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...
. Very few fish migrate between the river and the Great Lakes because of the seven dams in Monroe as well as the power plant intakes. Bird species use the area as part of the flyway along eastern Lake Erie and include bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s, sandhill crane
Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Crane is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest...
s, ducks and seagulls. Invasive fauna include zebra mussel
Zebra mussel
The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a small freshwater mussel. This species was originally native to the lakes of southeast Russia being first described in 1769 by a German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga and Dnieper rivers. They are still found nearby, as Pontic and Caspian...
s and rusty crayfish
Rusty crayfish
The rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus, is a large, aggressive species of freshwater crayfish which is native to the U.S. states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee...
. The threatened American lotus is present in Eagle Island Marsh but several invasive species are present in the watershed, including Flowering Rush, Eurasian milfoil, curlyleaf pondweed, Phragmites
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
and purple loosestrife
Purple loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae, native to Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and southeastern Australia. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Primulaceae...
.
Communities
Towns along the river include:- Tecumseh, MichiganTecumseh, MichiganTecumseh is a small city in Lenawee County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated where M-50 crosses the River Raisin, a few miles east of M-52. Tecumseh is about SW of Detroit, south of Ann Arbor and north of Toledo, OH....
- Adrian, MichiganAdrian, MichiganAs of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
- Blissfield, MichiganBlissfield, MichiganBlissfield is a village in Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,223 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Blissfield Township...
- Dundee, MichiganDundee, MichiganDundee is a village in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,522 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Dundee Township. Through a series of annexations and land transfers, the village has greatly increased in size over the past several years...
- Petersburg, MichiganPetersburg, MichiganPetersburg is a city in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,167 at the 2000 census. Petersburg is named after Richard Peters, who sold the land necessary to found the town in 1836. It was originally called Summerfield and Peters was its first postmaster, but it was...
- Manchester, MichiganManchester, MichiganManchester is a village in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,160 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Manchester Township.-Chicago Road:...
- Monroe, MichiganMonroe, MichiganMonroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ...
- Deerfield, MichiganDeerfield, MichiganDeerfield is a village in Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,005 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Deerfield Township. DeerfieldDeerfield was the birthplace of actor and philanthropist Danny Thomas.-Geography:...