Sandy Creek (Michigan)
Encyclopedia
Sandy Creek is an 18.5 miles (29.8 km) creek
located entirely within Monroe County
, Michigan
. The creek rises in London Township
in the north-central portion of the county and flows southeast into Lake Erie
at Sterling State Park
on the south side of Detroit Beach
in Frenchtown Charter Township
. Along the shores of Sandy Creek was one of the earliest French
settlements in the area, known as the Sandy Creek Settlement, which existed from approximately 1780–1813 before being abandoned after the Battle of Frenchtown
during the War of 1812
.
at over 100 feet (30 meters), the creek is very narrow. It is roughly 15–20 feet (4.5–6 m) wide as it passes near its end along Detroit Beach. Before that, it is roughly 5–10 feet (1.5–3 m) wide and can easily be walked or leaped across. Its depth fluctuates relatively high during periods of heavy rainfall, although never to the point where the creek floods. Near the mouth, the creek reaches a depth of roughly 15 feet (4.5 m), but after that, the creek never reaches more than three feet (0.9 m) deep. The creek has a very low discharge
and often freezes throughout much of the winter. While the creek is referred to as Sandy Creek, it is actually quite rocky— even rockier than the much larger and longer Stony Creek, which runs parallel about a mile north of Sandy Creek. Common fauna
of Sandy Creek include crayfish
, pumpkinseed
, and carp
, although most fishes are found near the mouth and in Lake Erie. Much of the creek after a few hundred yards inland is too shallow to accommodate large fish populations.
Its largest tributary
, Little Sandy Creek, rises just about a mile south of the main branch and both flow approximately parallel to one another until merging about two miles before the mouth just before Interstate 75
. Sandy Creek has numerous unnamed tributaries. Along with passing under I-75, Sandy Creek travels under North Dixie Highway
, North Monroe Street
, and U.S. Route 24
(known locally as North Telegraph Road). Neither the creek nor any of its tributaries actually pass through the city limits of Monroe. The sources
of Sandy Creek and Little Sandy Creek are indistinguishable, as the area is heavily farmed, and water from numerous artificial irrigation
ditches and canals contributes to the creek's origins in the north central portion of the county. Sandy Creek is also the name of a short road that runs parallel to the creek near its ending by Lake Erie. It is also the name of a golf course, in which the creeks runs through, near the creek's beginning far inland.
. Frenchtown (with some portions later incorporated as the city of Monroe in 1817) was settled by the French
in as early as 1784. Like Frenchtown, the Sandy Creek Settlement was a small area of land given to early French settlers by the Potawatomi
Native Americans
. The small settlement, which grew to only a few dozen inhabitants, was abandoned a few decades later during the War of 1812
after the American Army
's catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Frenchtown
(also known as the Battle of the River Raisin or the River Raisin Massacre).
The Sandy Creek Settlement was marked near the small bridge on North Dixie Highway with one of many historic markers
found throughout the county. However, when the bridge was reconstructed and widened to include a turning lane for East Hurd Road in 2002–2003, the historic marker was moved to Sterling State Park
. The historical marker reads:
The marker's reference to the "first" Battle of the River Raisin took place on January 18, 1813, in which the American forces defeated the British and Native American alliance. Angered by their defeat, the British and Native Americans counterattacked the unsuspecting American forces four days later on January 22 in the same location along the River Raisin. Many of the Americans were injured during the earlier battle and were unable to retreat; almost 400 Americans were killed— the worst defeat the Americans suffered during the entire war. During this counterattack, the Native Americans also ransacked the Sandy Creek Settlement, forcing its abandonment. Today, the "second" Battle of the River Raisin on January 22, 1813 is commonly referred to as the Battle of Frenchtown
. Today, the site of the massacre is part of the River Raisin National Battlefield Park
on the shores of the River Raisin, while the lesser-known history of the Sandy Creek Settlement has fallen into obscurity.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
located entirely within 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...
, 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"....
. The creek rises in London Township
London Township, Michigan
London Township is a civil township of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,024 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
in the north-central portion of the county and flows southeast 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...
at Sterling State Park
Sterling State Park
Sterling State Park in the United States is the only Michigan state park located on the shores of Lake Erie. The park encompasses 2.03 mi² just northeast of Monroe, Michigan in Frenchtown Charter Township in Monroe County. The park was established in 1920. The park sits just north of where the...
on the south side of Detroit Beach
Detroit Beach, Michigan
Detroit Beach is an unincorporated community in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place used for statistical purposes and does not have any legal status as an incorporated municipality...
in Frenchtown Charter Township
Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan
Frenchtown Charter Township is a charter township of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,777 at the 2000 census. Frenchtown is the second most populated township in Monroe County after Bedford Township...
. Along the shores of Sandy Creek was one of the earliest 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...
settlements in the area, known as the Sandy Creek Settlement, which existed from approximately 1780–1813 before being abandoned after 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...
during 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...
.
Geography
Aside from its disproportionately large mouthMouth (water stream)
A river mouth or stream mouth is a part of a stream where it flows into another stream, river, lake, reservoir, sea, or ocean.* River delta* Estuary* Liman...
at over 100 feet (30 meters), the creek is very narrow. It is roughly 15–20 feet (4.5–6 m) wide as it passes near its end along Detroit Beach. Before that, it is roughly 5–10 feet (1.5–3 m) wide and can easily be walked or leaped across. Its depth fluctuates relatively high during periods of heavy rainfall, although never to the point where the creek floods. Near the mouth, the creek reaches a depth of roughly 15 feet (4.5 m), but after that, the creek never reaches more than three feet (0.9 m) deep. The creek has a very low discharge
Discharge (hydrology)
In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids , dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material , which is transported through a given cross-sectional area...
and often freezes throughout much of the winter. While the creek is referred to as Sandy Creek, it is actually quite rocky— even rockier than the much larger and longer Stony Creek, which runs parallel about a mile north of Sandy Creek. Common fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of Sandy Creek include crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
, pumpkinseed
Pumpkinseed
The pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...
, 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...
, although most fishes are found near the mouth and in Lake Erie. Much of the creek after a few hundred yards inland is too shallow to accommodate large fish populations.
Its largest tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, Little Sandy Creek, rises just about a mile south of the main branch and both flow approximately parallel to one another until merging about two miles before the mouth just before Interstate 75
Interstate 75 in Michigan
Interstate 75 is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Miami, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 enters the state from Ohio in the south, just to the north of Toledo. It runs generally north through Detroit, Pontiac and Bay City, crossing the...
. Sandy Creek has numerous unnamed tributaries. Along with passing under I-75, Sandy Creek travels under North Dixie Highway
Dixie Highway
The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final result is better understood as a small network of...
, North Monroe Street
M-125 (Michigan highway)
M-125 Connector is a connector route running through Erie. It connects I-75 with M-125. It is a four lane divided highway for its entire length, named "Summit Street" in Erie. It is known internally to the Michigan Department of Transportation as "Connector 2"...
, and U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24 is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is west of Clarkston, Michigan, at an intersection with I-75 and its western terminus is near...
(known locally as North Telegraph Road). Neither the creek nor any of its tributaries actually pass through the city limits of Monroe. The sources
Source (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
of Sandy Creek and Little Sandy Creek are indistinguishable, as the area is heavily farmed, and water from numerous artificial irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
ditches and canals contributes to the creek's origins in the north central portion of the county. Sandy Creek is also the name of a short road that runs parallel to the creek near its ending by Lake Erie. It is also the name of a golf course, in which the creeks runs through, near the creek's beginning far inland.
Sandy Creek Settlement
Sandy Creek has historical significance in the region. Along its banks near Lake Erie was one of the earliest European settlements in the area, known as the Sandy Creek Settlement. It was founded just north of Frenchtown, which was settled slightly earlier just south along the banks of the River RaisinRiver Raisin
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 , draining an area of in the Michigan counties of Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw,...
. Frenchtown (with some portions later incorporated as the city of Monroe in 1817) was settled by the 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...
in as early as 1784. Like Frenchtown, the Sandy Creek Settlement was a small area of land given to early French settlers by the Potawatomi
Potawatomi
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...
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...
. The small settlement, which grew to only a few dozen inhabitants, was abandoned a few decades later during 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...
after the American Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's catastrophic defeat at 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...
(also known as the Battle of the River Raisin or the River Raisin Massacre).
The Sandy Creek Settlement was marked near the small bridge on North Dixie Highway with one of many historic markers
Historical marker
A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.-Description:...
found throughout the county. However, when the bridge was reconstructed and widened to include a turning lane for East Hurd Road in 2002–2003, the historic marker was moved to Sterling State Park
Sterling State Park
Sterling State Park in the United States is the only Michigan state park located on the shores of Lake Erie. The park encompasses 2.03 mi² just northeast of Monroe, Michigan in Frenchtown Charter Township in Monroe County. The park was established in 1920. The park sits just north of where the...
. The historical marker reads:
- Joseph Porlier Benec, Sandy Creek's first settler, was granted a tract of land here by the Pottawatomie Indians, August 3, 1780. By the time of the War of 1812War of 1812The 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...
, sixteen homes lined the banks of the creek. Retreating Indians swept through the settlement after the defeat of the BritishBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Indians at the first Battle of the River Raisin, January 18, 1813. Angered by the pro-American remarks of Jean Solo and Rene LaBeau, these Indians shot them. Labeau's frightened young children ran two and a half miles to the River Raisin, seeking the protection of the American Army. The Americans ordered the Sandy Creek settlement abandoned and it never completely rebuilt.
The marker's reference to the "first" Battle of the River Raisin took place on January 18, 1813, in which the American forces defeated the British and Native American alliance. Angered by their defeat, the British and Native Americans counterattacked the unsuspecting American forces four days later on January 22 in the same location along the River Raisin. Many of the Americans were injured during the earlier battle and were unable to retreat; almost 400 Americans were killed— the worst defeat the Americans suffered during the entire war. During this counterattack, the Native Americans also ransacked the Sandy Creek Settlement, forcing its abandonment. Today, the "second" Battle of the River Raisin on January 22, 1813 is commonly referred to as 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...
. Today, the site of the massacre is part of the 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...
on the shores of the River Raisin, while the lesser-known history of the Sandy Creek Settlement has fallen into obscurity.