Yellow Dog River
Encyclopedia
The Yellow Dog River flows through Marquette County
in the Upper Peninsula
of the U.S. state
of Michigan
. It is approximately 51 miles (82 km) in length, with about 85 miles (137 km) of tributaries
. The main branch begins at the outflow from Bulldog Lake in the Ottawa National Forest
on the boundary between Baraga
and Marquette counties. The river's mouth is on Lake Independence
, near Big Bay, Michigan
and is part of the Lake Superior
watershed
.
A section of the Yellow Dog River is a National Wild and Scenic River
. The first four miles (6 km) of the river, from its origin to the national forest boundary was designated on March 3, 1992.
The Yellow Dog River drops sharply through numerous outcrops and cascades within the 17,000-acre (69-km²) McCormick Wilderness
. Vegetation consists of large Eastern White Pine
, Eastern Hemlock
, Sugar Maple
, Northern Red Oak
, and other old-growth northern hardwood species.
The river runs through the Yellow Dog Plains
, a remote and virtually untouched wilderness, aside from large scale logging operations. There are many beautiful waterfall
s along its length.
Subject of a book titled "The Yellow Dog River-Magical Dialog of a Woodland Stream"-author David Richarde.
Marquette County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Hiawatha National Forest * Huron National Wildlife Refuge* Ottawa National Forest -University:Northern Michigan University is a four-year university, established in 1899, located in Marquette, Michigan, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula...
in the Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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"....
. It is approximately 51 miles (82 km) in length, with about 85 miles (137 km) of tributaries
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...
. The main branch begins at the outflow from Bulldog Lake in the Ottawa National Forest
Ottawa National Forest
The Ottawa National Forest is a 1.0 million acre national forest in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It includes much of Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, as well as slices of Iron, Houghton, Baraga, and Marquette counties. The forest is under the jurisdiction of the U.S...
on the boundary between Baraga
Baraga County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 8,746 people, 3,353 households, and 2,223 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,631 housing units...
and Marquette counties. The river's mouth is on Lake Independence
Lake Independence
Lake Independence is located in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is fed primarily by the Yellow Dog River. The lake is naturally occurring, but its level has been stabilized and raised slightly to 625 feet above mean sea level by a dam...
, near Big Bay, Michigan
Big Bay, Michigan
Big Bay is an unincorporated community in Marquette County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and does not have any legal status as an incorporated municipality. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 265...
and is part of the Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
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...
.
A section of the Yellow Dog River is a National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...
. The first four miles (6 km) of the river, from its origin to the national forest boundary was designated on March 3, 1992.
The Yellow Dog River drops sharply through numerous outcrops and cascades within the 17,000-acre (69-km²) McCormick Wilderness
McCormick Wilderness
The McCormick Wilderness is a United States Wilderness Area located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It covers an area of about and is located east of the Baraga-Marquette county line...
. Vegetation consists of large Eastern White Pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
, Sugar Maple
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
, Northern Red Oak
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra, commonly called northern red oak or champion oak, , is an oak in the red oak group . It is a native of North America, in the northeastern United States and southeast Canada...
, and other old-growth northern hardwood species.
The river runs through the Yellow Dog Plains
Yellow Dog Plains
The Yellow Dog Plains is an area north and west of Marquette, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. The Yellow Dog River flows through it, as does the Salmon Trout River. The Salmon Trout River is unique in that it has a breeding population of coasters, a potamodramous form...
, a remote and virtually untouched wilderness, aside from large scale logging operations. There are many beautiful waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s along its length.
Subject of a book titled "The Yellow Dog River-Magical Dialog of a Woodland Stream"-author David Richarde.
Wildlife
- Native: brook troutBrook troutThe brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
- Introduced: brownBrown troutThe brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
and rainbowRainbow troutThe 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....
trout- Fish are stocked every May by the Department of Natural ResourcesDepartment of Natural ResourcesMany sub-national governments have a Department of Natural Resources or similarly named organization:Australia*Queensland Department of Natural Resources and MinesCanada*Natural Resources Canada*New Brunswick**New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources...
- Fish are stocked every May by the Department of Natural Resources