Manistee River
Manistee River Big Manistee River | |
---|---|
Native name | Ministigweyaa (Ojibwe) |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Michigan |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Mancelona Township, Michigan |
• coordinates | 44°56′06″N 084°52′06″W / 44.93500°N 84.86833°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,250 ft (380 m) |
Mouth | Lake Michigan |
• location | Manistee, Michigan |
• coordinates | 44°15′00″N 086°20′40″W / 44.25000°N 86.34444°W[1] |
• elevation | 579 ft (176 m)[1] |
Length | 190 mi (310 km) |
Basin size | 1,780 sq mi (4,600 km2) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Little Manistee River, Pine River |
The Manistee River (/mænɪsti/ man-iss-TEE, seldom referred to as the Big Manistee River) is a 190-mile-long (310 km)[2] river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river rises in the Northern Lower Peninsula, and flows in a generally southwesterly direction to its mouth at Lake Michigan at the eponymous city of Manistee.
The Manistee River is considered, like the nearby Au Sable River, to be one of the best trout fisheries east of the Rockies. The Manistee River is also being considered for restoration of Arctic grayling, which have been extirpated from the State of Michigan since 1936.[3]
History
The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word whose derivation is uncertain.[4] However, it may be from ministigweyaa, "river with islands at its mouth".[5][6] The Ojibwe (Chippewa in the United States) and Ottawa peoples lived along the river, with the Ottawa having a reservation on the river from 1836. The federally recognized Little River Band of Ottawa Indians continues to occupy its reservation in Manistee County, as well as lands in Mason County.
Historically, the upper river was renowned for its outstanding Arctic grayling fishery, among the finest in the world and at the extreme southern limit of the range of this
The river's relatively large size, stable flows, and dearth of cataracts or other difficult passages made it ideal for the transportation of
Watershed and Course
The river rises in the sand hills in southeastern Antrim County, on the border with Otsego County, about 6 miles (10 km) southeast of the town of Alba. These deep glacial sands provide it with a remarkably stable flow of clean cold water year round, making it a popular river for fishing as well as canoeing. Over the course of its length, it drops in elevation from around 1,250 to 579 feet (381 to 176 m), with an average stream gradient of about 2.9 feet per mile (55 cm/km).[7]
Ecology
Native
An interest in reestablishing Arctic grayling in the river by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians led to a recent analysis of habitat suitability for Arctic grayling in Big Manistee River tributaries and some regions of the main stem was conducted from 2011 to 2013. Abiotic habitat conditions such as temperature, gravel, and water quality were found suitable for re-introduction of grayling, once the dominant salmonid in the State of Michigan.[8] Another study of found that tributaries with low densities of non-native brown trout may be ideal for Arctic grayling re-introduction, since two fish species (brook trout and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) that currently and historically occurred with grayling were found in lower numbers when predatory brown trout were present.[3]
Activities and Recreation
Today the river is used extensively for recreation, offering excellent conditions for canoeing, boating, and fishing. Having been restored since the ravages of the logging era, the river is again considered among the finest trout and salmon rivers in the country. Commercial navigation is possible in the lower stretches of the river below the Tippy Dam.
The Manistee River State Game Area is located upstream of Lake Manistee, and consists of areas of bayous and meandering marshlands located adjacent to the main river channel.[9] This state game area is managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and contains a total area of 3,920 acres which overlay the Manistee River west of Manistee, Michigan. The adjacent hunting and fishing areas include Tatches Bayou, Claybanks Bayou, and Anderson Bayou. Duck hunting and northern pike fishing are popular activities within the managed marshland.[10]
Bridges
Drainage basin
The Manistee River drains land in the following counties:[11]
- Antrim County
- Benzie County
- Crawford County
- Grand Traverse County
- Kalkaska County
- Lake County
- Manistee County
- Mason County
- Missaukee County
- Osceola County
- Otsego County
- Wexford County
References
- ^ a b c "Manistee River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 21, 2011
- ^ .
- ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names of the United States. Norman: Oklahoma University Press, pg. 265
- ^ County place names Archived 2009-03-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Manistee County, Michigan". 50-State Learning Resource Guide. Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ Rozich, Thomas' (June 1998). Manistee River Assessment (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- .
- ^ "DNR - Manistee Marsh - Manistee River State Game Area". www.michigan.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- ^ "Wetlands Month featured wetland: Manistee Marsh". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- ^ "The Big Manistee River Watershed". www.northernmichiganstreams.org. Retrieved 2023-01-23.