Grand River (Michigan)

grand River
A map of the Grand River
Origin	Somerset Township, Hillsdale County, Michigan 42.0867°N 84.42245°W / 42.0867; -84.42245
Mouth	Grand Haven, Michigan 43.05835°N 86.25088°W / 43.05835; -86.25088
Length	252 miles (406 km)
Avg. discharge	3,800 ft³/s (108 m³/s)
Basin area	Grand River Watershed

The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs 252 miles (406 km) through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.

Description

The Grand river begins in Somerset Township in Hillsdale County, and in Liberty Township in Jackson County, and flows through Jackson, Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Ionia, Kent, and Ottawa counties before emptying into Lake Michigan.

Its watershed drains an area of 5,572 square miles (14,430 km²), including 18 counties and 158 townships. The Grand River carries an average 3,800 ft³/s (108 m³/s). It has several dams along its length but is a trout and salmon stream for much of its length.

It is estimated that 22% of the pesticide usage in the Lake Michigan watershed occurs in the Grand River drainage, which accounts for only 13% of the lake's total watershed. Much of the basin is flat, and it contains many swamps and lakes.

Tributaries are the Flat River, Looking Glass River, Maple River, Red Cedar River, Rogue River, Coldbrook Creek, Plaster Creek, Crockery Creek, and the Thornapple River.

During the ice age era the lower Grand River was part of a glacial river that drained Saginaw Bay into Lake Michigan. The outflow then poured over the Chicago divide and flowed down the Illinois River and Mississippi River.

Every ten years the river is celebrated by an expedition along the entire length. The journey of discovery explores and documents the problems and opportunities of Michigan's Grand River and its watershed. Grand River Expedition 2010 (GRE2010) included a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, technicians, historians, educators, students, environmental professionals, boaters and anglers, civic and business leaders, local, state and federal government representatives, writers, visual media specialists and private individuals from the general public. GRE2010 began in Liberty Center south of Jackson on July 14, continued down the 225 navigable miles through Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and ended at Grand Haven on Lake Michigan on July 26. Traditionally, some participants make the entire trip, camping along the way, while others paddle shorter stretches of the river. The watershed analysis and teaching team conducted studies and explains resulted as it moves downstream. The expedition offered presentations, displays and demonstrations to communities along the river in an attempt to interact with the river, its tributaries, and its people throughout the watershed. One of its stops was in Portland, at the riverside Verlen Kruger Memorial pavilion. Kruger traveled over 100,000 miles (160,000 km) by paddle, was the 1990 and 2000 GRE Rivermaster, and counted the Grand as his favorite river.

A 500-passenger dinner cruise ship modeled after a riverboat operates on the river in Lansing.

Grand Rapids was built on the site of a large rapids on the river, although these have disappeared after the installation of a low-head dam, and later a fish ladder.

History

Before roads, canals, and railroads, the Grand River was an important navigational route through the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, used for centuries by various Native American tribes and later by explorers, fur traders, and white settlers. The river was called O-wash-ta-nong, meaning "Far-away-water" because of its length.

It formed part of a major demarcation of land ceded by Native Americans enabling U.S. settlers to legally obtain title to land in the area. In the 1821 Treaty of Chicago, the Ottawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi ceded to the United States all lands in Michigan Territory south of the Grand River, with the exception of several small reservations.

Grand River Avenue (or Grand River Road) was built early in the settlement of Michigan and runs from the head of navigation on the Grand to downtown Detroit. It formed an important part of an early route between Chicago and Detroit, along with the Grand itself, from Grand Rapids to Grand Haven, and Lake Michigan.

Grand Valley State University

Two of Grand Valley State University's campuses reside on the banks of the Grand River. The main campus in Allendale and the Pew Grand Rapids campus in Grand Rapids both border the river in separate locations miles from each other. The Grand is home to GVSU's rowing team, and the crew boathouse sits parallel to the river on the Allendale campus's north side.

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  Convergence of the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers in downtown Lansing

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  The Grand River's North Lansing dam, near downtown Lansing

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  The Grand River through downtown Grand Rapids

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  The Grand River Watershed

See also

• List of Michigan rivers