The
Grand River is the longest
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward 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...
in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 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...
of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It runs 260 miles (420 km) through the cities of
Eaton RapidsEaton Rapids is a city in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,330 at the 2000 census.The city is located in the south of Eaton Rapids Township, on the boundary with Hamlin Township, though it is politically independent of both townships...
,
JacksonJackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 36,316...
,
LansingLansing is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan, and the state's sixth largest city. It is located about 80 miles west-northwest of Detroit and is mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County...
,
Grand RapidsGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River and is approximately 30 miles from Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800, making it the 114th largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Kent County,...
, and
Grand HavenGrand Haven is a city in the U.S. State of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2000 census, Grand Haven population was 11,168 and is located within the 39th largest media market in...
.
The Grand's headwaters begin in
Somerset TownshipSomerset Township is a civil township of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,277 at the 2000 census. The Grand River, Michigan's longest river, begins at natural springs within the township.-Communities:...
in Hillsdale County , and in
Liberty TownshipLiberty Township is a civil township of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,903.-Geography:...
in Jackson County, and flow through Jackson, Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Ionia, Kent, and Ottawa counties before emptying into
Lake MichiganLake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area , it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin,...
.
Its
watershedA drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean...
drains an area of 5,572 mile² (14,431 km²).
The
Grand River is the longest
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward 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...
in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 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...
of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It runs 260 miles (420 km) through the cities of
Eaton RapidsEaton Rapids is a city in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,330 at the 2000 census.The city is located in the south of Eaton Rapids Township, on the boundary with Hamlin Township, though it is politically independent of both townships...
,
JacksonJackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 36,316...
,
LansingLansing is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan, and the state's sixth largest city. It is located about 80 miles west-northwest of Detroit and is mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County...
,
Grand RapidsGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River and is approximately 30 miles from Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800, making it the 114th largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Kent County,...
, and
Grand HavenGrand Haven is a city in the U.S. State of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2000 census, Grand Haven population was 11,168 and is located within the 39th largest media market in...
.
Description
The Grand's headwaters begin in
Somerset TownshipSomerset Township is a civil township of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,277 at the 2000 census. The Grand River, Michigan's longest river, begins at natural springs within the township.-Communities:...
in Hillsdale County , and in
Liberty TownshipLiberty Township is a civil township of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,903.-Geography:...
in Jackson County, and flow through Jackson, Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Ionia, Kent, and Ottawa counties before emptying into
Lake MichiganLake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area , it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin,...
.
Its
watershedA drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean...
drains an area of 5,572 mile² (14,431 km²). The Grand River carries an average 3,800 ft³/s (108 m³/s). It has several dams along its length but is a
troutTrout are a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the Salmonidae family. Salmon belong to some of the same genera as trout but, unlike most trout, most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
and
salmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout; the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behaviour of trout, a distinction that holds true for the Salmo...
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 total watershed. Much of the basin is flat and it contains many swamps and lakes.
Tributaries are the
Flat RiverThe Flat River is a tributary of the Grand River in the western part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It rises as the outflow of the six lakes system in Belvidere Township, west of Edmore in Montcalm County, at . It flows mostly south and slightly west through Montcalm County, Ionia County, and Kent...
,
Looking Glass RiverThe Looking Glass River in the U.S. state of Michigan is a river flowing through the central region of the Lower Peninsula. It is about 75-miles long, has no dams and borders many wetlands and woodlots....
,
Maple River-References:*...
,
Red Cedar RiverThe Red Cedar River is a westward flowing river in Michigan which is a tributary of the Grand River. Its source is Cedar Lake which is located in Marion Township in the southeastern corner of Livingston County, and it runs about 45 miles through Okemos, East Lansing, including the campus of...
,
Rogue RiverThe Rogue River is a river in the in U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through Kent and Newaygo counties and through the Rogue River State Game Area. It is long and has a drainage basin of ....
,
Plaster CreekPlaster Creek is an urban stream in Kent County, Michigan. It is a tributary of the Grand River. The stream is named for the large deposit of gypsum found at its mouth...
and the
Thornapple RiverThe Thornapple River is an approximately 100 mile long tributary of Michigan's longest river, the Grand River. The Thornapple is located in western Michigan. It joins the Grand in Ada, Michigan.-Description:...
.
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
damA dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions...
, and later a
fish ladderA fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
.
History
Before roads, canals, and railroads, the Grand River was an important navigational route through the
Lower Peninsula of MichiganThe Lower Peninsula of Michigan is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people associate with a mitten, with the mid-eastern region identified as The Thumb...
, used for centuries by various
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
tribes and later by explorers and white settlers. The river was called
O-wash-ta-nong, meaning "Far-away-water" because of its length.
It also 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 ChicagoThe Treaty of Chicago may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in Chicago, Illinois between the United States and the Ottawa, Ojibwe , and Potawatomi Native American peoples.-1821 Treaty of Chicago:...
, the Ottawa, Ojibwe, and
PotawatomiThe Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family...
ceded to the United States all lands in
Michigan TerritoryThe Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
south of the Grand River, with the exception of several small reservations.
Grand River AvenueGrand River Avenue is one of the principal pre-Interstate roads in the state of Michigan. The modern road cuts across the Lower Peninsula in a southeast-to-northwest fashion from Detroit to Grand Rapids...
(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
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
and
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
, along with the Grand itself, from
Grand RapidsGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River and is approximately 30 miles from Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800, making it the 114th largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Kent County,...
to
Grand HavenGrand Haven is a city in the U.S. State of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2000 census, Grand Haven population was 11,168 and is located within the 39th largest media market in...
, and
Lake MichiganLake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area , it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin,...
.