Chain of Lakes (Michigan)

The Chain of Lakes Michigan refers to a seventy-five mile-long waterway consisting of fourteen lakes and connecting rivers that run through Antrim County in the Northwestern section of the Lower Peninsula.

Geography

Rising in the hill country a few miles southeast of the village of Central Lake, a collection of tiny spring-fed streams coalesce to form the Intermediate River, recognized as the headwaters of the system. From here, the waterway traverses a number of small lakes flowing north, then making a sharp turn near the village of Ellsworth, flows south through a narrow valley, paralleling the tracks of the Pere Marquette Railroad, until emptying into Intermediate Lake (Michigan). The outlet of Intermediate Lake converges with the Cedar River (Antrim County, Michigan) in the village of Bellaire, gaining considerable volume. Now a river of substantial flow, it continues south into convert|1700|acre|km2|sing=on Lake Bellaire (Michigan). Leaving the lake, the stream becomes the Grass River (Michigan), winding for some two miles (3 km) through the scenic Grass River Natural Area before emptying into Clam Lake (Michigan). Clam Lake in turn empties into Torch Lake (Antrim County, Michigan) by way of the short Clam River. At over convert|18000|acre|km2 in size, Torch Lake is the largest body of water in the system. The waterway, now clarified after traversing the immense depths of the lake, continues south through the outlet of Torch Lake like a ribbon of liquid turquoise. Known as the Torch River, joins with the Rapid River (Antrim County, Michigan), a major tributary, and empties into Lake Skegemog, a convert|2500|acre|km2|sing=on lake that is studded with large stump fields, the result of the flooding of timberlands when the lake level was raised several feet by the construction of the dam at the terminus of the system. Skegemog Lake, which is the meeting point of Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Antrim counties, is conjoined at its western end to convert|7700|acre|km2|sing=on Elk Lake (Michigan), the second-largest and final lake in the system. The outflow of Elk Lake, the Elk River (Michigan), flows a short distance to a power dam in the town of Elk Rapids, then out into the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. For most of its length, “The Chain” is navigable by small boat, broken up only by a dam in Bellaire. Larger boats are able to navigate between Elk Rapids and Torch Lake.

History

Various tribes of primarily Ojibwa native Americans were inhabiting the region with the arrival of the first white settlers, who began arriving in the middle of the 1800s to attempt farming. The thin soils and short, cool summers made traditional farming difficult, and the region remained sparsely settled until the 1880s, when lumber interests began exploiting the regions vast tracts of white pine forests. The waterway provided an excellent means of transporting logs down to sawmills located along the way. The arrival of the railroads in the 1890s accelerated lumbering and other economic activities, and brought in visitors from distant places, who marveled at the natural beauty of lakes and rivers of the chain, turning it into a major destination for vacationers from downstate and elsewhere. Scores of resorts cropped up on the shorelines of all the major lakes of the system, catering to fisherman and wild-life enthusiasts. By 1910, the lumber era had all but passed, and many of the towns and villages in the area that had prospered from its riches went into decline. Many of the regions farmers, having failed to get decent yields of traditional crops, either moved on, or turned to cultivation of fruit crops, most notably cherries, as the areas sandy soil and cool lake climate were found to be quite favorable for growing such produce. Fruit farming and tourism became, and is to this day, the leading economic activities of the region.

List of Lakes in "The Chain"

*Beal Lake (Michigan)
*Scotts Lake (Michigan)
*Six Mile Lake (Michigan)
*St. Clair Lake (Michigan)
*Ellsworth Lake (Michigan)
*Wilson Lake (Antrim County, Michigan)
*Benway Lake (Michigan)
*Hanley Lake (Michigan)
*Intermediate Lake (Michigan)
*Lake Bellaire (Michigan)
*Clam Lake (Michigan)
*Torch Lake (Antrim County, Michigan)
*Skegemog Lake
*Elk Lake (Michigan)

See also

* Inland Waterway (Michigan)