Pere Marquette River
| Pere Marquette River | |
| River | |
 Tourists canoeing on the Pere Marquette River in the Manistee National Forest.
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| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| State | Michigan |
| Counties | Lake, Mason, Newaygo, Oceana |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Little South Branch, Big South Branch |
| - right | Middle Branch, Baldwin River |
| Cities | Ludington, Scottville |
| Source | |
| - location | Lake County, Michigan, USA |
| - coordinates | 43°51′22″N 85°50′30″W / 43.85611°N 85.84167°W |
| Mouth | Lake Michigan |
| - location | Ludington, Michigan, USA |
| - coordinates | 43°57′06″N 86°27′37″W / 43.95167°N 86.46028°W |
| Length | 64 mi (103 km) |
| Basin | 740 sq mi (1,917 km2) |
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The Pere Marquette River is a river in Michigan in the United States. The main stream of this river is 63.9 miles (102.8 km) long,[1] running from Lake County south of Baldwin into the Pere Marquette Lake, and from there into Lake Michigan.[2]
This river is named after the French Roman Catholic missionary Jacques Marquette, who explored the Great Lakes and Mississippi River areas during the mid-17th century.
Contents |
National Wild and Scenic River designation[edit]
The upper portion of the Pere Marquette runs approximately 44 miles (71 km) from the forks of the Little South and Middle Branches downstream to highway M-37. In 1978, 66 miles (106 km) of the river was designated a National Scenic River. This section begins near Baldwin at the junction of the Little South and Middle Branches and continues until the river meets U.S. Highway 31 in Scottville.[3]
Sport fishing[edit]
The Pere Marquette River is designated a Blue Ribbon fishery.[4]
Wildlife[edit]
This river has been stocked with rainbow trout since 1876. In 1884, the Baldwin River, a major tributary, became the first American river to ever be stocked with brown trout fish.[5]
Other animal species living along this river[edit]
- Salmon, successfully introduced in the 1960s
- Brook trout
- Western chorus frog
- Bullfrog
- Crayfish
- Northern leopard frog
- Mudpuppy
- Eastern tiger salamander and several other species of salamander
- Northern water snake
- Red-bellied snake
- Copper-bellied water snake
- Common snapping turtle
- Red-eared slider
- Five-lined skink
References[edit]
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed November 21, 2011
- ^ "Pere Marquette River". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey.
- ^ Pere Marquette River, National Wild & Scenic Rivers
- ^ Michigan's Blue Ribbon Trout Streams
- ^ Brown Trout, Michigan Sea Grant program
External links[edit]
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