The Grand River ( Ottawa : owashtanong , "Far-Flowing Water") is a 252-mile-long (406 km) river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan . The longest river in Michigan, the Grand River rises in Hillsdale County , and flows in a generally northwesterly direction to its mouth at Lake Michigan in the city of Grand Haven . The river flows through a number of cities, including Jackson , Lansing , Ionia , and Grand Rapids .
31-629: Saranac may refer to a place name in the United States: Saranac, Michigan , a village New York Saranac, New York , a town in Clinton County Saranac Lake, New York , a large village in Franklin and Essex counties Upper Saranac Lake Middle Saranac Lake Lower Saranac Lake The Saranac Inn at Upper Saranac Lake The Saranac River ,
62-605: A Grand Rapids judge by the name of Jefferson Morrison purchased the land where Lake Creek meets the Grand River. Soon after, he sold parts of the land to Dwight & Hutchinson from Detroit , and together, they founded the village. Proceeding quickly, the proprietors named it Saranac and held a public sale in Detroit. There they sold off many Saranac lots without doing much to ensure the integrity of their original records. Soon after, Dwight & Hutchinson became concerned over
93-690: A private nonprofit organization, is working toward restoring the rapids to the river in Grand Rapids. The project, which began in 2019, will remove five dams between Sixth street and Pearl street to restore an 18-foot drop in the Grand River's elevation. Two of Grand Valley State University 's campuses are located on the banks of the Grand River. The main campus in Allendale and the Pew Grand Rapids campus in Grand Rapids both border
124-713: A river in New York state Other uses USS Saranac , the name of four ships Saranac Beer, brewed by the Matt Brewing Company Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Saranac . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saranac&oldid=604614436 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
155-460: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Saranac, Michigan Saranac is a village in Boston Twp, Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan . The population was 1,325 at the 2010 census . Today, Saranac serves as a retail and services hub for agricultural areas surrounding the village. Saranac had its roots in 1836, when
186-541: Is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km ) is water. The village is located along the Grand River Valley , within a deep glacial drainage channel and is intersected by the Grand River . The landscape itself is dominated by dense forest, and sprawling, open farmland. The forest is closely associated with the basin of the Grand River and its floodplains and wetlands . However, wetlands have dwindled over
217-787: Is the second-largest in the state, draining an area of 5,572 square miles (14,430 km ), including 18 counties and 158 townships. Much of the basin is flat, and it contains many swamps and lakes. The basin is composed of four sub-basins: Upper Grand, Lower Grand, Thornapple, and Maple, where the four major tributaries flow: the Flat, Rogue, Thornapple, and Maple rivers. Tributaries of the river include (beginning near river source and travelling downstream): Portage River , Red Cedar River , Looking Glass River , Maple River , Prairie Creek, Bellamy Creek, Flat River , Thornapple River , Rogue River , Coldbrook Creek , Plaster Creek , Bass River , Buck Creek and Crockery Creek. There are fourteen dams on
248-458: The "vittles" they could eat, which was usually a considerable amount. In 1883, heavy rains during June and July brought water levels on the river to record highs. The flooding was bad enough, but the rising water overwhelmed lumbering booms—river enclosures used to sort and organize logs for transport to saw mills—in Lowell, Grand Rapids as well as Grand Haven and Robinson townships. As water rose,
279-484: The Grand River drainage, which accounts for only 13% of the lake's total watershed. The river is a trout and salmon stream for much of its length. As the glacial ice receded from what is the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan around 11,000 years ago, the Maple River and lower Grand River served as a drainage channel for the meltwater . The channel ran east to west, emptying into proglacial Lake Chicago ,
310-547: The Grand River for milling. After the Civil War, many soldiers found jobs as lumberjacks cutting logs and guiding them down the river with pike poles, peaveys, and cant hooks. The men wore bright red flannel, felt clothes, and spiked boots to hold them onto the floating logs; these boots chewed up the wooden sidewalks and flooring of the local bars, leading one hotel owner to supply carpet slippers to all river drivers who entered his hotel. The "jacks" earned $ 1 to $ 3 per day and all
341-605: The ancestor of Lake Michigan. About 2,000 years ago, the Hopewell Indians settled along the Grand River near present-day Grandville . Their presence is still seen in the preserved burial mounds. By the late 17th century, the Grand River band of Odawa had established villages on the banks of the Grand River at the sites of what would later become several towns and cities, including Grand Rapids , Forest Hills , Lowell , Lyons , and Portland . For these peoples, as well as for later explorers, fur traders and settlers,
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#1732773281556372-399: The average family size was 3.03. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males. The median income for a household in
403-529: The boundary with Liberty Township in Jackson County . From there, the river flows through Jackson, Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Ionia, Kent, and Ottawa counties before emptying into Lake Michigan. The river runs through the cities of Jackson , Eaton Rapids , Dimondale, Lansing , Grand Ledge , Portland , Ionia , Lowell , Grand Rapids , and Grand Haven . The Grand River is a major tributary of Lake Michigan. It falls in elevation from 1260 ft. in
434-624: The highlands of its headwaters to 577 ft. at its mouth on Lake Michigan. Its waters drain northward through the lake, then south and east through the Great Lakes waterways into the St. Lawrence River , which flows northeasterly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the Atlantic Ocean . The Grand River discharges an estimated average 5,049 cubic feet per second (143.0 m /s). Its watershed
465-431: The lack of development of the village by the lot-purchasers and gave Cyprian S. Hooker land on which to build a saw mill. Construction began in 1837, but didn't see completion until 1841. Partnering with a furniture maker named Jerry Stocking, the two set out to make their fortunes in the new village. However, they did not find success, and in 1846, the gentlemen gave up and moved away. Other villagers followed suit, convinced
496-604: The logs escaped the enclosures, much like cattle fleeing stockyards. Soon, Kent and Ottawa counties had a 'stampede', as millions of logs flowed uncontrolled down the river and became trapped in bends or against bridges. The result was a logjam of incredible proportions that clogged the river for 47 miles (10 million Feet of logs trapped in Lowell, 95 million Feet of logs trapped in the "Big Bend" northeast of Grand Rapids, 80 million Feet of logs trapped in Ottawa County). Grand River Avenue (or Grand River Road)
527-544: The main branch of the Grand River. Some 218 dams were built on its tributaries; these have divided the ecosystem into a set of dysfunctional local streams. 228 of these dams are registered with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The main branch dams are: lower middle upper headwaters It is estimated that 22% of the pesticide usage in the Lake Michigan watershed occurs in
558-584: The name changed back to "Saranac". Schools, stores, and churches, followed in the subsequent years. In 1857, the first train to reach Saranac rolled through, marking a significant period of growth for the village. Lorren Denman "L-Dog" a noted kiln operator also was raised in Saranac. According to the United States Census Bureau , the village has a total area of 1.20 square miles (3.11 km ), of which 1.15 square miles (2.98 km )
589-406: The population. There were 568 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and
620-440: The population. There were 573 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
651-594: 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. Coast Guard Station Grand Haven is situated near the mouth of the river in Grand Haven. The station gives Grand Haven its nickname Coast Guard City USA . At least 80 bridges cross the river's 250-mile span, with most bridge structures clustered in metropolitan/municipal areas along
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#1732773281556682-643: The river served as an important navigational trade route and cultural hub. The river 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 Odawa, 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. The city of Grand Rapids
713-506: The village was $ 31,350, and the median income for a family was $ 41,250. Males had a median income of $ 35,221 versus $ 24,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $ 15,867. About 5.9% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over. 42°55′46″N 85°12′47″W / 42.92944°N 85.21306°W / 42.92944; -85.21306 Grand River (Michigan) The river
744-532: The village was doomed. In 1847, a merchant named Ammon Wilson moved in and set up shop on Stocking's former property and later built a warehouse to ship wheat to Grand Rapids, which saw considerable success. The village grew around it; a tavern and a hotel soon followed. In 1851, proprietors of the sold-off lots were allowed to re-dub the township "Boston", due to an oversight in Dwight & Hutchinson's records and it wouldn't be until 1859 that popular demand would see
775-420: The village. The population density was 1,142.1 inhabitants per square mile (441.0/km ). There were 589 housing units at an average density of 507.3 per square mile (195.9/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 98.11% White, 0.08% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander , 0.68% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of
806-400: The village. The population density was 1,152.2 inhabitants per square mile (444.9/km ). There were 616 housing units at an average density of 535.7 per square mile (206.8/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 97.4% White , 0.2% African American , 0.2% Native American , 0.4% Asian , 0.8% from other races , and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of
837-455: The years, due to drainage and filling in order to improve agricultural opportunities within the region. This is not atypical within the state of Michigan, despite the vast ecological importance that Michigan's wetlands possess. Saranac is a general-law village with an elected council consisting of a president, clerk, treasurer, and six trustees. As of the census of 2010, there were 1,325 people, 573 households, and 339 families residing in
868-436: Was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the village was 37.2 years. 28% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.6% male and 52.4% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,326 people, 568 households, and 348 families residing in
899-558: Was built early in the settlement of Michigan and ran 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 on Lake Michigan . A fish ladder installed in 1974 replaced the West Side Water Power Canal headgates removed in 1960. In recent years, Grand Rapids Whitewater,
930-424: Was built starting in 1826 on the site of a mile long rapids 40 miles upstream from the river's mouth, although these disappeared after the installation of a run-of-river dam in 1866 and five low-rise dams during a river beautification project in 1927. The Grand was important to the rapid development of West-Central Michigan during the 1850s to 1880s, as logs from Michigan's rich pine and oak forests floated down
961-556: Was famous for its mile-long, 300-yard-wide, and 10-to-15-foot-tall rapids, for which the city of Grand Rapids was named. These rapids were submerged following the construction of numerous dams, starting in 1835, and flooding of areas behind the dams. The river has not had any rapids for nearly a century. The headwaters of the Grand River begin from natural springs in Somerset Township in Hillsdale County near