Huron River Brochure
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OTHER RIVERS Huron River In the Watershed Ottawa River Maumee River Cooley Canal Erie MetroParks summer day campers Toussaint River prepare to launch canoes into the Portage River Huron River at the Coupling MetroPark West Harbor in Milan Township. Sandusky River The Huron River bisects the Milan Huron River State Wildlife Area and can be viewed Vermilion River from the Lover's Lane Bridge. Black River Rocky River The Map indicates launch Sites Cuyahoga River for watercraft . Chagrin River Grand River Ashtabula River Conneaut Creek The Huron river is part of the Lake Erie Water Shed. The Huron River empties into Lake Erie. HURON RIVER WATERSHEDCOUNCIL 1100 NORTH MAIN STREET #210, ANN ARBOR, MI 48104 ( 734) 769-5123 About the Huron River The 14-mile long main branch of the Huron River begins at the confluence of the East Branch Huron and West Branch Huron rivers just west of Milan. The river empties into Lake Erie in the city of Huron. Headwaters for the branches are in Fitchville Township (Huron County) and Facts at a Glance Blooming Grove Township (Richland County), respectively, and are 30 miles and 50 miles long, respectively. Public Access: 13 sites The Huron River’s drainage basin, including both the West and East branches is 403 square miles (257,921 acres). Empties Into: Lake Erie The word “Huron” refers to a Native American tribe that was prevalent in the Great Lakes Mouth: Huron, OH (Erie County) region prior to European settlement. Variant names have included Bald Eagle Creek, Notowacy Thepy and Pettquotting River, among others. Much of the river system flows through Huron and Erie counties which together comprise a large amount of “the Firelands,” the westernmost Main Branch Length: 14 miles portion of the Connecticut Western Reserve. Established in 1792, the Firelands had been reserved for Connecticut residents whose homes were burned during the British raids of the late West Branch Length: 50 miles 1700s during the Revolutionary War. In the early 1800s, settlers began populating the area. East Branch Length: 30 miles In 1839 the Milan Canal opened. The canal paralleled the east bank of the Huron River and connected the village of Milan to Lake Erie. During the canal’s prime, Milan thrived as Lake Erie’s largest inland port and as one of the busiest Great Lakes ports. Inventor Thomas Alva Elevation (above sea level) at Edison’s birth home overlooked the canal in downtown Milan. The Milan Canal era ended in 1868, due to flooding as a result of a feeder dam failure. West Branch Source: 1090 feet The lower Huron River near the city so named is an estuarine environment as water and habitat East Branch Source: 966 feet within the channel and adjacent marsh are influenced by Lake Erie water levels. Catfish (channel and flatheads), smallmouth bass, perch and walleye are popular fishing catches near the lake while northern pike and smallmouth bass are found farther upriver. The river offers recreational Mouth: 573 feeT boaters many commercial and publicly-available ramps and marinas. Average Fall: 3.6 feet/mile.