Betsie River

The Betsie River is a 54.0-mile-long (86.9 km)[1] stream in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Michigan. The name is derived from the French la rivière aux Bec-scies, meaning river of sawbill ducks (bec-scie). Other alternate names include Aug-sig-o-sebe, Aux Buscies, Betsey's River, Black Robe, Gay-she-say-ing, Riviere du Pere Marquette, Sawbill Ducks, and Shelldrake Ducks.[2] The river is mostly within Benzie County (which takes its name from a variant pronunciation of the river), although the river rises in southwest Grand Traverse County and flows briefly through northern Manistee County, Michigan.

Betsie River
Betsie River Wetland Delta near Elberta, Michigan
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationGreen Lake near Interlochen
 • coordinates44.592082°N 85.794709°W / 44.592082; -85.794709
Mouth 
 • location
Lake Michigan at Frankfort
 • coordinates
44.629532°N 85.246214°W / 44.629532; -85.246214
Length54 mi (87 km)

The river widens to form Betsie Lake before emptying into Lake Michigan at 44°37′45″N 86°14′45″W between Frankfort and Elberta. The Betsie River is a part of Michigan's Natural Rivers Program.[3]

Course
Betsie River along bike trail east of Elberta

While most sources indicate the river rises as the outflow of Green Lake at 44°35′31″N 85°47′40″W in southwestern Grand Traverse County, some consider it navigable immediately south of US-31 from Tuller's Lake into Green Lake. Another tributary of the river flows directly out of northern Duck Lake and into northern Green Lake, connecting with the aforementioned Tuller's Lake Outlet. Although not considered part of the Betsie River today, older maps of the area do say so.[4] Green Lake straddles the boundary between Grant Township on the south and Green Lake Township on the north between Karlin and Interlochen. Several nearby lakes, including Duck Lake and its tributaries, drain into Green Lake.

The river winds southwesterly from Green Lake into eastern Benzie County, and then briefly into northern Manistee County before turning northerly back into Benzie County. A dam on the river forms Homestead Pond, after which is flows mostly west and slightly north to Lake Michigan.

Betsie River emptying into Lake Betsie, Elberta, MI (bridge shown is M-22 crossing the river outlet)

Drainage basin

The Betsie River drains an area of approximately 155,026 acres (627.37 km2)[5] in three counties. The drainage basin include about 93 miles (150 km) of linear stream, 52 miles (84 km) of which is part of the mainstream.[6]

Dams
  • Homestead Dam 44°35′48″N 86°04′48″W[7] was mostly removed in 1974 and currently acts as a lamprey barrier. It impounds little water and does not impede salmon migrations.[5] The remains of the dam are now sometimes called "Homestead Falls".[8] The dam was a power generating facility formerly owned by Consumers Energy.[6]
  • Grass Lake Dam, approximately 4 miles (6 km) downstream from Green Lake, forms an approximately 90-acre (36 ha) impoundment. The dam was constructed in 1951 to improve waterfowl habitat and northern pike fishing.[5] The dam was installed by the state Wildlife Division and created a 482 acres (195 ha) waterfowl flooding.[6]
  • Thompsonville Dam was an old power dam[6] that failed in the spring of 1989 and was subsequently removed. Prior to its removal, the dam posed a barrier to salmon migration. Salmon and trout have access to the entire mainstream of the river, even above the Grass Lake Dam.[5]

Tributaries
Betsie River east of Elberta, MI
Betsie River wetland near Elberta, MI

Notes
  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed November 21, 2011
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Betsie River
  3. Betsie River, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
  4. LLC, Historic Map Works. "Blair - Left, Atlas: Grand Traverse County 1881, Michigan Historical Map". www.historicmapworks.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  5. Betsi River, Mark A. Tonello, "Status of the Fishery Resource Report, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, No. 2004-3, 2004
  6. Betsie River Natural River Plan, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, July 1973, revised March 12, 2002
  7. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Homestead Dam
  8. The Betsie River, Hanmer's Canoe Trips
  9. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Betsie Lake
  10. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Crystal Lake Outlet
  11. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cold Creek
  12. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rice Creek
  13. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Dair Creek
  14. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Betsie River
  15. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pickerel Creek
  16. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Twin Lake
  17. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Upper Twin Lake
  18. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Grass Lake
  19. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mud Lake
  20. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Green Lake
  21. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bridge Lake
  22. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tullers Lake
  23. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cedar Hedge Lake
  24. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mud Lake
  25. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Duck Lake
  26. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Brigham Creek
  27. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mason Creek
  28. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Weidenhamer Swamp
  29. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tonawanda Lake
  30. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ellis Lake
  31. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Saunders Lake
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