| Escanaba River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| State | Michigan |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Gwinn |
| Mouth | Lake Michigan |
| Length | 52.2 mi (84.0 km) |
| Basin size | 924 sq mi (2,390 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 676 cu ft/s (19.1 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Cities | Escanaba Gwinn |
The Escanaba River (/ˌɛskəˈnɑːbə/ ES-kə-NAH-bə) is a 52.2-mile-long (84.0 km)[1] river on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.
The name of this large river system and the community of Escanaba were derived from an Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian word meaning “flat rock".[2]
It is a wide river that cuts into limestone beds. The water has a brown to orange color due to the presence of iron deposits in the surrounding area.[2] The upper river is rocky and scenic and supports brook, brown and some rainbow trout throughout along with warmwater species in the impoundments. The main Escanaba River is known for its pools and rapids.[2]
From the Delta County line, the river runs south to its mouth on Lake Michigan at 45°46′37″N 87°03′30″W / 45.77694°N 87.05833°W, near the city of Escanaba.
The Escanaba River watershed is one of the largest watersheds in Michigan's Upper Peninsula totaling 924 square miles and has 508 miles of streams that flow year-round. This watershed starts in west central Marquette County, north of Lake Michigan, and flows southeast to Lake Michigan at Little Bay de Noc.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed December 19, 2011
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
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