Kitch-iti-kipi

Kitch-iti-kipi
Big Spring
View of the Kitch-iti-kipi spring
Map
LocationPalms Book State Park
Thompson Township, Michigan
Coordinates46°00′14.83″N 86°22′55.24″W / 46.0041194°N 86.3820111°W / 46.0041194; -86.3820111
Elevation620 feet (190 m)
TypeSpring
Provides water forIndian Lake
Depth40 feet (12.2 m)
Kitch-iti-kipi is located in Michigan
Kitch-iti-kipi
Location within the state of Michigan
Kitch-iti-kipi is located in the United States
Kitch-iti-kipi
Kitch-iti-kipi (the United States)

Kitch-iti-kipi ("KITCH-i-tee-KI-pee" with short "i"s),[1] located within Palms Book State Park, is Michigan's largest natural freshwater spring.[1][2][3] The name means "big cold spring" in the Ojibwe language.[1] It is also sometimes referred to as the Big Spring.[2][4] Kitch-iti-kipi, or "Mirror of Heaven" as it is referred to today,[5] was originally given that name by the Ojibwe.[4]

Kitch-iti-kipi spring is one of the major tourist attractions on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.[4] It is located in Thompson Township within Schoolcraft County just northwest of the city of Manistique. It is also within Palms Book State Park.[6][7] The state of Michigan was granted the spring with accompanying land in 1926, under the condition that it be turned into a public park. The state has since acquired surrounding land and expanded the park considerably.[4]

  1. ^ a b c "A Spring with a story to tell". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. August 30, 1999. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  2. ^ a b Madison, George; Lockwood, Roger N. (October 2004). "Manistique River Assessment". Fisheries Special Report 31 (PDF). Ann Arbor: Michigan Department of Natural Resources. pp. 65–72. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kitch-iti-kipi
  4. ^ a b c d "Big Spring (Kitch-iti-kipi)". Exploring the North. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  5. ^ "Michigan". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. June 2, 2002. p. 128. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. ^ Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "Palms Book State Park Detail". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  7. ^ DuFresne, Jim; Clifton-Thornton, Christine (1998). Michigan State Parks: A Complete Recreation Guide. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. p. 9. ISBN 0-89886-544-1. Retrieved May 12, 2008 – via Google Books.