River Raisin

River Raisin
Rivière Aux Raisins
The River Raisin flowing through Monroe
Location of the River Raisin in Michigan
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesJackson, Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw
SettlementsBlissfield, Brooklyn, Clinton, Deerfield, Dundee, Manchester, Monroe, Petersburg, Tecumseh
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationRollin Township, Michigan
 • coordinates42°01′29″N 84°16′05″W / 42.02472°N 84.26806°W / 42.02472; -84.26806
 • elevation1,043 ft (318 m)
MouthLake Erie
 • location
Monroe, Michigan
 • coordinates
41°53′31″N 83°20′12″W / 41.89194°N 83.33667°W / 41.89194; -83.33667
 • elevation
571 ft (174 m)
Length139 mi (224 km)
Basin size1,072 sq mi (2,780 km2)
Discharge 
 • average741 cu ft/s (21.0 m3/s)

The River Raisin (Ottawa: Nummasepee, "River of Sturgeon") is a 135-mile-long (217 km) river in southeast Michigan, United States, that flows in a generally easterly direction through glacial sediments before emptying into Lake Erie. The River Raisin drainage basin covers approximately 1,072 square miles (2,780 km2) in the Michigan counties of Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Jackson, and Hillsdale, along with Fulton County in northwest Ohio.[1]

Today, the land within its bounds is primarily used for agriculture, and light industry. Historically, the river served as a canoe transportation route for various Native American tribes, and for French Canadian Voyageurs. The river's English name comes from the French Rivière aux Raisins (translated as "River of Grapes"), in reference to the wild grapes growing along its banks.[2]

  1. ^ River Raisin Watershed Information, River Raisin Watershed Council, 2010
  2. ^ A.C. Quisenberry, "A Hundred Years Ago: the River Raisin", Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Sept 1913, p.18