The Tahquamenon River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed January 3, 2012 blackwater

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

that flows in a generally eastward direction through the eastern end of the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

. It drains approximately of the Upper Peninsula, including large sections of Luce County and Chippewa County. It begins in the Tahquamenon Lakes in northeast Columbus Township of Luce County and empties into

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

near the village of

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in parad ...

. M-123 runs alongside a portion of the river.

Name

The meaning of "Tahquamenon" is not known. Some called it the "River of the Head Winds" because they bucked the wind on the lower river no matter what direction they were paddling. Others called it the "River of a Hundred Bends". Twentieth century descendants of local Chippewa translated the name to mean "river up against a hill" or "lost river island" or "river with an island part way". In 1930 Jesuit scholar, Father William Gagnieut, concluded that the meaning of the name had been lost. Recorded variously as 'Otikwaminang,' 'Outakwamenon,' 'Tequamenen', 'Tanguamanon,' 'Tanquamanon,' 'Toumequellen' and 'Tahquamenaw', several suggestions on the meaning of its name have been made over the years: * The origin of the present spelling can be traced to a Jesuit map of Lake Superior published in 1672 that named the small island lying off the river mouth as "Outa koua minan'. The early French travelers called the Great Lakes region natives "Outaouaks". * "Shortcut." The name referring originally to Tahquamenon Bay, which the Ojibwe used as a shortcut while traveling. The bay has a small island in it that facilitated the "shortcut" from Whitefish Point across the open and at times dangerous bay. The name "shortcut" was later given to the River that enters into the bay. However, although 'taqua' (''dakwaa'') does mean "short", the suffix for "road" or "trail" is ''-mon'' in Ojibwe, not 'menon', and although ''-ing'' would be a locative suffix, the locative form of ''-mon'' is ''-moong'' and not ''-moning''. However, in the Algonquin language, the locative form of ''-mon'' would be ''-monaang'', closely resembling 'menon'. Additionally, in the Potawatomi language, suffix for "road" or "trail" is ''-mii'', and like in the Algonquin language, the locative form of ''-mii'' would be ''-miinaang'', most closely resembling 'menon'. * "Marsh of the blueberries," though 'menon' (''miinan'') does mean " blueberries" in the

Ojibwa language Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian la ...

, 'tahqua' does not mean "marsh" * "Short cornel" where 'tahqua' (''dakwaa'') does mean "short" and 'manan' (''maanan'') does mean " cornel", but cornels do not grow in swamplands * "Ottawa's good land" (''Odaawaag minaang'') due to an Ottawa village that used to be located near the mouth of the river * "Dark-colored water". Although the river's water is dark, the word for "dark-colored water" in Ojibwe is ''makadewaagamin''. The current name for the Tahquamenon River in the Ojibwa language is ''Adikamegong-ziibi'' "River where the Whitefish are found." This name is also the naming basis for the Whitefish Point and Whitefish Bay, both known earlier as "Tahquamenaw".

Tahquamenon Falls

The river is best known for the

Tahquamenon Falls The Tahquamenon Falls ( or ) are a series of waterfalls on the Tahquamenon River, shortly before it empties into Lake Superior, in the northeastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They are the largest waterfalls in Michigan, and one of the larges ...

, a succession of two

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

s in Tahquamenon Falls State Park totalling approximately in height. Because the headwaters of the river are located in a boreal

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

that is rich in

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

, spruce and hemlock trees, the river's waters carry a significant amount of tannin in solution (i.e., it is a

blackwater river A blackwater river is a type of river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. As vegetation decays, tannins leach into the water, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling black tea ...

), and are often brown or golden-brown in color. The Tahquamenon Falls are thus acclaimed as being the largest naturally dyed or colored waterfall in the United States. The state park preserves the falls area and some of the river.

Recreation

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...

's famous poem, ''

The Song of Hiawatha ''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his l ...

'' (1855), the hero learned how to paddle a

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains ...

bark

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...

in the Tahquamenon. The river is often used for canoeing to this day. The river's watershed and state park are also extensively used for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

. In winter, the watershed welcomes

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

rs.

Tour boat

The Toonerville Trolley Train and Riverboat Tour, a private firm, offers boat tours of the upper Tahquamenon as part of an overall family experience that includes a

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

rail ride and visit to the Upper Tahquamenon Falls. The tour is based in Soo Junction, between

Newberry Newberry is a surname, a variant of Newbury. Notable people with the surname include: * Booker Newberry III (born 1956), American singer and keyboardist * Brennan Newberry (born, 1990), American professional stock car racing driver * Brian Newb ...

and Hulbert.Toonerville Trolley — official website
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References

*Taylor, Sprague, (1991, 2008). ''Tahquamenon Country: A look at the past''. Historical Society of Michigan, East Lansing, Michigan. .

External links

Tahquamenon River Streamflow Data from the USGS
{{Authority control Rivers of Michigan Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States Rivers of Chippewa County, Michigan Rivers of Luce County, Michigan Tributaries of Lake Superior