The Clam Lake Canal (sometimes called the Cadillac Canal) is a man-made canal between
Lake Mitchell and
Lake Cadillac in
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac ( ) is a city in and county seat of Wexford County, Michigan, Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second most-populated city in the Northe ...
made by
George A. Mitchell in the 1870s. The purpose of the canal was to facilitate the movement of logs to
sawmills.
The canal displays an unusual water phenomenon; it is frozen over in the first part of the winter when the lakes on each side of it are unfrozen. Then when the adjacent lakes freeze, the canal remains unfrozen.
Background
Mitchell persuaded the
Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA. The company was formed on January 18, 1854.
Beginnings
After grapp ...
to change their original route layout between the lakes, redirecting it to the eastern end of the Little Clam Lake, in the southeast corner of
Wexford County, Michigan
Wexford County is a county in the Northern Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 33,673. The seat of Wexford County is Cadillac, which is also the county's largest city.
Wexfor ...
.
Mitchell widened the stream to be able to float logs from one lake to the other and collect fees for the usage of the waterway.
Enlargement and current use
The Clam Lake Canal has been widened six times over the years to about , and is used as a recreational passage between the lakes.
The canal was dedicated as a
Michigan State Historic Site on March 16, 1989.
Freezing phenomenon
In the winter, Clam Lake Canal often displays an unusual phenomenon; it freezes over in the first part of the winter, when the lakes on each side are unfrozen. When the lakes freeze over in the mid-winter months, the canal thaws.
File:Canal with Lake Cadillac 1890.jpg, January 1890 – Clam Lake Canal unfrozen in winter months
File:Canal flows and lakes frozen.jpg, February 1900 – Clam Lake Canal unfrozen
File:Clam Lake Canal frozen.jpg, 21 November 2008 – Widened Clam Lake Canal is frozen
See also
*
List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Wexford County
References
Sources
*
*
*
Further reading
* {{cite report , url=https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/2012-150_418599_7.pdf , title=Lake Mitchell , last=Tonello , first=Mark A. , work=Status of the Fishery Resource , publisher=Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources , date=2012 , access-date=2017-03-02 , archive-date=2017-02-22 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222040547/https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/2012-150_418599_7.pdf , url-status=live
Canals in Michigan
Michigan State Historic Sites
Bodies of water of Wexford County, Michigan
Protected areas of Wexford County, Michigan
Tourist attractions in Wexford County, Michigan
History of Michigan