The Inland Waterway or Inland Water Route is a series of

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s and

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

s in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. With only a short

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

, it forms a

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

route for small craft connecting

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...

and Crooked Lake, across the Northern Michigan region. Despite Little Traverse Bay being only 2 miles west of Crooked Lake, the waterway does not connect to it, making

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

inaccessible through this route. The route is in Emmet and Cheboygan counties and consists of Crooked Lake, Crooked River,

Burt Lake Burt Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The western shore of the lake is on the boundary with Emmet County. The lake is named after William Austin Burt, who, together with John Mullett, made a federal survey of ...

, Indian River,

Mullett Lake Mullett Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is named after John Mullett, who, together with William A. Burt, made a federal survey of the area from 1840 to 1843. A neighboring lake was named after Burt. Hi ...

, and the Cheboygan River. The route passes through or near the communities of

Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...

, Oden, Ponshewaing, Alanson, Indian River, Topinabee, and Cheboygan.

History

Early history

The Inland Waterway was originally used by Native Americans to avoid the strong waves around Waugoshance Point on

. Consequently, 50 Native American encampments have been discovered along the shores of the Inland Water Route. One such encampment, located in Ponshewaing, has artifacts dating back over 3,000 years.

Settlement in 1800s

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 ...

reached Petoskey in 1873. This opened up the surrounding area to tourism, settlers, and lumbermen. This eventually led to various people proposing different ideas for the water way. One such plan was the transportation of mail along the waterway. This involved the dredging of Crooked River. Freight was eventually transported along the route. With the advent of the railroad as a cheaper means with which to move goods, the Inland Waterway fell into decline.

The Inland Waterway today

Today the region surrounding the route is still a tourist destination. The historical society for the region was founded in 2004 and is known as The Inland Water Route Historical Society. It also is home to a museum in Alanson. There are four state campgrounds and several private ones along the route as well as hotels for accommodations. Several marinas are available for supplies and fuel. The waterway is maintained to a depth of . There are two locks (at Cheboygan and Alanson) and a swinging bridge along the route. The locks can handle boats in length and of beam. The lowest non-movable bridge on the route has a height of .Lock schedule
/ref> The locks are in operation from mid-April to late October. The shortest crossings of Burt Lake and Mullett Lake cover and , respectively, and each take a boat as much as a mile offshore.

Images

File:Indian River from North Central State Trail Cheboygan County Michigan.jpg, Indian River File:Cheboygan River in Cheboygan.jpg, Cheboygan River File:Swing Bridge-Alanson.jpg, Alanson swing bridge File:Burt Lake 1.jpg, Burt Lake

References

*Inland Water Route Historical Society *, Michigan Historical Marker in

Burt Lake State Park Burt Lake State Park is a public recreation area covering approximately on the south shore of Burt Lake at Indian River, Michigan, Indian River in Cheboygan County, Michigan, Cheboygan County, Michigan. The state park features of sandy shoreli ...

External links

Inland Waterway
Michigan Interactive Fishweb

Indian River Tourist Bureau
Northern Michigan's Inland Waterway
Indian River Chamber of Commerce {{Northern Michigan Bodies of water of Michigan Water trails Inland Water Route Inland Water Route Michigan State Historic Sites