Grand River (Michigan)
| Grand River | |
|---|---|
A map of the Grand River | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Somerset Township, Hillsdale County, Michigan |
| • coordinates | 42°05′12″N 84°25′21″W / 42.08670°N 84.42245°W |
| Mouth | |
• location | Grand Haven, Michigan |
• coordinates | 43°03′30″N 86°15′03″W / 43.05835°N 86.25088°W |
| Length | 252 mi (406 km) |
| Basin size | 5,572sq.mi. |
| Discharge | |
| • location | mouth |
| • average | 5,048.87 cu ft/s (142.968 m3/s) (estimate) |
The Grand River (Ottawa: owashtanong, "Far-Flowing Water") is a 252-mile-long (406 km) river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The longest river in Michigan, the Grand River rises in Hillsdale County, and flows in a generally northwesterly direction to its mouth at Lake Michigan in the city of Grand Haven. The river flows through a number of cities, including Jackson, Lansing, Ionia, and Grand Rapids.
The river was famous for its mile-long, 300-yard-wide, and 10-to-15-foot-tall rapids, for which the city of Grand Rapids was named. These rapids were submerged following the construction of numerous dams, starting in 1835, and flooding of areas behind the dams. The river has not had any rapids for nearly a century.