Deer Lake (Independence Township, Michigan)

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Deer Lake
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Deer Lake
Location Oakland County, Michigan
Coordinates 42°43′57″N83°25′54″W / 42.732529°N 83.431765°W / 42.732529; -83.431765 Coordinates: 42°43′57″N83°25′54″W / 42.732529°N 83.431765°W / 42.732529; -83.431765
Basin  countriesUnited States
Surface area137 acres (55 ha)
Max. depth63 ft (19 m)
Surface elevation293 meters (961 feet) [1]
Settlements Independence Township

Deer Lake is an all-sports, 137-acre lake along the main branch of the Clinton River. [2] The lake, with a maximum depth of 63 feet, lies within Independence Township in Oakland County, Michigan. [3]

Contents

Deer Lake is one of the first lakes the Clinton River flows through, and the first lake in Independence Township, after the river rises in Springfield Township.

The Clinton River enters Deer Lake on the north end just after it passes under I-75. It exits on the south end where it enters into Middle Lake (23 acres), then into tiny Dollar Lake and then, as it crosses under Dixie Highway, into Greens Lake. [4]

Deer Lake connects on its northeast side to 5-acre Dark Lake. [5]

Depot

In 1851, the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway came through Independence Township and a train depot was built in Clarkston. The Clarkston depot was 35.23 miles from Detroit and 153.08 miles from Grand Haven, Michigan. The railroad helped make the lakes of the area, including Deer Lake, easily accessible to summer vacationers from the big cities. [6] [7]

The Clarkston depot, [8] along with the Waterford depot, [9] the Drayton Plains depot [10] and the Windiate depot [11] served to make Independence Township and Waterford Township a resort area.

The original depot at Clarkston, built in 1851, burned down around 1890. A "witch's hat" depot was then built to replace it, but it burned down in 1923. A third depot was built to replace it and ceased operation in 1959.

Since 1962, the depot has been used as a theater by the Clarkston Village Players, a local community theatre organization. [12]

Resort

The Deer Lake Inn Hotel was a summer resort for vacationers from Detroit and Lansing. The resort was easily accessed by four trains a day during the summer months from the 1890s to the 1940s and was located on Deer Lake near the Clarkston depot. It featured boating, fishing, sailing, sunbathing and tennis. [13]

Public access

Deer Lake has a public beach for township residents on the south shore off of White Lake Road in Clarkston. There is also a boat launch at the beach. [14]

Related Research Articles

Independence Township, Michigan Charter township in Michigan, United States

Independence Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 34,681 at the 2010 census.

Waterford Township, Michigan Charter township in Michigan, United States

Waterford Township is a charter township in the geographic center of Oakland County, Michigan, United States.

Drayton Plains, Michigan Unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

Drayton Plains is an unincorporated community in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is located within Waterford Township. As an unincorporated community, Drayton Plains has no legally defined area or population statistics of its own. It once had its own post office with the 48020 ZIP Code but now uses the 48329 Waterford ZIP Code. It is located on Dixie Highway near the west end of Loon Lake.

Waterford Village, Michigan United States historic place

Waterford Village is an historic community in Waterford Township, Michigan. First settled in 1819, the village is located in the northernmost part of the township along Dixie Highway, on the southeast shore of Van Norman Lake.

Silver Lake is a freshwater lake located in Waterford Township, Michigan in Oakland County, Michigan, United States.

Van Norman Lake is a private, all-sports, 66-acre lake along the main branch of the Clinton River, in Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the lake lies within Independence Township; however, the southern portion of the lake is in Waterford Township.

Waterford Hill is located in Independence Township, in Oakland County, Michigan, 0.4 miles north of Waterford Village. The hill is classified as a summit. It extends from east of Dixie Highway including Ottawa Park Cemetery to the east, to Maple Lane in Moon Valley to the north, to Parview Drive and Greens Lake to the west, to Van Norman Lake to the south.

Greens Lake is a private, all-sports, 117-acre lake along the main branch of the Clinton River. The lake lies within Independence Township in Oakland County, Michigan.

Moon Valley is located in the southern end of Independence Township in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. It comprises most of section 32 on the northern base of Waterford Hill.

Oakland Lake is a 255-acre lake located in central Oakland County in both Waterford Township and Independence Township.

Schoolhouse Lake is an all-sports 37-acre lake located in central Oakland County, on the east side of Waterford in Waterford Township.

Maceday Lake is an all-sports, 234-acre Oakland County, Michigan lake along the Clinton River.

Williams Lake is a 155-acre all-sports lake in Waterford Township in Oakland County, Michigan in the Clinton River watershed.

Lester Lake is a lake in Oakland County, Michigan lake along the main branch of the Clinton River.

Lotus Lake is an all-sports, 185-acre (75 ha) Oakland County, Michigan lake along the Clinton River. Most of the lake lies within Waterford Township, however the northern portion of the lake is in Independence Township.

Otter Lake is an all-sports, 74-acre Oakland County, Michigan lake along the main branch of the Clinton River.

Upper Silver Lake is a 35.5-acre (14.4 ha) lake located in Waterford Township, Michigan in Oakland County, Michigan.

Whipple Lake is an all-sports, 75-acre lake along the Clinton River. The lake lies entirely within Independence Township in Oakland County, Michigan.

Crooked Lake is a 68-acre lake along the Clinton River. The lake, with a maximum depth of 65 feet, lies within Independence Township in Oakland County, Michigan.

Upper Bushman Lake is a 30-acre lake along the Clinton River. The lake, with a maximum depth of 32 feet, lies within Independence Township in Oakland County, Michigan.

References

  1. ↑ "Deer Lake". Mapcarta.
  2. ↑ Russ Ravary248-310-6239Keller Williams Realty. "Russ Ravary with Russ Ravary: Deer Lake Oakland County Michigan". Michiganlakerealestatehomes.com. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  3. ↑ "Greens Lake - Oakland County Michigan". LakePlace.com. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  4. ↑ "Map" (PDF). www.dnr.state.mi.us.
  5. ↑ "Dark Lake Dr". Dark Lake Dr.
  6. ↑ Seeley, Thaddeus De Witt (1 January 1912). "History of Oakland County, Michigan: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People, and Its Principal Interests". Lewis Publishing Company – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ "Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan on July 3, 1898 · Page 11".
  8. ↑ "Station: Clarkston, MI". Michiganrailroad.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  9. ↑ "Station: Waterford, MI". Michiganrailroad.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  10. ↑ "Station: Drayton Plains, MI". Michiganrailroad.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  11. ↑ "Station: Clarkston, MI". Michiganrailroad.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  12. ↑ "Clarkston Village Players | About CVP | CVP History". Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  13. ↑ History of Oakland County Michigan: A Narrative Account of Its Historic Progress, Its People, Its Principal Interests. Lewis Publishing Company. 1 January 1912 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ↑ "Parks and Facilities". Indetwp.com. 1998-07-21. Retrieved 2016-06-12.

U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Deer Lake (Independence Township, Michigan)

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