| Spurr River | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Beaufort Lake, Spurr Township, Baraga County, Michigan |
| River mouth | Lake Michigamme |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
|
The Spurr River is a short stream in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It rises from the outflow of Beaufort Lake at 46°32′47″N88°11′14″W / 46.54639°N 88.18722°W and flows 3.9 miles (6.3 km) [1] east-southeast into Lake Michigamme at 46°31′43″N88°07′54″W / 46.52861°N 88.13167°W . [2]
The Upper Peninsula (UP), also known as Upper Michigan, is the northern of the two major peninsulas that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. The peninsula is bounded on the north by Lake Superior, on the east by the St. Marys River, on the southeast by Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and on the southwest by Wisconsin. Upper Peninsula counties also include nearby islands such as Grand, Drummond, Mackinac, and Bois Blanc, and more distant Isle Royale.
Michigan is a state in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States. The state's name, Michigan, originates from the Ojibwe word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake". With a population of about 10 million, Michigan is the tenth most populous of the 50 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area, and is the largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River. Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit. Metro Detroit is among the nation's most populous and largest metropolitan economies.
Lake Michigamme, one of Michigan's largest lakes, reaches a depth of over 70 feet (21 m). It covers 4,292 acres (17.37 km2) in Marquette and Baraga County, Michigan. Van Riper State Park provides public access. The vast majority of the lake lies in Marquette County, with only its westernmost part extending into Baraga County.
The river flows along the south side of US 41/M-28 for most of its course. To the north of the road is a high ridge. There is a lookout tower at the top with views of Beaufort Lake, George Lake, and Ruth Lake to the south of the ridge and the smaller Trout Lake, Middle Lake, and Coon Lake to the north.
US Highway 41 (US 41) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that enters the state via the Interstate Bridge between Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan. The 278.769 miles (448.635 km) of US 41 that lie within Michigan serve as a major conduit. Most of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Various sections are rural two-lane highway, urbanized four-lane divided expressway and the Copper Country Trail National Scenic Byway. The northernmost community along the highway is Copper Harbor at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The trunkline ends at a cul-de-sac east of Fort Wilkins State Park after serving the Central Upper Peninsula and Copper Country regions of Michigan.
M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that traverses nearly all of the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township. Along with US Highway 2 (US 2), M-28 forms a pair of primary highways linking the Upper Peninsula from end to end, providing a major access route for traffic from Michigan and Canada along the southern shore of Lake Superior. M-28 is the longest state trunkline in Michigan numbered with the "M-" prefix at 290.373 miles (467.310 km). The entire highway is listed on the National Highway System, while three sections of M-28 are part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour. M-28 also carries two memorial highway designations along its route.
The source of the river, Beaufort Lake, is the last and largest in a series of three small lakes. Ruth Lake is fed by Nestoria Creek from the west and Canal Town Creek from the south. The outflow from a series of smaller lakes to the east, Coon Lake, Middle Lake, and Trout Lake enters Ruth Lake from the northeast. George Lake lies between Ruth Lake and Beaufort Lake.
The river is entirely within Spurr Township in Baraga County. Both the Spurr River and Spurr Township take their name from the Spurr Mountain mining settlement of the Spurr Mountain Iron Company near Imperial Heights. [3]
Spurr Township is a civil township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 276 at the 2010 census.
Baraga County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 8,860. The county seat is L'Anse. The county is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga, a Catholic missionary who ministered to indigenous peoples of the area during the period when Michigan was obtaining statehood.
