The river widens to form Betsie Lake before emptying into Lake Michigan between Frankfort and Elberta. The Betsie River is a part of Michigan's Natural Rivers Program.[3]
The name is derived from the Frenchla rivière aux Bec-scies, meaning river of sawbill ducks (bec-scie). A corruption of this pronunciation led to the name of Benzie County. Other alternate historical names include the following:[1]
Aug-sig-o-sebe
Aux Buscies River
Betsey's River
Benzie River
Black Robe River
Gay-she-say-ing
Riviere du Pere Marquette
Sawbill Ducks River
Shelldrake Ducks River
Courseedit
While most sources indicate the river rises as the outflow of Green Lake in southwestern Grand Traverse County, some consider it navigable immediately south of US-31 from Tullers Lake into Green Lake. Another tributary of the river flows directly out of northern Duck Lake and into northern Green Lake, connecting with the aforementioned Tullers Lake Outlet. Although not considered part of the Betsie River today, older maps of the area do say so.[4] Green Lake straddles the boundary between Grant Township on the south and Green Lake Township on the north between Karlin and Interlochen. Several nearby lakes, including Duck Lake and its tributaries, drain into Green Lake.
The river winds southwesterly from Green Lake into eastern Benzie County, and then briefly into northern Manistee County before turning northerly back into Benzie County. A dam on the river forms Homestead Pond, after which is flows mostly west and slightly north to Lake Michigan.
Betsie River emptying into Lake Betsie, Elberta, MI (bridge shown is M-22 crossing the river outlet)
Drainage basinedit
The Betsie River drains an area of approximately 155,026 acres (627.37 km2)[5] in three counties. The drainage basin include about 93 miles (150 km) of linear stream, 52 miles (84 km) of which is part of the mainstream.[6]
Grass Lake Dam, approximately 4 miles (6 km) downstream from Green Lake, forms an approximately 90-acre (36 ha) impoundment. The dam was constructed in 1951 to improve waterfowl habitat and northern pike fishing.[5] The dam was installed by the state Wildlife Division and created a 482 acres (195 ha) waterfowl flooding.[6]
Thompsonville Dam was an old power dam[6] that failed in the spring of 1989 and was subsequently removed. Prior to its removal, the dam posed a barrier to salmon migration. Salmon and trout have access to the entire mainstream of the river, even above the Grass Lake Dam.[5]
Bridgesedit
Below is a list of public crossings of the Betsie River:
^ abcU.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Betsie River
^U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 21, 2011
betsie, river, mile, long, river, state, michigan, river, located, northwestern, lower, peninsula, state, flowing, into, lake, michigan, frankfort, river, course, mostly, within, benzie, county, which, takes, name, from, variant, pronunciation, river, although. The Betsie River b ɛ t s iː BET see is a 54 0 mile long 86 9 km 2 river in the U S state of Michigan The river is located in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of the state flowing into Lake Michigan at Frankfort The river s course is mostly within Benzie County which takes its name from a variant pronunciation of the river although the river rises in western Grand Traverse County and flows briefly through northern Manistee County Betsie RiverMouth of the Betsie River at Lake Michigan in FrankfortLocation of mouthPhysical characteristicsSource locationGreen Lake near Interlochen coordinates44 35 31 N 85 47 40 W 44 5919459 N 85 794522 W 44 5919459 85 794522 1 Mouth locationLake Michigan at Frankfort coordinates44 37 45 N 86 14 45 W 44 6291652 N 86 2459287 W 44 6291652 86 2459287 1 Length54 mi 87 km The river widens to form Betsie Lake before emptying into Lake Michigan between Frankfort and Elberta The Betsie River is a part of Michigan s Natural Rivers Program 3 Betsie River Wetland Delta near Elberta Contents 1 Etymology 2 Course 3 Drainage basin 4 Dams 5 Bridges 6 Tributaries 7 Notes 8 External linksEtymology editThe name is derived from the French la riviere aux Bec scies meaning river of sawbill ducks bec scie A corruption of this pronunciation led to the name of Benzie County Other alternate historical names include the following 1 Aug sig o sebe Aux Buscies River Betsey s River Benzie River Black Robe River Gay she say ing Riviere du Pere Marquette Sawbill Ducks River Shelldrake Ducks RiverCourse editWhile most sources indicate the river rises as the outflow of Green Lake in southwestern Grand Traverse County some consider it navigable immediately south of US 31 from Tullers Lake into Green Lake Another tributary of the river flows directly out of northern Duck Lake and into northern Green Lake connecting with the aforementioned Tullers Lake Outlet Although not considered part of the Betsie River today older maps of the area do say so 4 Green Lake straddles the boundary between Grant Township on the south and Green Lake Township on the north between Karlin and Interlochen Several nearby lakes including Duck Lake and its tributaries drain into Green Lake The river winds southwesterly from Green Lake into eastern Benzie County and then briefly into northern Manistee County before turning northerly back into Benzie County A dam on the river forms Homestead Pond after which is flows mostly west and slightly north to Lake Michigan nbsp Betsie River emptying into Lake Betsie Elberta MI bridge shown is M 22 crossing the river outlet Drainage basin editThe Betsie River drains an area of approximately 155 026 acres 627 37 km2 5 in three counties The drainage basin include about 93 miles 150 km of linear stream 52 miles 84 km of which is part of the mainstream 6 Dams editHomestead Dam 44 35 48 N 86 04 48 W 44 59667 N 86 08000 W 44 59667 86 08000 7 was mostly removed in 1974 and currently acts as a lamprey barrier It impounds little water and does not impede salmon migrations 5 The remains of the dam are now sometimes called Homestead Falls 8 The dam was a power generating facility formerly owned by Consumers Energy 6 Grass Lake Dam approximately 4 miles 6 km downstream from Green Lake forms an approximately 90 acre 36 ha impoundment The dam was constructed in 1951 to improve waterfowl habitat and northern pike fishing 5 The dam was installed by the state Wildlife Division and created a 482 acres 195 ha waterfowl flooding 6 Thompsonville Dam was an old power dam 6 that failed in the spring of 1989 and was subsequently removed Prior to its removal the dam posed a barrier to salmon migration Salmon and trout have access to the entire mainstream of the river even above the Grass Lake Dam 5 Bridges editBelow is a list of public crossings of the Betsie River Route Type Municipality County Location nbsp M 22 Frankfort Avenue State highway Benzonia Township Benzie 44 37 13 1 N 86 13 18 1 W 44 620306 N 86 221694 W 44 620306 86 221694 Betsie Valley Trailway west Paved trail 44 37 09 2 N 86 13 13 5 W 44 619222 N 86 220417 W 44 619222 86 220417 River Road west County road Crystal Lake Township 44 37 05 9 N 86 10 04 0 W 44 618306 N 86 167778 W 44 618306 86 167778 River Road east County road Benzonia Township 44 37 05 2 N 86 07 24 0 W 44 618111 N 86 123333 W 44 618111 86 123333 Grace Road County road 44 36 16 0 N 86 06 44 3 W 44 604444 N 86 112306 W 44 604444 86 112306 US 31 M 115 Benzie Highway State highway 44 36 02 2 N 86 07 24 0 W 44 600611 N 86 123333 W 44 600611 86 123333 nbsp M 115 west State highway Weldon Township 44 33 26 3 N 86 03 12 3 W 44 557306 N 86 053417 W 44 557306 86 053417 County Line Road County road Weldon Springdale township Benzie Manistee line 44 30 52 0 N 86 02 40 6 W 44 514444 N 86 044611 W 44 514444 86 044611 Psutka Road County road Springdale Township Manistee 44 29 46 4 N 86 01 47 7 W 44 496222 N 86 029917 W 44 496222 86 029917 Kurick Road County road 44 30 05 3 N 85 58 45 2 W 44 501472 N 85 979222 W 44 501472 85 979222 nbsp M 115 east State highway 44 30 26 9 N 85 58 06 3 W 44 507472 N 85 968417 W 44 507472 85 968417 Lindy Road County road Weldon Township Benzie 44 31 13 8 N 85 57 41 5 W 44 520500 N 85 961528 W 44 520500 85 961528 Wolf Road County road 44 31 43 1 N 85 56 55 8 W 44 528639 N 85 948833 W 44 528639 85 948833 Betsie Valley Trailway east Paved trail 44 31 48 6 N 85 56 51 6 W 44 530167 N 85 947667 W 44 530167 85 947667 King Road County road 44 32 32 1 N 85 56 32 9 W 44 542250 N 85 942472 W 44 542250 85 942472 South Thompsonville Highway County road Colfax Township 44 37 47 2 N 85 56 16 9 W 44 629778 N 85 938028 W 44 629778 85 938028 South Carmean Road County road 44 33 19 6 N 85 55 05 8 W 44 555444 N 85 918278 W 44 555444 85 918278 Wallin Road County road 44 34 13 7 N 85 53 35 0 W 44 570472 N 85 893056 W 44 570472 85 893056 Nostwick Road County road 44 34 23 4 N 85 53 16 7 W 44 573167 N 85 887972 W 44 573167 85 887972 South Reynolds Road County road 44 34 28 8 N 85 52 40 2 W 44 574667 N 85 877833 W 44 574667 85 877833 Betsie River Road County road Grant Township Grand Traverse 44 35 34 7 N 85 47 48 0 W 44 592972 N 85 796667 W 44 592972 85 796667 Diamond Park Road County road Green Lake Township 44 37 59 5 N 85 46 55 2 W 44 633194 N 85 782000 W 44 633194 85 782000 J Maddy Parkway County road 44 38 29 2 N 85 46 02 2 W 44 641444 N 85 767278 W 44 641444 85 767278 Birch Road County road 44 39 14 5 N 85 45 04 6 W 44 654028 N 85 751278 W 44 654028 85 751278 nbsp US 31 State highway 44 39 30 9 N 85 44 59 7 W 44 658583 N 85 749917 W 44 658583 85 749917Tributaries editBetsie Lake 44 37 42 N 86 13 47 W 44 62833 N 86 22972 W 44 62833 86 22972 9 Crystal Lake Outlet 44 37 32 N 86 08 18 W 44 62556 N 86 13833 W 44 62556 86 13833 10 Crystal Lake Cold Creek 44 37 47 N 86 05 46 W 44 62972 N 86 09611 W 44 62972 86 09611 in Beulah 11 Rice Creek 44 36 19 N 86 06 51 W 44 60528 N 86 11417 W 44 60528 86 11417 12 Dair Creek 44 33 05 N 86 03 15 W 44 55139 N 86 05417 W 44 55139 86 05417 13 Little Betsie River 44 32 01 N 85 56 44 W 44 53361 N 85 94556 W 44 53361 85 94556 14 Pickerel Creek 44 35 29 N 85 50 25 W 44 59139 N 85 84028 W 44 59139 85 84028 15 Twin Lake 44 34 19 N 85 49 46 W 44 57194 N 85 82944 W 44 57194 85 82944 16 Upper Twin Lake 44 34 19 N 85 49 17 W 44 57194 N 85 82139 W 44 57194 85 82139 17 Grass Lake 44 36 30 N 85 51 03 W 44 60833 N 85 85083 W 44 60833 85 85083 18 Mud Lake 44 34 31 N 85 47 55 W 44 57528 N 85 79861 W 44 57528 85 79861 19 Green Lake 44 36 41 N 85 47 03 W 44 61139 N 85 78417 W 44 61139 85 78417 20 Bridge Lake 44 38 21 N 85 47 07 W 44 63917 N 85 78528 W 44 63917 85 78528 21 Tullers Lake 44 39 15 N 85 46 43 W 44 65417 N 85 77861 W 44 65417 85 77861 22 Cedar Hedge Lake 44 40 12 N 85 47 04 W 44 67000 N 85 78444 W 44 67000 85 78444 23 Mud Lake 44 38 36 N 85 45 28 W 44 64333 N 85 75778 W 44 64333 85 75778 24 Duck Lake 44 37 53 N 85 44 42 W 44 63139 N 85 74500 W 44 63139 85 74500 25 Horton Creek Brigham Creek 44 37 18 N 85 43 42 W 44 62167 N 85 72833 W 44 62167 85 72833 26 Mason Creek 44 37 51 N 85 43 26 W 44 63083 N 85 72389 W 44 63083 85 72389 27 Weidenhamer Swamp 44 37 35 N 85 36 10 W 44 62639 N 85 60278 W 44 62639 85 60278 28 Tonawanda Lake 44 39 03 N 85 45 07 W 44 65083 N 85 75194 W 44 65083 85 75194 29 Ellis Lake 44 39 47 N 85 44 54 W 44 66306 N 85 74833 W 44 66306 85 74833 30 Saunders Lake 44 40 17 N 85 43 56 W 44 67139 N 85 73222 W 44 67139 85 73222 31 Notes edit a b c U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Betsie River U S Geological Survey National Hydrography Dataset high resolution flowline data The National Map Archived 2012 03 29 at the Wayback Machine accessed November 21 2011 Betsie River Michigan Department of Natural Resources LLC Historic Map Works Blair Left Atlas Grand Traverse County 1881 Michigan Historical Map www historicmapworks com Retrieved 2019 08 12 a b c d Betsi River Mark A Tonello Status of the Fishery Resource Report Michigan Department of Natural Resources No 2004 3 2004 a b c d Betsie River Natural River Plan Michigan Department of Natural Resources July 1973 revised March 12 2002 U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Homestead Dam The Betsie River Hanmer s Canoe Trips U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Betsie Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Crystal Lake Outlet U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Cold Creek U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Rice Creek U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Dair Creek U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Little Betsie River U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Pickerel Creek U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Twin Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Upper Twin Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Grass Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Mud Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Green Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Bridge Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Tullers Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Cedar Hedge Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Mud Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Duck Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Brigham Creek U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Mason Creek U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Weidenhamer Swamp U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Tonawanda Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Ellis Lake U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Saunders LakeExternal links editMap of the Betsie River Michigan Department of Natural Resources Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Betsie River amp oldid 1194652075, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
