The Detroit River (French: RiviÃÆ'¨re DÃÆ' Â © troit ) flows for 24 nautical miles (44 km, 28 mi) from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system and is part of the border between Canada and the United States. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario - an area referred to as Detroit-Windsor. Both cities are connected by the Ambassador Bridge, Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Michigan Central Railroad Tunnel.
The name of the river comes from the French RiviÃÆ'¨re du DÃ © consit , which means Strait River . The Detroit River has served an important role in Detroit's history and is one of the world's busiest waterways. The river moves to the west and south of Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie, and the entire river borders the border between Canada and the United States.
The river serves as an important transport route connecting Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior to St. Louis. Lawrence Seaway and Erie Canal. When Detroit underwent rapid industrialization at the turn of the 20th century, the Detroit River became very polluted and poisonous. However, in recent years, the ecological importance of rivers has been a tremendous recovery effort, and rivers today have a wide range of economic and recreational uses. There are many islands on the Detroit River, and most of the lower streams are incorporated into the Detroit River International Wildlife Reserve. The river section of Detroit city has been organized into the Detroit International Riverfront and William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor. The Detroit River is designated as the American Heritage River and the Canadian Heritage River - the only river that has this double designation.
Video Detroit River
Geografi Edit
The Detroit River flows for 24 nautical miles (44 km/28 miles) from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie. By definition, it classifies it as a river and a strait into a narrow passage connecting two large bodies of water, which is how the river got its name from the early French settlers. Today, however, the Detroit River is rarely referred to as the strait, because the body of water called the strait is usually much wider. The Detroit River is just 0.5 to 2.5 miles (0.80 to 4.02 km). The Detroit River starts at east to west but then turns and runs north to south. The deepest part of the Detroit River is 53 feet (16 m) deep in the northern part of the river. At its source, the river is at an altitude of 574 feet (175 m) above sea level. The river just dropped three feet before entering Lake Erie at 571 feet (174 m). Because the river does not contain a dam and there is no padlock, it is easily navigable even by the smallest ship. The watershed basin for the Detroit River is approximately 700 square miles (1,800 km 2 ). Since the river is quite short, it has several creeks. Its largest tributary is the Rouge River in Michigan, which is actually four times longer than the Detroit River and contains most of the basin. The only other major tributary of America to the Detroit River is the much smaller Ecorse River. The creeks on the Canadian side include the Little River, Turkey Creek, and River Canard. The disposal for the Detroit River is relatively high for a river of its size. The average river flow is about 188,000 cubic feet per second (5,324 mÃ,³/dt), and the river flow is constant.
The Detroit River forms a major element of the international border between the United States and Canada. Rivers on the American side are all under the jurisdiction of Wayne County, Michigan, and the Canadian side is under the administration of Essex County, Ontario. The largest city along the Detroit River is Detroit, and most of the inhabitants along the river live in Michigan. The Detroit River has only two crossroads of car traffic connecting the United States and Canada: the Detroit-Windsor Ambassador and Tunnel Bridge. Both of these are heavily protected by the US Customs and Border Protection and Canadian Border Service Agency.
The upper part of the river is one of the few places where a Canadian city is located just south of the city of America. In this case, the city of Detroit is just north of Windsor, Ontario. The only other location where this happens is Fort Erie, Ontario, located just south of several cities in Niagara County, New York. The towns and communities in southwest Detroit along the American side of the river are popularly referred to as the Downriver region, as they are said to be "down the river" from Detroit. Some of these communities do not really border the Detroit River; the term "Downriver" is used to refer to a group of 18 suburban communities located in the southwestern city of Detroit and west of the Detroit River.
Islands Edit
The Detroit River contains many islands, whose ownership and control vary depending on their location along the river. The majority are on the American side of the river; none of which is divided by international borders. Many are very small and uninhabited. However, Grosse Ile on the US side and Bois Blanc (Boblo) Island on the Canadian side have a permanent population. Most are in the southern part of the waters, close to where the river empties into Lake Erie. Belle Isle, in the northern part of the river, is Michigan State Park, and is open to the public via a bridge connection with the city.
Maps Detroit River
History Edit
The Detroit River was first navigated by non-natives in the 17th century. Iroquois traded feathers with Dutch colonists in New Amsterdam by traveling through the Detroit River. France then claimed the area for the New France. The famous sailing ship Le Griffon reached the mouth of the Detroit River in mid-August 1679 on its maiden voyage through the Great Lakes. Later, as the French began to settle in the area, they navigated the river using canoes made of birch or elm bark. Artificial ships are a common mode of travel across the river, and pirogue and bateaux are also used. As North American feather trade intensified, European settlers began to expand their trade westward into uncharted territories. French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac sailed down the Detroit River on July 23, 1701. The next day, he founded Fort Pontchartrain du DÃÆ' Â © troit, which became Detroit. The river itself is known as the trole RiviÃÆ'¨re DÃÆ'Ã… ©, where dÃÆ' Â © troit is the French for "strait". The river is literally known as the "Strait River".
The Detroit River - and the larger area around it - was taken from France by the British during the French and Indian Wars. It was claimed by the newly formed United States during the American Revolution but not submitted by the British until 1796. During the War of 1812, the Detroit River served as a major obstacle between the Michigan State of America and the British Upper Canada, especially during the Battle of Fort Detroit in August 1812, when Detroit briefly fell into British hands. After the completion of the Erie Canal in 1817, which opened the easier journey to Lake Erie from the East Coast of the United States, the Detroit River became the route through which settlers traveled to northern Michigan, and Detroit, too, experienced a sudden population increase. After the Patriot War that almost saw a battle between British and Michigan militia on the ice-covered Detroit River, Fort Wayne was built in Detroit to fight the British riverbank, Fort Malden in Amherstburg. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Union feared that the United States Confederation (CSA) would plan a northern attack from Canada, still owned by the British Empire and remain neutral in the war. The Union is concerned that the CSA will cross the Detroit River to launch this attack. For that reason, the Detroit River is heavily guarded and Fort Wayne's fortress is improving, though it is far from a real battle. Although no major attacks came from Canada, a plan to capture the US Navy warship, USS Michigan and free the Confederate prisoners from Johnson Island, west of Lake Erie, was narrowly avoided only after the Confederacy captured two passenger. steamers. At the beginning of the 20th century, industrialization of Detroit began on an unprecedented scale. The Detroit River became the world's busiest commercial river and was nicknamed "The Largest Commercial Army on Earth" by The Detroit News in 1908. In 1907, the Detroit River brought 67,292,504 tonnes (61 billion kg) of freight trade via Detroit to locations around the world. By comparison, London sent 18,727,230 tons (16 billion kg), and New York sent 20,390.953 tons (18 billion kg).
Prohibition Edit
From 1920 to 1933 there was a ban in the United States, and the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol for national consumption was prohibited. Detroit, as the largest city bordering Canada, where alcohol remains legal during the Prohibition, becomes a new industrial center known as rum-running.
There were no bridges in the area connecting Canada and the United States until the Ambassador Bridge was completed in 1929 and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel in 1930 so the boats were used to smuggle alcohol along the river during the summer, and during winter, rum-guides travel crossing the frozen Detroit River by car to Canada and back with a baggage load of alcohol. In some cases, overloaded cars are falling through the ice, and today, auto parts from this illegal era can still be seen at the bottom of the river. Rum-run in Windsor became a very common practice, and led to the emergence of a mafia like the Purple Gang, which uses violence as a means to control the route known as "Detroit-Windsor Funnel" - parodied the newly built tunnel. Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, and St. Clair is thought to have brought 75% of all liquor smuggled into the United States during the Prohibition. Government officials can not or do not want to block the flow.
The rum industry died when the ban was lifted in 1933 by the Twenty-First Amendment.
pollution and conservation efforts Edit
Much of the land around the Detroit River is urbanized and, in some places, highly industrialized. This has resulted in excessive water pollution from unregulated industrial chemicals and industrial discharges for decades. Much garbage and waste from the rapid industrialization of Detroit found its way into the river. Most of the Detroit River and its coastline are highly polluted and unsafe for recreational use. A large amount of this pollution is collected around the mouth of the Detroit River on Lake Erie. The pollutant is very high after the spring melts that thousands of migrating birds are killed by oil and contaminated water slicks every year. The oxygen levels in the river run out to the point where the fish can not inhabit the waters. Since most of this pollution is depleted and affects Lake Erie, the lake itself is considered "dead" and can not support aquatic life.
In 1961, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Reserve was founded by the congressional order. It opens the way for strict restrictions on industry and allocates large amounts of government funds to clean up the river. However, there is little support for cleaning up the river, as it will have a negative impact on Detroit's industrialism and economy. In 1970, the entire fishing industry on the St. Clair, Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, and Lake Erie should be closed due to the toxic mercury levels found in water. This, in turn, spurred a massive conservation effort aimed at clearing the Detroit River. For many years before, conservation efforts were stopped by the enormous cost of millions of dollars to remove pollutants from rivers. In addition, the industry, which has significant political influence, hates the regulations necessary to reduce the amount of pollutants in the river. In 2001, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Reserve was absorbed into the much larger International Wildlife Reserve Wildlife Reserve, which is a cooperative effort between the United States and Canada to preserve the region as an ecological protection. Millions of dollars so far have been used to dredge pollutants from rivers, and the Detroit River's recent cleanup and recovery is remarkable, though other problems still exist. Currently, many species of native animals return to the area after being driven by human development. The Detroit River is home to a growing number of bird species, such as hawks (including re-released bald eagles), osprey, and sea eagles. Fish species in abundance in this area include milkfish, sturgeon, silver bass, black bass, salmon, perch, and walleye. The Detroit River was designated as the American Heritage River in 1998 and Canada's Canadian River in 2001 - the only double-bred river.
Economy Edit
The Detroit River is used for shipping and trading. The earliest use of rivers for such economic activity was the shipping of feathers for trade as early as the 17th century. When feather trade declined, Michigan had begun exploiting the wood-rich areas of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Detroit is turning into a major industrial park, primarily because of the Detroit River. The only way a ship can travel out of the upper Great Lakes system is to travel down the Detroit River. From there, the ship can travel anywhere in the world out of St. Lawrence Seaway or Erie Canal to New York City. At the beginning of the 20th century, the automotive industry expanded rapidly, and many manufacturers were shipped with ores of iron ore, sand, limestone and abundant wood.
The first hand, the Detroit River provides a large amount of income for the local economy. A study in 1991 showed that $ 20.1 million came from sales related to waterfowl hunting along the Detroit River. During the same year, bird watching, photography, and other non-consumptive waterfowl use accounted for an additional $ 192.8 million for the Michigan economy. The local economy gets benefits through the registration of boating and fishing licenses. It is estimated that walleye fishing alone generates $ 1 million for the community economy along the lower Detroit River every spring. Other fish caught by recreational fishermen include white bass, bluegill, crappie, fresh water drums, smallmouth bass, northern spears and muskie. There are more than 800,000 recreational boats in the state of Michigan, and more than half are used regularly on or near the Detroit River. The percentage of tourist income depends on the Detroit River, which is the most striking environmental feature in Detroit. Popular river destinations in the city of Detroit include Detroit International Riverfront and Belle Isle Park - both hosting a number of events throughout the year. Some restaurants on the river have a dock facility for sailors. Tour boats and dinner cruises travel through the sights of Detroit and undeveloped islands downstream. Cruise ships support tourism on the Great Lakes and docks at the Port Detroit harbor passenger terminal. The iconic Renaissance Center is located on the banks of the Detroit River.
Bridges and Crossings Edit
According to a 2004 study, 150,000 jobs and $ 13 billion in annual production rely on river crossings linking Detroit to Windsor. In 2004, the total US trade with Ontario alone was $ 407 billion, of which 28% ($ 113.3 billion) crossed the Detroit River.
Two car traffic routes that actually cross the river are the privately owned Duta Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, both of which connect Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario. A railroad tunnel and a commercial truck ferry service also travel between Detroit and Windsor. In Michigan, there are two bridges connecting the mainland to Grosse Ile and MacArthur Bridge, known as the "Belle Isle Bridge," which connects Detroit City to Belle Isle Park. All crossings (ports of entry) on the American side are guaranteed by the US Border Customs and Excise Administration Office and on the Canadian side by the Canadian Border Service Agency; all areas between the American port and the American side of the river are guaranteed by the US Border Patrol.
Proposals have been made to make the third intersection to connect Detroit and Windsor. The exact location for this crossing is the most contentious element, as it can negatively impact a large number of environmental and community features along the river. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is a new bridge project that started construction in 2015; it will directly connect the 401 Highway in Canada to Interstate 75 in the US.
See also Edit
References Edit
External links Edit
- Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
- Sea Grant Michigan
- Friends of the Detroit River
- US. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Detroit River
- The Detroit River Looking Into the Entrance Entrance to Lake St. Clair, Windsor, Canada, September 24, 1864 by D.J. Kennedy, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
- Nolan, Jenny, "How the Detroit River shapes life and history" (February 11, 1997), Detroit News .
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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