Cedar River (Menominee County, Michigan) facts for kids

The Cedar River (sometimes called the Big Cedar River) is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is about 67.1-mile-long (108.0 km), which is roughly the distance from one end of a large city to the other!

This river begins in the northern part of Menominee County. It then flows mostly south and east. Finally, it empties into Green Bay, which is part of Lake Michigan. The river meets Green Bay in a community also named Cedar River.

There's another river nearby called the Little Cedar River. It also flows through Menominee County, usually about 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) west of the Cedar River. The Little Cedar River eventually joins the Menominee River.

What Feeds the Cedar River?

The Cedar River gets its water from many smaller streams and creeks that flow into it. Think of them as tiny helpers that bring water to the main river! These smaller waterways are called tributaries.

Some of the main tributaries that join the Cedar River include:

• The Walton River, which has its own smaller streams and lakes like Westman Lake and North Lake.
• Elwood Creek, which also has smaller branches like West Ellwood Creek and Mill Creek.
• Devils Creek, which includes Camp H Creek and Crawford Creek.
• Brill Brook and Degraves Creek.
• Collard Creek and Crooked Creek.
• Depas Creek, which Advent Creek flows into.
• Mashek Creek and Brook Creek.
• Houle Creek and Fortyseven Mile Creek.
• Gorginski Creek and Wilson Creek.
• Reed Brook and Alder Brook.
• The West Branch Cedar River, which is a significant part of the river system.
• Pittsburg Creek, Labre Creek, and Nacomis Creek.

Many of these smaller streams also have lakes connected to them, like Indian Lake, Spruce Lake, and Wheeler Lake. All these different waterways work together to form the Cedar River system.

Where Does the Cedar River Get Its Water From?

The Cedar River collects water from a large area of land called its "drainage basin." Imagine a giant funnel where all the rain and melting snow in that area eventually flow into the river.

The Cedar River's drainage basin covers parts of two counties in Michigan:

• Delta County, specifically a part of Bark River Township.
• Menominee County, where it flows through several townships like Cedarville, Daggett, Gourley, Harris, Ingallston, Meyer, Nadeau, Spalding, and Stephenson. It also gets water from the Village of Powers.

So, all the water from these areas eventually makes its way into the Cedar River, helping it flow all the way to Green Bay!