Pigeon River (Mullett Lake) facts for kids

The Pigeon River is a beautiful river located in Michigan, United States. It is an important part of the Lake Huron watershed, meaning its waters eventually flow into Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes. The river begins in Otsego County, just north of Gaylord, Michigan, at a place called the Otsego Club and Resort. From there, the Pigeon River flows north for about 47.4 miles (76.3 km). It passes through private lands and a special area called the Pigeon River Country State Forest before reaching Mullett Lake.

Many parts of the Pigeon River are known as "blue ribbon trout streams." This means they are excellent places for trout fishing. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has special rules for fishing here to help protect the trout. The Pigeon River is also a "Natural River," which means there are special rules about building things along its banks. These rules help keep the river wild and healthy.

Why is it called the Pigeon River?

The Pigeon River got its name from the huge numbers of passenger pigeons that used to live and travel through this area. These birds would nest in the forests along the river. Sadly, passenger pigeons are now extinct, meaning there are none left in the world. They disappeared mainly because of too much hunting.

What happened with the Pigeon River Dam?

There is one dam on the Pigeon River, located about a mile upstream from Sturgeon Valley Road. A dam is a barrier built across a river to hold back water, creating a pond or lake. The first dam here was made of earth and logs in the early 1900s by a private club. It created a pond called the Lansing Club pond.

First Dam Failure

In the late 1950s, this first dam broke. When a dam fails, it can release a lot of water and mud very quickly. This event sent a huge amount of mud and dirt downstream. This sudden rush of sediment was very harmful to the river. It hurt the fish and the tiny insects that live in the water. It also damaged their homes in the river for a long time.

Second Dam Failure

After the first dam broke, a new concrete dam was built. This new dam was designed to use the power of the flowing water to make electricity. Later, a group called Golden Lotus Inc. bought the property. They used the dam to provide electricity for their retreat, called Song Of The Morning Ranch.

In 1984, the people at Song Of The Morning Ranch decided to lower the water level in the pond. They did this to do some repair work on the dam. But during this process, the dam broke again. This second failure caused another massive release of mud and dirt into the river for several days. This event immediately killed many fish. It also destroyed important places where fish and insects lived for many years afterward. Because of this, stricter rules were put in place for how the dam should be operated.

Third Dam Failure

The Pigeon River dam failed a third time in 2008. A very heavy rainstorm caused the pond to overflow. This led to another large release of mud and sediment from the pond into the river. Just like before, this event caused many fish to die. It also damaged the river's habitat, or natural home, for many creatures.