Barton Dam, in ice and history

Posted on by farlane

IMG_3373.jpg

Barton Dam 1/21/12, photo by pcaines

ArborWiki’s entry for Barton Dam says that:

Barton Dam is one of Ann Arbor’s four dams on the Huron River. It was designed by engineer Gardner Stewart Williams and architect Emil Lorch and built in 1912-13 as part of the development of hydroelectric power on the Huron River by the predecessor of Detroit Edison. The earthen-construction dam is 34 feet high and 1767 feet long, and has a typical surface area of 315 acres and typical storage of 5050 acre-feet. The dam can be accessed from Huron River Drive from the city park located at the foot of Bird Road.

The City of Ann Arbor purchased the dam from Detroit Edison in the 1960s, and restarted hydroelectric generation in the 1980s. The facility has a 900-kilowatt turbine that generates 4.2 million kWh per year.

In case you’re wondering, Emil Lorch (1870-1963) was the first University of Michigan Dean of Architecture and – as this page from the Bentley Historical Library explains, Gardner Stewart Williams was the engineer who worked with the Detroit Edison Company to identify sites for dams to generate power on the Huron in the early 1900s. There’s also a Flickr group for Barton Dam where you can see a lot more photos!

Be sure to check this photo out bigger and see more in cpcaines Ann Arbor slideshow.

Lake Michigan was first

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan, photo by GLASman1.

This coming Thursday (January 26) is Michigan’s 175th Birthday (#mich175 on twitter). We’re making a big fuss of it with a 175th Birthday Bash on Absolute Michigan, and this morning I inadvertently stumbled on a piece of Michigan’s heritage that I guess I never really thought about.

Wikipedia’s Lake Michigan entry begins:

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. The other four Great Lakes are shared by the US and Canada. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron (and is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of West Virginia).

Hydrologically, the lake is a large bay of Lake Michigan-Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Huron (among other shared properties). It is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The word “Michigan” originally referred to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwa word mishigami meaning “great water”.

It makes complete sense to me that the Lake was first. However, since I’m pretty much never able to leave ambiguities un-investigated, I dug up a discussion thread about the origin of “Michigan” from the Ojibwe Language Society Miinawaa. One member listed a few variants:

mishigami = large lake
mishigamaa = large lake
mishi’igan = large lake
mishigaam = large shoreline

and then another member wrote

my understanding of the word ‘Michigan’–which may be different from others’–is that it comes from ‘michi-zaaga’igan’, which means ‘only/just/nothing else but a lake’ [michi ‘only, just, that’s all there is’ + zaaga’igan ‘lake’].

If you think about Lake Michigan and Lake Huron and how you might perceive them before aerial capability or maps, wouldn’t they seem like one big lake to someone questing to walk or paddle the shoreline of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula? The “only lake”? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Check this out bigger and in Mark’s Point Betsie Lighthouse slideshow.

More Lake Michigan on Michigan in Pictures.

Frozen Rescue: Coast Guard Training in Marquette

Posted on by farlane

01192012_emergency_9854_autolvl_crop

01192012_emergency_9854_autolvl_crop, photo by CreateWithKim

Kim says that yesterday she braved -19 degree windchills in Marquette to take photos and came across the Coast Guard practicing rescues. This photo shows five rescuers heading out to rescue two drowning victims. See some more photos of the Great Lakes’ most vital branch of the armed forces in action on the Marquette Coast Guard Facebook page.

Check it out bigger or see this and a couple more photos from the training in Kim’s slideshow.

View another photo and read more about the Marquette Lower Harbor Ore Dock on Michigan in Pictures. Have fun this weekend and stay safe!

Tahquamenon Falls in Winter

Posted on by farlane

Tahquamenon Falls in Winter, photo by Karen Lancour

You know that we love, love, love Tahquamenon Falls on Michigan in Pictures. If you haven’t made the trek in wintertime, definitely do – it’s amazing!

Karen shared this photo on the Michigan in Pictures page on Facebook. See it bigger on Facebook and click here to see more of the photos folks have shared with us!

Ice Islands, Ice Beasts

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Ice Islands

Ice Islands, photo by Silver Cat Photography.

Here’s a crazy shot from last year on Lake Huron near Oscoda in the Ice Beast group that I created. Winter has finally arrived in force and our Great Lakes have once again become home to the fearsome and beautiful Ice Beasts. If you have captured these rare creatures, please share your photos in the group!

Click here to see it bigger and see more in Sliver Cat Photography’s winter slideshow.

 

“Winter’s palette” at Tawas Point State Park

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

"Winter's palette" Tawas Point State Park - East Tawas, Michigan

“Winter’s palette” Tawas Point State Park – East Tawas, Michigan, photo by Michigan Nut.

On another photo from Tawas Point John writes:

Anywhere you live in Michigan, you can’t be more than 85 miles from a Great Lakes Shoreline, and you cant be more than 6 miles from a natural water source; Michigan has 64,980 inland lakes.

I can’t imagine living anywhere else. But I know, others feel the same about their own paradise.

I can’t imagine living anywhere else either. Here’s the state’s Tawas Point State Park page.

Check John’s photo out on black and see some more stunning photos by John from Tawas Point (including the lighthouse) in his slideshow and definitely tune into Michigan Nut Photography on Facebook!

Hell Froze Over!!!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Hell Froze Over!!!

Hell Froze Over!!!, photo by Kathy~.

Winter 2012 has been a huge bust so far. The Detroit News notes that so far this winter, Metro Detroit has only recorded 6.7 inches of snow compared with a normal of about 15 inches, including less than 1/2 an inch in January!

While for the most part it’s a boon for cities and towns strapped for funds in some areas, it’s a whole different story for others. Brian Bienowski at the Great Lakes Echo wrote about how No snow, no ice means no business for some, saying that:

…while some rejoice the mild winter, the late ice and warmer temperatures hurt regional economies and could lower springtime water levels.

“Ice and snow are a real boon for our local businesses,” said Linda Tuck, executive director of the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce. Houghton Lake is in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.

“We have one of the most popular fishing lakes in the state, in the summer and winter, and this winter we’re seeing a real downturn,” Tuck said.

…Joy VanDrie, executive director of the Cadillac Area Visitors Bureau, said the late winter hurts the northern Michigan town.

“Snowmobile dealers, ski shops, lodging facilities … they all rely on the weather getting cold and snowy,” VanDrie said.

The good news is that Hell has frozen over and snow is falling in many areas and slated to start soon in others.

Check Kathy’s photo out bigger and dive into her Flickr Explore slideshow.

Have a fun and safe weekend everyone!

Dead River Falls

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Dead River Falls

Dead River Falls, photo by johndecember.

The Waterfall Record, a new discovery for me, has this to say about Dead River Falls:

There are some waterfalls that I’ve visited where I’ve had high expectations, and it’s not that I’m terribly disappointed, but not I’m not always sure what the attraction is. On the other hand, there are other waterfalls where my expectations are very low, and I am overwhelmed when I finally see the waterfall. There are two very impressive waterfalls on the Dead River right near Marquette.

I wasn’t expecting much because of the description I read in the book about Michigan waterfalls. I hadn’t seen any pictures, so I really didn’t know what to expect. The first waterfall is not that exciting, but wow, the 2nd waterfall is truly amazing. I wasn’t sure whether to keep walking along, but I did. The 3rd waterfall is small, but I decided to keep going. There was one turn along the trail where I suddenly realized that the 4th waterfall was going to be spectacular. It was early May, and the amount of snow melt created a great surprise. The waterfall is maybe 30′ tall or so, but the amount of water flowing over the falls was amazing. This group of waterfalls isn’t advertised that much, so you’ll likely be alone.

Also, I should mention, if I haven’t already, that the trail leading to the falls, while not terribly dangerous, would be best described as precarious at a few specific points. At one point, you’ll be hugging the dirt trail that is only feet from a river that is flowing VERY fast, at least in May. If you’re not careful, you’ll be carried away by the very swift current. As long as you’re paying close attention, I think you’ll be ok.

Read on for directions and a photo of the indeed impressive Upper Falls, and also to check out over 60 more Michigan waterfalls. Note that the site author says that on a June 2011 visit he encountered a No Trespassing sign due to work at the falls so maybe call the Marquette CVB to check before making the trek…

Check this photo out bigger and check out the area on John’s map.

Many (many) more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures.

January Ice

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

January Ice

January Ice, photo by ER Post.

January ice frames the Grand Haven Pier Light.

Check this out bigger and in Terry’s Michigan Lighthouses slideshow.

Powder Day … Month … State!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Powder Day - 2.19.09 #13

Powder Day – 2.19.09 #13, photo by CrystalMountainImages.

All January Absolute Michigan is celebrating Michigan skiing with and features on downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding along with photos and videos that take you up close and personal with the Michigan ski experience. We’re also giving away 4 pairs of tickets to 4 great Michigan ski resorts: Boyne Mountain, The Homestead, Shanty Creek and Crystal Mountain!

Michigan has 41 ski areas with 840 runs, more than 40 terrain parks and hundreds of kilometers of groomed cross-country trails, and January is the perfect month to enjoy it all. Head over to Absolute Michigan’s skiing page for all the details!

Check this out on black and see more in Crystal Mountain’s powder slideshow!