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Facts and History
Answers to commonly asked questions
How long should we wait before watering gardens and lawns after a chemical treatment?
It should
be safe to water in about a week. The restriction on the notice indicates about four months which is appropriate in
a small body of water, but the water dispersal in a large lake like Mitchell is rapid.
What can be done about ducks and geese defecating on our lawn?
Water fowl avoid shorelines with
greenbelts of bushy foliage as the birds may fear predators hiding there and it is more difficult to walk through
foliage than up onto a lawn or seawall directly from the water. You may also stretch a thin line about a foot off
the ground along your shoreline.
What are those green balls of algae that lie in the shallows and cover our beach?
Cladophora is
a green ball-like algae commonly found in nutrient rich waters. Research links these blooms to high levels of
phosphorus in the water. Fertilizers with phosphorus contribute to the problem. Wind and wave action cause the
algae to break free from the lake bottom and wash up on the shore.
In Lake Mitchell the Improvement Board uses fine mesh harvesters to pick up chladophora and is investigating the
use of algae killing chemicals and aeration systems to solve the problem.
Are walleye scheduled to be planted in Lake Mitchell?
The possibility of the VHS virus in
rearing ponds caused the DNR to suspend walleye planting Michigan lakes in 2007. In December the ban was lifted and
the DNR has begun raising walleye fry again. Within two years the operation should be a full capacity and Lake
Mitchell should receive a walleye planting.
What are differences between a Lake Board and a Lake Association?
A Lake Improvement Board is
established by a local unit of government to manage an inland lake and carry out desired improvements governed by
Public 451 of 1994, Part 309 amended. The membership includes a representatives from the County Commission, the
City of Cadillac, Selma and Cherry Grove Townships, the Drain Commissioner, and one lakeshore property owner.
The Lake Mitchell Association is composed of all property owners having lakefront or deeded access to the lake. The
Improvement Board uses the assessment monies collected with the property tax on projects desired by the
Association.
Historical Notes about the Lake Mitchell Area
Chippewa and Ottawa Indians came from the Mackinac area to hunt and garden in the area. Indian artifacts were found
near the canal, Country Club golf course and the Junior High at the mouth of Clam River. The first white man
believed to have seen Lake Mitchell was Alexander Henry, a survivor of massacre of Fort Michilimackinac. Henry was
adopted by his tribe and went on hunting trip to Wexford County area in about 1763.
An Indian trail going from Lake Mitchell to Traverse Bay has been marked with white stone markers. Marker 1# is
found on shore of the lake at Hiawatha Park on east side of Lake Mitchell. Marker 2# is at the corner of 13th
Street (North Lake Mitchell Dr.) and 33 ½ Rd. Marker 3# is on right side of Boon Rd a quarter mile west of 33 ½
Rd.. From then on you are on your own. This trail is not maintained and, as we discovered, hard to
follow.
Wexford County was purchased from the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians in 1836 and was originally called Kautawabet, a
Pottowatomi word which may mean "broken tooth".
The Cadillac area became one of the first inland areas to become a lumbering center. Because of prevailing west
winds which would push logs to the east end of Lake Cadillac, the city of Cadillac was established on the east
shore of Lake Cadillac in 1871 by George Mitchell, who is the namesake of our lake.
Originally Cadillac, Lake Cadillac, and Lake Mitchell were called Clam Lake, Little Clam Lake and Big Clam Lake
respectively. The names were changed in 1903. The name Cadillac comes from Antoine DelaMothe Cadillac, a French
explorer who founded the city of Detroit.
The heyday of the lumber industry was the 1880s-1890s. By 1920 much of the vast stands of white pine had been clear
cut and the land was treeless. A few huge white pines grow in the Mitchell swamp woods and several can be seen off
33 ½ Rd near Boon Road.
The canal was dug in 1873 so logs harvested on the shores of Lake Mitchell could be floated to the mills on Lake
Cadillac. With the canal in place Lake Mitchell dropped one foot and the low parts of the city of Cadillac were
flooded.
Black Creek, which leaves Mitchell about a half mile north of the canal and empties into Lake Cadillac in Kenwood
Park, is the natural connector between the lakes. Adventure seekers will find it navigable in the spring although
there are eight portages (including one across M-115) and liftovers between Mitchell and Cadillac.
Wexford County's population based on US census: 1940 - 17,936, 1950 - 18,628, 1960 - 18,475, 1970 - 19,717, 1980 -
25,102, 1990 - 26,367, 2000 - 30,484. Projected in 2030 - 48,000.
I would like to compile a history of the Lake Mitchell area including photos, stories, and other data on the
settling and development along the shoreline. If you wish to contribute or can help find sources of information,
please email info@lakemitchell..org. Here’s a chance to share
information about what was happening here forty, fifty, sixty, or hundred years ago.
Quick Facts about Lake Mitchell & Lake Cadillac
Size of lakes: Lake Mitchell - 2,496 acres ; Lake Cadillac - 1,150 acres
Maximum depth: Lake Mitchell - 22 feet; Lake Cadillac - 30 feet
Lake Mitchell mean depth - 8.5 feet
Lake Mitchell flushing rate 1.06 years -complete exchange of water.
Water clarity: Lake Mitchell - 5-8 feet
10.4 miles to circle Lake Mitchell on a bike or in a car
7.1 miles to circle Lake Cadillac on bike (7.2 in car)
Acres of milfoil identified in 2005: Lake Mitchell -118 acres; Lake Cadillac -200+ acres
Length of canal: .3 mile
Average date lakes freeze 1974-2005 - last week of November.
Average date lakes become ice free 1974-2005 - second week of April
The lakes at 1289 feet above sea level are among the highest in the Lower Peninsula.
Lake Mitchell is in the Muskegon River watershed. Years ago Pete Smith paddled from Lake Mitchell down the Clam
River, into the Muskegon River and on to Lake Michigan
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