Lake Mitchell History & Facts
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
Heres 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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