Taming the Tahquamenon River Marker

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Near Paradise in Luce County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Taming the Tahquamenon River

Taming the Tahquamen River Marker Photo, Click for full size

By Keith L, August 10, 2006

1. Taming the Tahquamen River Marker

Inscription. The Players
James McMillan (left) and John S. Newberry (right) founded the Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette Railroad (DM&M). After completing the railroad, the company sought ways to develop the properties that they owned along the route. On October 6, 1880 the DM&M created the Tahquamenon River Improvement Company.

Just upstream from where you now stand......
In 1883, the Tahquamenon River Improvement Company completed the removal of 16,000 cubic yards of sandstone, including a small waterfall from the bed of the river. The $41,000 project was done to make the river suitable for navigation, ready the river for log drives, and deepen the river to drain thirty square miles of swampland owned by the company.

The Plan
Daniel Farrand Henry (below) surveyed the Tahquamenon River in 1880 for the Detroit, Mackinac, & Marquette Railroad Company. His report and map (left) detail the work necessary to "improve" the river.

The "Detail of Proposed Improvement" in the upper left corner of the map, states that "The improvement proposed is to cut away the crest of the "dam" at the upper rapids which would lower the water (table upstream from the big falls)......"

Location. 46° 34.524′ N, 85° 15.324′ W.

Tahquamenon River and Upper Falls Photo, Click for full size

By Keith L, August 10, 2006

2. Tahquamenon River and Upper Falls

Marker is near Paradise, Michigan, in Luce County. Marker can be reached from Michigan Route 123, on the left when traveling south. Click for map. Marker is west of Paradise, north of Newberry. Marker is at or near this postal address: 41382 West M 123, Paradise MI 49768, United States of America.

More about this marker. Marker is in Tahquamenon Falls State Park near the Upper Falls.

Regarding Taming the Tahquamenon River. The park's Upper Falls is the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi. At more than 200 feet wide and nearly 50 feet of vertical drop, the only larger falls in the eastern U.S. is Niagara.

Also see . . . Tahquamenon Falls State Park. "The variety of wildlife includes 125 species of nesting birds, plus moose, bear, wolves,..." (Submitted on January 1, 2008.)