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The River Raisin (, 'River of Sturgeon') is a river in southeast Michigan, United States, that flows in a generally easterly direction through Ice age before emptying into Lake Erie. The River Raisin drainage basin covers approximately in the Michigan counties of Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Jackson, and Hillsdale, along with Fulton County in northwest Ohio. River Raisin Watershed Information, River Raisin Watershed Council, 2010
Today, the land within its bounds is primarily used for agriculture, and light industry. Historically, the river served as a canoe transportation route for various Native American tribes, and for Voyageurs. The river's English name comes from the French language Rivière aux Raisins (translated as "River of Grapes"), in reference to the wild growing along its banks.A.C. Quisenberry, "A Hundred Years Ago: the River Raisin", Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Sept 1913, p.18
The first European settlers along the river were French Canadians, who in the 1780s developed their traditional in Frenchtown. These had narrow fronts on the river so that more farmers would have access, with deep rectangular lots reaching back from the river. Now part of Monroe, Michigan, this area is still the most populous area along the river. The resort area of Irish Hills lies in the uppermost region of the watershed, which includes 429 lakes and ponds. The largest of these is the Lake Columbia.
During the winter of 1813 as part of the War of 1812, the Battle of Frenchtown occurred near the river. Great Britain and their allied Native American troops under the command of British General Henry Procter and Native American chiefs Roundhead, Walks in Water, and Split Log, fought against a division of ill-trained Kentucky infantry and militia under command of General James Winchester. Cut off and surrounded, and facing total slaughter, Winchester surrendered with British assurances of safety for the prisoners. The British and Potawatomi allies marched those who could walk to Detroit, to be held as prisoners of war.
The next day, however, many of the severely wounded prisoners left in Frenchtown were killed by the Native Americans allies of the British. The Massacre of the River Raisin became a rallying cry ("Remember the Raisin") for Americans in the war, particularly for Kentuckians. United States troops returned in the spring to drive the British from Michigan forever. The original battlefield was preserved for years as a county park in Monroe, Michigan. It has several monuments erected to the Kentucky soldiers who died there.
On October 12, 2010, the land was transferred from the state to the federal government. By Congressional authorization, it is the only National Battlefield Park designating a battlefield of the War of 1812 - the River Raisin National Battlefield Park.
Since industrialization and intensified agriculture, the river has been polluted by industrial wastes and agricultural runoff. While cleanup efforts have mitigated some of the pollution, difficult-to-remove PCBs continue to constitute a hazardous waste. An established Area of Concern covers only of the watershed at the mouth of the river, much of which is devoted to industrial and harbor use, including the Ford Motor Company plant, Detroit Edison Monroe powerplant, and the Port of Monroe. Delisting Targets for Fish/Wildlife Habitat & Population Related Beneficial Use Impairments for the River Raisin Area of Concern, Environmental Consulting and Technology, November 20, 2008 Environmental authorities advise people not to eat some species of fish from the river, if taken below the outlet of the Monroe Dam. 2010 MICHIGAN FISH ADVISORY, MDCH Division of Environmental Health, 2010 - River Raisin, below Monroe Dam: no consumption of carp, channel cat, larger white bass; limited consumption of black buffalo, freshwater drum, smallmouth bass, smaller white bass.
The river has many small dams to control water flow. These were erected to power the many paper mills constructed along it in the mid-1800s during the lumber boom. They are also products of Henry Ford's rural industry program. While most of the dams are in Monroe, the most significant one is located in Dundee, Michigan. The Port of Monroe was constructed near the mouth of the river in the 1930s, as a needed infrastructure project sponsored by the President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration during the Great Depression.
Flooding along the river has three causes: heavy rains, ice dams developing during spring break-up, and on-shore winds pushing Lake Erie waters upstream. The worst flood was recorded on March 16, 1982, at , compared to an average mean flow of . Flooding affects mostly the lowest portions of the river. By contrast on July 13, 1988, during a severe drought, a measuring station found of water flow.
Most of the flow of the river is diverted through the Detroit Edison plant and discharged into Plum Creek. Previously it was discharged into the river, but it is now diverted to limit additional pollution of the river mouth area. The power plant's peak use of of water exceeds the river's average flow of , so on some occasions, water is drawn upstream from Lake Erie into the plant. The high level of industrial water use is thought to kill large numbers of fish in the intake screens and to make fish migration from the river into the Great Lakes almost impossible. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Biennial Remedial Action Plan Update for the River Raisin Area of Concern, Michelle D. Selzer, Water Bureau, Aquatic Nuisance Control & Remedial Action Unit, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, December 19, 2006
In 2013 U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, along with the entire Michigan delegation, introduced a resolution (H. Res. 37, 113th Congress) to honor the 200th anniversary of the battles at the River Raisin.
The Eagle Island Marsh is part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.
| +List of crossings ! Name ! Type ! Location ! County | |||
| Interstate Highway | Monroe | Monroe | |
| Winchester Parkway | Local road | ||
| Macomb Street | Local road | ||
| Michigan highway | |||
| Roessler Street | Local road | ||
| U.S. Route | |||
| Raisinville Road | Local road | Monroe Twp./ Frenchtown Twp. | |
| Ida–Maybee Road | Local road | Raisinville Twp. | |
| Michigan highway | Dundee | ||
| U.S. Route | |||
| Petersburg Road | Local road | Petersburg/ Summerfield Twp. | |
| Railroad Street/Deerfield Road | Local road | ||
| Rodesiler Highway | Local road | Deerfield Twp. | Lenawee |
| U.S. Route | Blissfield | ||
| Crockett Highway | Local road | Palmyra Twp. | |
| U.S. Route | |||
| Deerfield Road | Local road | ||
| Academy Road | Local road | ||
| Laberdee Road | Local road | Raisin Twp. | |
| Wilmoth Highway | Local road | ||
| Raisin Center Highway | Local road | ||
| Sutton Road | Local road | ||
| Russell Road | Local road | Tecumseh | |
| Michigan highway | |||
| Evans Street | Local road | ||
| Staib Road | Local road | Clinton Twp. | |
| U.S. Route | Clinton | ||
| Allen Road | Local road | Bridgewater Twp. | Washtenaw |
| Wilbur Road | Local road | ||
| Austin Road | Local road | Manchester Twp. | |
| Michigan highway | Manchester | ||
| Duncan Street | Local road | ||
| Main Street | Local road | ||
| Sharon Valley Road | Local road | Sharon Twp. | |
| Sharon Hollow Road | Local road | ||
| Sharon Valley Road | Local road | ||
| Pierce Road | Local road | Norvell Twp. | Jackson |
| Mill Road | Local road | ||
| Austin Road | Local road | ||
| Palmer Road/Wolf Lake Road | Local road | Columbia Twp. | |
| Mill Street | Local road | Brooklyn | |
| Michigan highway | Columbia Twp. | ||
| Daugherty Road | Local road | ||
| Monroe Pike Road | Local road | ||
| Michigan highway | |||
| U.S. Route | Cambridge Twp. | Lenawee | |
| Miller Highway | Local road | Woodstock Twp. | |
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