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| link1=[[United States Genealogy|United States]] | |||
| link2=[[United_States_Migration_Internal|Migration]] | |||
| link3=[[US_Migration_Trails_and_Roads|U.S. Migration Trails and Roads]] | |||
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| link5=[[Lake_Michigan|Lake Michigan]] | |||
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<br>[[Image:Lake Michigan.jpg|thumb|right|200x300px|Lake Michigan.jpg]]The only one of the five Great Lakes of North America that is located entirely within the United States is Lake Michigan. The other four Great Lakes are shared by the US and Canada. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume <ref>GLIN, "Lake Michigan" at Great-lakes.net. (accessed 20 November 2013).</ref> 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). The wide Straits of Mackinac to the east of Lake Michigan conjoin it with Lake Huron, giving it the same surface elevation as its easterly counterpart; the two are technically a single lake. The states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan form the boundaries of Lake Michigan. The word "Michigan" originally referred to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwa word mishigami meaning "great water".<ref>Encyclopedia of Chicago, "Lake Michigan" at http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/711.html (accessed 20 November 2013).</ref> | <br>[[Image:Lake Michigan.jpg|thumb|right|200x300px|Lake Michigan.jpg]]The only one of the five Great Lakes of North America that is located entirely within the United States is Lake Michigan. The other four Great Lakes are shared by the US and Canada. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume <ref>GLIN, "Lake Michigan" at Great-lakes.net. (accessed 20 November 2013).</ref> 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). The wide Straits of Mackinac to the east of Lake Michigan conjoin it with Lake Huron, giving it the same surface elevation as its easterly counterpart; the two are technically a single lake. The states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan form the boundaries of Lake Michigan. The word "Michigan" originally referred to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwa word mishigami meaning "great water".<ref>Encyclopedia of Chicago, "Lake Michigan" at http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/711.html (accessed 20 November 2013).</ref> | ||
=== History | === History === | ||
Some of the earliest known human inhabitants of the Lake Michigan region were the Hopewell Indians. Their culture declined after 800 AD, and later was the home of peoples known as the Late Woodland Indians. It was in the early seventeenth century that western European explorers came to the region. The people they encountered were descendants of the Late Woodland Indians: the Chippewa, Menominee, Sauk, Fox, Winnebago, Miami, Ottawa, and Potawatomi.<ref name="Lake Michigan on wikipedia"> Lake Michigan[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Michigan](accessed 20 November 2013)</ref> <br><br> | Some of the earliest known human inhabitants of the Lake Michigan region were the Hopewell Indians. Their culture declined after 800 AD, and later was the home of peoples known as the Late Woodland Indians. It was in the early seventeenth century that western European explorers came to the region. The people they encountered were descendants of the Late Woodland Indians: the Chippewa, Menominee, Sauk, Fox, Winnebago, Miami, Ottawa, and Potawatomi.<ref name="Lake Michigan on wikipedia"> Lake Michigan[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Michigan](accessed 20 November 2013)</ref> <br><br> | ||
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The Great Lakes are also connected by canal to the Gulf of Mexico via the Illinois River (from Chicago) and the Mississippi River. An alternate route is via the Illinois River (from Chicago), to the Mississippi, up the Ohio, and then through the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterwa, to Mobile Bay and the Gulf. Commercial tug-and-barge traffic on these waterways is heavy.<br><br>Pleasure boats can also enter or exit the Great Lakes by way of the Erie Canal and Hudson River in New York. The Erie Canal connects to the Great Lakes at the east end of Lake Erie at Buffalo, NY and at the south side of Lake Ontario at Oswego, NY. | |||
=== Beaches === | === Beaches === | ||
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<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Lake Michigan has many beaches, and is often referred to as the "Third Coast" of the United States (the others being the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean). </span> | <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Lake Michigan has many beaches, and is often referred to as the "Third Coast" of the United States (the others being the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean). </span> | ||
The sand dunes located on the Michigan shore are the largest freshwater dune system in the world. In many locations the dunes rise several hundred feet above the Lake surface. Large dune formations can be seen in many state parks, national forests and national parks along the Indiana and Michigan shoreline.<br><br>The Great Lakes Circle Tours are designated scenic road systems connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. More information about them can be found at the Michigan Highway website: [http://www.michiganhighways.org/other/glct.html www.michiganhighways.org/other/glct.html] | The sand dunes located on the Michigan shore are the largest freshwater dune system in the world. In many locations the dunes rise several hundred feet above the Lake surface. Large dune formations can be seen in many state parks, national forests and national parks along the Indiana and Michigan shoreline.<br><br>The Great Lakes Circle Tours are designated scenic road systems connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. More information about them can be found at the Michigan Highway website: [http://www.michiganhighways.org/other/glct.html www.michiganhighways.org/other/glct.html] | ||
=== Car Ferries === | === Car Ferries === | ||
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=== Ecology === | === Ecology === | ||
<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Lake Michigan is home to a variety of species of fish and other organisms. It was originally home to lake trout, yellow perch, panfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bowfin, as well as some species of catfish. In recent years overfishing has caused a decline in lake trout, ultimately causing an increase in the alewife population. As a result, coho and chinook salmon were introduced as a predator of alewives to decrease the alewife population. This program was so successful that the salmon population exploded, and the states surrounding Lake Michigan promoted Salmon Snagging. This practice has since been made illegal in all of the Great Lakes states with the exception of a limited season in Illinois. Lake Michigan is now being stocked with several species of fish. However, several invader species introduced such as lampreys, round goby, and zebra mussels threaten the vitality of fish populations.<ref name="Lake Michigan on wikipedia" /></span> | <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Lake Michigan is home to a variety of species of fish and other organisms. It was originally home to lake trout, yellow perch, panfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bowfin, as well as some species of catfish. In recent years overfishing has caused a decline in lake trout, ultimately causing an increase in the alewife population. As a result, coho and chinook salmon were introduced as a predator of alewives to decrease the alewife population. This program was so successful that the salmon population exploded, and the states surrounding Lake Michigan promoted Salmon Snagging. This practice has since been made illegal in all of the Great Lakes states with the exception of a limited season in Illinois. Lake Michigan is now being stocked with several species of fish. However, several invader species introduced such as lampreys, round goby, and zebra mussels threaten the vitality of fish populations.<ref name="Lake Michigan on wikipedia" /></span><br> | ||
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=== Bibliography === | === Bibliography === | ||