Lake Mitchell is one of two lakes in

Wexford County, Michigan Wexford County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 33,673. The county seat is Cadillac. Wexford County is part of the Cadillac, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which also includ ...

, that are joined by the

Clam Lake Canal The Clam Lake Canal (sometimes called the Cadillac Canal) is a man-made canal between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac in Cadillac, Michigan made by George A. Mitchell in the 1870s. The purpose of the canal was to facilitate the movement of log ...

. The other lake is

Lake Cadillac Lake Cadillac is a lake located within the city of Cadillac, Michigan. It is part of the Muskegon River watershed. Natural features Lake Cadillac is fed by two inlets: a small river flowing from Lake Mitchell and a short canal of the same origi ...

Mitchell State Park William Mitchell State Park is a public recreation area covering within the city limits of Cadillac in northern lower Michigan. The state park is located between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac. The historic Clam Lake Canal, approximately ...

is located on Lake Mitchell. Bluegill, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Black Crappie, Rock Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Bullhead are types of fish in Lake Mitchell.

History

Historically, Lake Mitchell was referred to as ''Big Clam Lake'', and ''Clam Lake'' is still shown in the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

official

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

as a variant name for Lake Mitchell. In 1873, local businessman

George A. Mitchell George A. Mitchell (January 8, 1824 – August 5, 1878) was an American businessman, merchant, railwayman, lumber baron, and real estate developer. In the 1870s he bought of land in Michigan, divided and sold it in lots, and established the villa ...

founded the village of Clam Lake (renamed

Cadillac, Michigan Cadillac ( ) is a city in and county seat of Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 census, which ranks it the third most-populated city in the Northern Michigan region after Traverse City and Alp ...

, in 1882) and constructed the canal connecting Big Clam Lake to Little Clam Lake. At the time, the canal enabled logging on the west side of Lake Mitchell; logs floated through the canal entered Lake Cadillac, on the east shore of which stood

lumber mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s, the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

and the Village of Clam Lake. The names of the two lakes were changed in 1903, with Little Clam Lake renamed as Lake Cadillac (for the community) and Big Clam Lake as Lake Mitchell, in honor of William W. Mitchell, the nephew and business partner of George A. Mitchell.

References

Bodies of water of Wexford County, Michigan

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...

{{WexfordCountyMI-geo-stub

History

See also

References