The Sandusky River ( wyn, saandusti; sjw, Potakihiipi ) is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

in north-central

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 19, 2011 and flows into

at the southwest side of

Sandusky Bay Sandusky Bay is a bay on Lake Erie in northern Ohio, formed at the mouth of the Sandusky River. It was identified as ''Lac Sandouské'' on a 1718 French map, with early variations recorded that suggest the name was derived from Native American lan ...

. The Sandusky River, like the

Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) ( sjw, Hotaawathiipi; mia, Taawaawa siipiiwi) is a river running in the United States Midwest from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph and ...

to the west, is home to the annual

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

run in the spring, specifically March–April. The river also receives a run of

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white s ...

around the same time in the spring. The numbers of walleye that return to spawn upstream are not as great as those that return to the Maumee River. The Ballville Dam, built on the Sandusky River in

Fremont, Ohio Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Sandusky County, Ohio, United States, located along the banks of the Sandusky River. It is about 35 miles from Toledo and 25 miles from Sandusky. It is part of the Toledo metropolitan area. The populat ...

, blocked migration for walleye and other fish. As fish can swim farther upstream in the Maumee, they have access to more spawning areas and have developed a larger population than in the Sandusky River. Opponents of the dam projected that its removal would improve access for walleye and other migratory fish to areas upstream and lead to an increase in their population, as has happened on other rivers where dams have been removed. The Ballville Dam was no longer used for power generation or navigation improvements. The city of Fremont undertook a study to explore the options of tearing it down or repairing it. A 2014 study found that removal would have little adverse effect on city conditions and would strongly improve the fisheries. In 2016 voters approved taking down the dam. (Note: The Balville dam was demolished in July 2018). The river's name derives from the

Wyandot Wyandot may refer to: Native American ethnography * Wyandot people, also known as the Huron * Wyandot language * Wyandot religion Places * Wyandot, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Wyandot County, Ohio * Camp Wyandot, a Camp Fire Boys and ...

words ''saandusti'', meaning "water (within water-pools)" or from ''andusti'', meaning "cold water". It was transliterated in various spellings by French and English colonists.

Course

The Sandusky River begins at the juncture of Paramour Creek and Allen Run at the unincorporated community of Leesville in

Crawford County Crawford County is the name of eleven counties in the United States: * Crawford County, Arkansas * Crawford County, Georgia * Crawford County, Illinois * Crawford County, Indiana * Crawford County, Iowa * Crawford County, Kansas * Crawford County, ...

west of Crestline, and initially flows westwardly, passing through the town of Bucyrus. In

Wyandot County Wyandot County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,900. Its county seat is Upper Sandusky. It was named for the Wyandot Indians, who lived here before and after ...

, the river turns northward for the remainder of its course, flowing through

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

and Sandusky counties and passing the towns of

Upper Sandusky Upper Sandusky is a city and the county seat of Wyandot County, Ohio, United States, along the upper Sandusky River, which flows north to Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie. The city is approximately 59 mi (96 km) south of Toledo and 62 mi ...

Tiffin Tiffin is an Indian English word for a type of meal. It refers to a light breakfast or a light tea-time meal at about 3 p.m., consisting of typical tea-time foods. In certain parts of India, it can also refer to the midday luncheon or, in s ...

and Fremont before entering

. In 1970, the river's course between Upper Sandusky and Fremont was designated as a State Scenic River by the

government of Ohio The government of the U.S. state of Ohio consists of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. Its basic structure is set forth in the Constitution of Ohio, Constitution and law of Ohio. Executive branch The daily administration of the st ...

Little Sandusky River

The Little Sandusky River is a minor tributary of the Sandusky. It flows northward from near

Brush Ridge Brush Ridge is a mountain located in the Catskill Mountains of New York northeast of Fleischmanns. Monka Hill is located southeast and Belle Ayr Mountain Belle Ayr Mountain is a mountain in the Catskill Mountains of New York southwest of ...

in northern Marion County and joins the Sandusky in southern

.Maccracken, Jim,
Wyandot County Ohio Fishing & Floating Guide Book: Complete fishing and floating information for Wyandot County Ohio
', Recreational Guides, Jul 1, 2017.

Variant names

According to the

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 ...

, the Sandusky River has also been known as: * Potake Sepe * Riviere Blanc * Riviere Sanduski * San-doo-stee River

References

External links

Ohio DNR Sandusky State Scenic River website

Sandusky River Watershed Coalition

Sandusky River - Ohio History Central
{{authority control Rivers of Ohio Sandusky, Ohio Tributaries of Lake Erie Rivers of Erie County, Ohio Rivers of Richland County, Ohio Rivers of Crawford County, Ohio Rivers of Wyandot County, Ohio Rivers of Seneca County, Ohio Rivers of Sandusky County, Ohio

Course

Little Sandusky River

Variant names

See also

References

External links