Swartz Creek is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed November 7, 2011 creek located in the
Mid Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
area 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 territori ...
. It is a tributary of the
Flint River and has two branches, the East and West Branch. Its name comes from the German word ''Schwarz'', meaning "black", as the creek water is muddy.
Description
The east branch originates at a number of lakes at Holly State Recreation Area in
Holly Township in
Oakland County
Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, b ...
. It then flows through a number of small lakes in
Fenton Township, taking a turn northwards to flow through
Mundy Township, and finally heading along the west side of
Bishop International Airport
Bishop International Airport is a commercial and general aviation airport located in Flint, Michigan, United States. It is named after banker and General Motors board member Arthur Giles Bishop (April 12, 1851 – January 22, 1944), who do ...
to join up with the west branch of the creek just north of
Interstate 69 near the Bristol Road on-ramps. It then continues northeast through the city of Flint until it empties into the
Flint River.
The west branch begins directly southwest of the city of
Swartz Creek in
Gaines Township. It then flows northeast through the city and then through
Flint Township, where it meets the eastern branch at Bristol Road and I-69. The previous "head waters" was a swamp called "Gaines' Dead Marsh", or "Dead Man's Swamp", which was drained by
Henry Howland Crapo for farm land. This swamp was the source of the muddy water that gave the creek its name.
Tributaries
* East Branch
:* Indian Creek – joins up at Cook Road East of US-23
::* Dawe Creek – join up with Indian Creek South of Cook Road East of Torrey Road
:* Seaver Drain – joins up at Cook Road West of Fenton Road
:* Brewer Drain - joins up between Brewer Road and US-23, South of Reid Road and North of Grand Blanc Road
* West Branch
:* Hewitt Drain – joins up east of the Bristol Road on ramps
::* Howland Drain – meets Hewitt Drain just North of Maple Road between Linden Road and Jennings Road
:* Kimball Drain – meets up just North of the Railroad along the City of Swartz Creek's Southern border.
::* Lum Drain – meets up with Kimball Drain Northeast of Morrish and Reid Roads
See also
*
West Second Street–Swartz Creek Bridge
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Oakland County, Michigan
Rivers of Genesee County, Michigan
Rivers of Michigan
Tributaries of Lake Huron