The Maumee River (pronounced ) (; ) is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

running in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

from northeastern

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

into northwestern

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) 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 also has the shortest avera ...

. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, where

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

, has developed, and meanders northeastwardly for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed May 19, 2011 through an

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

region of glacial moraines before flowing into the

Maumee Bay Maumee Bay on Lake Erie is located in the U.S. state of Ohio, just east of the city of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The bay and the surrounding wetlands form most of the Maumee River basin, and in 1975 part of the area was incorporated into Maumee Bay Sta ...

of Lake Erie. The city of Toledo is located at the mouth of the Maumee. The Maumee was designated an Ohio State Scenic River on July 18, 1974. The Maumee watershed is Ohio's breadbasket; it is two-thirds farmland, mostly corn and soybeans. It is the largest watershed of any of the rivers feeding the Great Lakes, and supplies five percent of Lake Erie's water.

History

Historically the river was also known as the ''Miami'' in United States treaties with Native Americans. As early as 1671, French colonists called the river 'Miami of the Lake' (in contrast to the ''Miami of the Ohio'' or the

Great Miami River The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee language, Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nat ...

, called in the Miami-Illinois language). ''Maumee'' is an

anglicized Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

spelling of the Ottawa or Odawa name for the

Miami tribe The Miami ( Miami–Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking the Miami–Illinois language, one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is no ...

, . The Odawa had a village at the mouth of the Maumee River and occupied other territory in northwestern Ohio, including along its tributary, the Blanchard River. The

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

, the final battle of the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1785–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native Americans in the United States, Native American na ...

, was fought north of the banks of the Maumee River. After this decisive victory for General

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military expl ...

, in 1795 Native Americans ceded a twelve-mile square tract around Perrysburg and

Maumee Maumee may refer to: Places: * Maumee Township, Allen County, Indiana * Maumee, Ohio, a city in Lucas County * Maumee River, a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana, United States * Maumee Bay, Ohio, on Lake Erie * Maumee State Fores ...

to the United States by the

Treaty of Greenville The Treaty of Greenville, also known to Americans as the Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., but formally titled ''A treaty of peace between the United States of America, and the tribes of Indians called the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanees, Ottawas ...

. They ceded additional lands, north of the river and downstream of Defiance, in the 1807

Treaty of Detroit The Treaty of Detroit was a treaty between the United States and the Ottawa, Chippewa, Wyandot and Potawatomi Native American nations. The treaty was signed in Detroit, Michigan on November 17, 1807, with William Hull, governor of the Mi ...

. They ceded the remainder of the Maumee River valley in the 1817 Treaty of Fort Meigs. Prior to the development of

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

s between the rivers were important trade routes. U.S. forces built

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

s such as Fort Loramie, Fort Recovery, and Fort Defiance along these routes. In honor of General Wayne's victory on the banks of the Maumee, the primary bridge crossing the river near downtown Toledo is named the Anthony Wayne Suspension Bridge. A dispute over control of part of the Maumee River region led to the so-called Toledo War between Ohio and the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

. Agricultural practices along the Maumee River have contributed in the 21st century to high

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

levels in Lake Erie. This has triggered algae blooms in the lake. The drinking water from the city of Toledo was made unsafe for consumption for nearly a week in August 2014 because of such algae blooms.

Natural history

The Maumee River watershed was once part of the

Great Black Swamp The Great Black Swamp (also known simply as the Black Swamp) was a glacier, glacially fed wetland in northwest Ohio and Northern Indiana, northeast Indiana, United States, that existed from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation until the late 19 ...

, a remnant of Glacial Lake Maumee, the proglacial ancestor of Lake Erie. The swamp was a vast network of forests, wetlands, and grasslands, a rich habitat for numerous species of birds, mammals, fish and flora. During the 19th century, European-American settlers struggled to drain the swamp and to convert the land to farmland; they dramatically altered the habitat, reducing areas where species could flourish.

Transportation

The mouth of the river at Toledo and Lake Erie is wide and supports considerable commercial traffic, including oil,

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

, and

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

. About upstream, in the town of Perrysburg, Ohio, the river becomes much shallower and today supports only recreational navigation above that point. The

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a co ...

was built parallel to and north of the Maumee between Toledo and Defiance, Ohio, to enable extended transportation of shipped goods. The canal entered the river at a "slackwater" created by Independence Dam. It exited the river at Defiance and was built to the south, ending at

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio. While abandoned for commercial use, portions of the canal's

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, Working animal, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mod ...

are maintained for recreational use in both Lucas and Henry counties. A restored section of canal, including a canal lock, is operated at Providence Metropark, where visitors can ride an authentic canal boat. The Wabash and Erie Canal was constructed on the south side of the river, continuing southwest from Defiance to Fort Wayne, Indiana, crossing the "summit" to the

Wabash River The Wabash River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana, and a significant part of Illinois, in the United ...

valley (in Miami-Illinois the Wabash River was known as ''Waapaahšiki siipiiwi''). Both canals were important pre-railway transportation methods in the 1840–60 period.

Watershed

The Maumee has the largest watershed of any

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

river, with . This area includes a portion of southern

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. In addition to its source

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' 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 into which the ...

– the St. Joseph River (in Miami-Illinois: ''Kociihsasiipi'') and St. Marys (in Miami-Illinois: ''Nameewa siipiiwi''), the Maumee's principal tributaries are the

Auglaize River The Auglaize River ( Shawnee: ''Kathinakithiipi'') is a tributary of the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Erie. The name of the river was derived from the ...

and the Tiffin River, which join it at Defiance from the south and north, respectively.

Environmental Conditions

Great Lakes Area of Concern

Due to environmental contamination, a portion of the river was designated a Great Lakes Area of Concern (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987. The Maumee covers 8,316 square miles and has the largest drainage area of any Great Lakes river. The Maumee AOC is contained within 775 square miles of the river and includes several creeks. The environmental problems were caused by sediment contamination and agricultural runoff. The runoff caused large amounts of

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

to enter the river, eventually leading to manmade

eutrophication Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of organisms that may deplete the oxygen in the water; ie. the process of too many plants growing on the s ...

in Lake Erie. Sediments at the site contained high levels of

polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organochlorine compounds with the formula Carbon, C12Hydrogen, H10−''x''Chloride, Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectri ...

s (PCBs) and

heavy metals upright=1.2, Crystals of lead.html" ;"title="osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead Heavy metals is a controversial and ambiguous term for metallic elements with relatively h ...

, which came from old dumps, contaminated industrial sites, combined sewer overflows and disposal of dredged materials. A 2006 remedial action plan for the AOC identified 10 "beneficial use impairments" caused by the pollution: *Added costs to industry and agriculture, which was removed in 2015 due to no additional costs required to treat the water prior to agricultural and industrial use *Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption due to PCBs and

sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

s *

Eutrophication Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of organisms that may deplete the oxygen in the water; ie. the process of too many plants growing on the s ...

or undesirable

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

, which causes persistent water quality problems, such as nuisance

algal bloom An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in fresh water or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompass ...

s, decreased water clarity and decrease of dissolved oxygen in bottom waters *Degradation of fish and wildlife populations These levels are set based on what would be expected from the amount and quality of suitable physical, chemical and biological habitat present in the AOC. *Beach closings due to the potential for high bacteria levels caused by combined sewer overflows *Fish tumors or other deformities are caused by pollutants such as petroleum products and PCBs in the sediment and water. *Degradation of aesthetics Materials and events that might cause this include oil slicks, surface scum, combined sewer overflows, excessive dust or

s. *Degradation of

benthos Benthos (), also known as benthon, is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone. which was first documented in the 1950s and has been attributed to waste deposited old dumps, contaminated industrial sites, disposal of dredged materials and combined sewer overflows *Restriction on

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

activities Contaminants in sediment can get stirred up and reintroduced to the water column during dredging activities, which remove sediment and debris from the bottom of a lake or river. *Loss of fish and wildlife habitat Restoration actions include removing stream barriers, enhancing shoreline complexity, removing invasive species or restoring

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

Islands

There are several small islands in the section of the Maumee River in northwest Ohio. The names of the islands are:Sidecut Metropark History
* Indian Island – near Farnsworth Park west of Toledo * Woodcock Island – just west of Indian Island, adjacent to Missionary Island * Missionary Island – near Farnsworth Park west of Toledo * Granger Island – near Waterville, Ohio * Butler Island – near Farnsworth Metropark, adjacent to Missionary Island's North East side * Grave Island – adjacent to Missionary Island on its south side, opposite of Butler Island * Otter Island – five miles downstream of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

* Hedges Island – located south side of Otter Island * Millers Island – three miles downstream of

* Caseys Island – west of Millers Island * Sheets Island – close to Caseys Island * Fox Island – two miles downstream of

* Number 3 Island – two miles east of

* Howard Island – near Grand Rapids Park, in

* Buttonwood Island – located north of Howard Island * Bluegrass Island – part of Side Cut Metropark * Ewing Island – the largest island in the Maumee River, formerly McKee's Island, part of Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve * Grape Island – immediately west of Ewing Island, part of Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve * Marengo Island – near

Maumee, Ohio Maumee ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Maumee River, it is a suburb about southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 13,896 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Maumee was declared an Al ...

* Horseshoe Island – near Walbridge Park in Toledo * Clark Island – near Walbridge Park in Toledo * Corbutt Island – in Toledo * Grassy Island – at the mouth of Grassy Creek at Rossford, Ohio. * Girty's Island – two miles downstream of

Florida, Ohio Florida is a village in Henry County, Ohio, United States, along the Maumee River. The population was 215 at the 2020 census. History Prior to European settlement Florida was the site of American Indian villages. The most notable village site w ...

* Sand Island – one mile upstream of

* Preston Island – near Defiance, Ohio * Little Sisters Island – near Rossford, Ohio

Walleye run

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the annual

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

run up the Maumee River is one of the largest migrations of riverbound walleye east of the Mississippi. The

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

of the walleye normally starts in early March and runs through the end of April. Although the first week of April is "historically" the peak of the migration, it varies according to environmental conditions. When river flows rise due to snow melt-off and the river water temperature reaches , the migration begins. Walleye come to spawn from the western end of

and the

Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...

and

Lake St. Clair Lake St. Clair () is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day they first saw the lake. ...

in Michigan. The most popular method of fishing for the migrating walleye is by wading out into the river and casting.

Cities and towns along the river

* New Haven, Indiana * Woodburn, Indiana *

Antwerp, Ohio Antwerp is a village in Paulding County, Ohio, United States, along the Maumee River. The population was 1,676 at the 2020 census. Antwerp is the nearest village to the Six Mile Reservoir, the site of the Reservoir War in 1887. Antwerp is the ...

* Cecil, Ohio * Defiance, Ohio *

* Napoleon, Ohio *

Grand Rapids, Ohio Grand Rapids is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Grand Rapids Township, Wood County, Ohio, Grand Rapids Township, Wood County, Ohio, Wood County, Ohio, United States, along the Maumee River. The population was 925 at the 2020 United St ...

* Waterville, Ohio *

Perrysburg, Ohio Perrysburg is a city located in Wood County, Ohio, United States, along the south side of the Maumee River. The population was 25,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Part of the Toledo metropolitan area, the city is southwest of To ...

Rossford, Ohio Rossford is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, located along the Maumee River in the Toledo metropolitan area. The population was 6,299 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town includes the intersection of Interstate 75 and ...

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

Oregon, Ohio Oregon is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. Located on Lake Erie, it is a suburb of Toledo lying east of the city and is home to Maumee Bay State Park. The population was 19,950 at the 2020 census. History Oregon was once part o ...

References

External links

Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor

Maumee River Basin Commission
(Indiana) *
Google Map of the Maumee River
{{authority control Rivers of Indiana Rivers of Ohio Tributaries of Lake Erie Rivers of Defiance County, Ohio Rivers of Lucas County, Ohio Rivers of Allen County, Indiana Rivers of Paulding County, Ohio Rivers of Wood County, Ohio Rivers of Henry County, Ohio