Sturgeon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed January 3, 2012 river in Baraga County and

Houghton Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada *Houghton Township, ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. of the river were added to the

National Wild and Scenic Rivers The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by United States Congress, the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreat ...

System in 1992.

Description

The Sturgeon River rises on the glacially-eroded plateau that forms much of southern Baraga County. Flowing westward through the Copper Country State Forest, it enters the

Ottawa National Forest The Ottawa National Forest is a national forest that covers in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It includes much of Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, as well as slices of Iron, Houghton, Baraga, and Marquette counties. The ...

north of Watton. The length of the river's course in this national forest has been listed as a wild and scenic river, with designated as wild and as scenic. On this stretch, which crosses and recrosses the border between Baraga County and Houghton County, the river helps to form the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness and flows over Sturgeon Falls. After leaving the Ottawa National Forest west of Baraga, Sturgeon River flows northward, again crossing and recrossing the Baraga–Houghton County line. It then is dammed up to create the

Prickett Lake Prickett Lake is a lake in Houghton County and Baraga County, Michigan. The lake is also known as Prickett Dam Backwater and is surrounded by dense forest. The lake is a reservoir and was created in 1931 by damming the Sturgeon River. The bot ...

. Flowing from there, it moves generally parallel to the western shore of Keweenaw Bay. The river discharges into Portage Lake near

Chassell, Michigan Chassell is an unincorporated community in Chassell Township of Houghton County in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It is located on Pike Bay at the south end of Portage Lake and is the largest community in the township. Chasse ...

. The Wild and Scenic portion of the Sturgeon River, within the Ottawa National Forest, is classified as a Blue Ribbon Trout Stream.

References

Rivers of Baraga County, Michigan Rivers of Houghton County, Michigan Rivers of Michigan Tributaries of Lake Superior Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States Ottawa National Forest {{Michigan-river-stub