Higgins Lake
United States · Americas
About
Higgins Lake is a large recreational and fishing lake in Roscommon County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 9,900 acres (4,000 ha) lake is known for its deep, clear waters and is the 10th largest in Michigan with a shoreline of 21 miles (34 km). It is named after Sylvester Higgins, the first chief of the topographical department of the Michigan Geological Survey. It has a maximum width of 4 miles (6.4 km) and a length of 7 miles (11 km) with a maximum depth of 135 feet (41 m). The mean depth is 30.4 feet (9.3 m) and the lake contains almost 20 billion cubic feet (570×10^6 m3) of water. Its retention time is about 12.5 years. The lake's watershed covers 19,000 acres (7,700 ha). The twin-lobed lake receives half of its water from submerged springs, six percent from incoming streams, and the remainder from direct rainfall and runoff. It drains into Marl Lake by the Cut River which runs into Houghton Lake and eventually to Lake Michigan via the Muskegon River. A mile north of the lake, water flows into the Lake Huron watershed.
Sportfish in the lake include yellow perch, trout, smelt and pike. Fish are taken both in open water and by ice fishing. Higgins Lake is considered a morphometrically oligotrophic lake, meaning that its large size causes it to appear and function as a nutrient-poor lake although it receives a fair amount of nutrients.
The unincorporated community of Higgins Lake is located along the western shores of the lake, and the lake is situated on the boundary between Lyon Township on the west and Gerrish Township on the east.
There are two state parks, located on opposite ends of the lake: South Higgins Lake State Park, which has a mile of shoreline, and North Higgins Lake State Park. Both provide public boat launches and camping, and are very popular in the summer months. The south park is older, larger, and more developed. The north park is located on what was once the world's largest seedling nursery, a part of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and early 1940s.
Centuries before European settlers came to North America, the Chippewa (Ojibwe) people called the lake Majinabeesh, from maaji ("start") and nibiish ("waters"), meaning 'start of the waters'. This lake was one of many created by glaciers shifting across Northern Michigan. When the glaciers dug into the soil around 12,000 years ago, they uncovered the natural springs that feed Higgins Lake. Since these springs are consistently flowing, there must be a way to manage this constant feeding of water. That is where the dam comes into play. This dam flows at 44.2 cubic feet per second and helps keep the water level steady. The watershed as of 2020 is 35.7% open water. The rest is 38.3% forest, 10.1% urban, 7.9% wetland, 5.3% grassland, 2.5% other, and 0.1% agricultural.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.