Saint Clair River Rivière Sainte Claire
Landsat satellite photo, showing Lake Saint Clair (center), as well as St. Clair River connecting it to Lake Huron (to the North) and Detroit River connecting it to Lake Erie (to the South)
Origin	Lake Huron
Mouth	Lake Saint Clair
Length	40.5 mi (65.2 km)
Avg. discharge	182,000 cu ft/s (5,200 m3/s)
Basin area	222,400 sq mi (576,000 km2)

Great Lakes freighters navigating on the lower St. Clair River. View is from the U.S. side, looking across to Canada.

The St. Clair River is a 40.5-mile-long (65.2 km)^[1] river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is a significant component in the Great Lakes Waterway, with shipping channels permitting cargo vessels to travel between the upper and lower Great Lakes.

Location[link]

The river, which some consider a "strait,"[1] flows in a southerly direction, connecting the southern end of Lake Huron to the northern end of Lake St. Clair. It branches into several channels near its mouth at Lake St. Clair, creating a broad delta region known as the St. Clair Flats.

Size[link]

The river is 40.5 miles (65.2 km) long^[1] and drops 5 feet (2 m) in elevation from Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair. The flow rate averages around 182,000 cubic feet per second (5,200 m³/s), and the drainage area is 222,400 square miles (576,000 km²).^{[citation needed]} This takes into account the combined drainage areas of Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior.

History[link]

In the 18th century, French Voyageurs and Coureurs des bois travelled on the river in canoes loaded with furs destined to adorn Europe's royalty. Ships built at Marine City, Michigan, during the mid-19th century carried immigrants up the river on their way to new homes in the American West. During the 20th century, freighters returned from the upper Great Lakes with iron ore, copper, and grain - products of some of these settlers' labor.

Watersheds[link]

Head of river looking into Lake Huron, showing the twin Blue Water Bridge

The St. Clair River and its Lambton County tributaries in Ontario contributes 103,210 acres (41,770 ha) to the watershed, although this does not include the Sydenham River watershed. In Michigan, the Black River, Pine River, and Belle River drain 780,600 acres (315,900 ha) in Lapeer, Macomb, Sanilac, and St. Clair counties; the watersheds around Bunce Creek and Marine City are relatively small.

Islands[link]

• Stag Island lies between Corunna, Ontario and Marysville, Michigan.
• Fawn Island is near Port Lambton, Ontario and Marine City, Michigan.
• Walpole, Seaway, Bassett, Squirrel, Pottowatamie, St. Anne, Dickinson, Russell and Harsens islands are located where the St. Clair River flows into Lake St. Clair near Algonac, Michigan; these islands form the "St. Clair Flats", the only major river delta in the Great Lakes and the largest freshwater delta in North America. Six of the islands in this delta are Crown lands used by the Walpole Island First Nation.

Land usage[link]

Most of the watershed away from the river in Ontario and Michigan is used for agriculture. A few forest and wetland remnants are present, although their area has declined significantly since European settlement.

Much of the shoreline on both sides of the St. Clair River is urbanized and heavily industrialized. Intensive development has occurred in and near the adjacent cities of Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, at the northern end of the river. The heaviest concentration of industry (including a large petrochemical complex) lies along the Ontario shore south of Sarnia.

Several communities along the St. Clair rely on the river as their primary source of drinking water. About one-third to one-half of the residents of Michigan receive their water from the St. Clair/Detroit River waterway.^{[citation needed]} Industries – including petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturers, paper mills, salt producers and electric power plants – need high quality water for their operations, although there have been some cases in recent years where these industries have contaminated river waters after discharging pollutants.

Land habitat[link]

Land areas of the St. Clair River shoreline and flats consist of two biological zones: upland and transitional, both of which are normally above the water table, but which may be flooded periodically.

The upland forests consist of deciduous species, many of which are near their northern climatic limit. Most pre-European settlement trees have been cleared for agriculture, industry, or urbanization. Remaining forest stands, such as oak savannas as well as lakeplain prairies, are found along the southern reaches of the river, particularly on the islands of the St. Clair River Delta and on the Michigan shore in Algonac State Park.

Transitional species are abundant in the low-lying regions, categorized as shrub ecotones, wet meadows, sedge marshes, and island shorelines and beaches. This habitat is home to water and land mammals, including humans, as well as songbirds, waterfowl, insects, pollinators, reptiles, and amphibians.

Water habitat[link]

The aquatic habitat of the St. Clair River ranges from deep and fast near the Blue Water Bridge to shallow and slow in the lower river near its discharge point into Lake St. Clair.

Each area provides a unique habitat for aquatic life:

• macrophytes (visible marine plants),
• benthic macroinvertebrates (organisms that live at the bottom of a lake or stream),
• phytoplankton and zooplankton (floating plants and animals),
• emergent vegetation (plants seen above the water surface),
• fish (from minnows to large sport fish).

Area of concern[link]

Canadian freighter Algorail downbound in the St. Clair River

The St. Clair River is listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) because of pollutants such as bacteria, heavy metals, and toxic organics, which had come from municipal and industrial discharges, urban and rural runoff, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and contaminated sediments.

The St. Clair River AOC includes the entire river, from the Blue Water Bridge at the north end, to the southern tip of Seaway Island, west to St. Johns Marsh and east to include the north shore of Mitchells Bay on Lake St. Clair. Anchor Bay is not included.

Through the Great Lakes agreement, a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) was created to initiate cleanup measures. It consists of six steps:

• Restrictions on fish consumption
• Bird and animal deformities
• Degradation of benthos
• Restrictions on dredging activities
• Restrictions on drinking water consumption
• Beach closings
• Degradation of aesthetics
• Added cost to agriculture and industry
• Loss of fish and wildlife habitat

The RAP for the St. Clair River AOC was initiated in 1985. A binational group, called the RAP Team, was established in 1987 to develop the plan and ensure adequate and appropriate public involvement. The RAP Team included representatives from federal, state, and provincial governments.

• A large blob of perchloroethylene was found at the bottom of the St Clair River due to runoff from Dow Chemical Corp in 1985. It remains there, slowly mixing with the water.http://www.sustreport.org/lakes/lakes_timeline.htm#seventies

Crossings[link]

This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the St. Clair River from Lake St. Clair upstream to Lake Huron.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Crossing	Carries	Location	Coordinates
Harsens Island Ferry	M-154	Algonac, Michigan and Harsens Island, Michigan (crosses the North Channel of the St. Clair)
Russell Island Ferry	passengers only	Algonac, Michigan and Russell Island, Michigan
Walpole-Algonac Ferry	cars and passengers	Algonac, Michigan and Walpole Island, Ontario
Sombra-Marine City (Bluewater) Ferry	M-29 St. Clair Parkway	Marine City, Michigan and Sombra, Ontario
St. Clair Tunnel	Canadian National Railway	Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario
Blue Water Bridge	I-69 I-94 Highway 402

See also[link]

• List of rivers of Ontario

References[link]

External links[link]

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Saint Clair River

v t e Metro Detroit Topics Architecture Culture Detroit River Economy Freeways History Historic places International Riverfront Lake St. Clair Media Music Parks and beaches People Skyscrapers Sports Theatre Tourism Transportation Major city Detroit Municipalities over 80,000 Canton Township Clinton Township Dearborn Livonia Sterling Heights Troy Warren Westland Municipalities 45,000 to 80,000 Dearborn Heights Farmington Hills Grosse Pointe Macomb Township Novi Pontiac Redford Township Rochester Hills Royal Oak St. Clair Shores Shelby Township Southfield Taylor Waterford Township West Bloomfield Township Satellite cities Ann Arbor Brighton Flint Howell Lapeer Monroe Port Huron Toledo Windsor Ypsilanti Counties in MSA Lapeer Livingston Macomb Oakland St. Clair Wayne Counties in CSA Genesee Monroe Washtenaw Regions Southeast Michigan Great Lakes Outlying regions Central Michigan Flint/Tri-Cities Northwest Ohio Southwestern Ontario The Thumb  Michigan  United States

v t e Great Lakes of North America Main lakes Erie Huron Michigan Ontario Superior Secondary lakes Nipigon Nipissing St. Clair Simcoe Winnebago Lake Champlain Waterways Detroit River Erie Canal French River Great Lakes Waterway Niagara River Nipigon River St. Clair River Saint Lawrence River Saint Lawrence Seaway St. Marys River Soo Locks Straits of Mackinac Trent–Severn Waterway Welland Canal Lists of islands Detroit River Great Lakes Michigan (Huron, Isle Royale National Park) Ontario Historic geology Lake Agassiz Lake Chicago Lake Maumee Mackinac Falls Niagara Escarpment Wisconsin glaciation Lake Michigan–Huron Lakeshores Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Calumet Shoreline Glenwood Shoreline Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Related topics Basin Bays of the Great Lakes Great Lakes region Georgian Bay Great Lake ships Isle Royale Lake-effect snow Manitoulin Island Megalopolis Quebec City – Windsor Corridor Settlements Shipwrecks Tall ships Great Lakes Areas of Concern Great Lakes Treaties

v t e Parks in metropolitan Detroit Detroit city Belle Isle • Campau Park • Campus Martius • Chandler Park • Clark Park • Central Park • Dequindre Cut • International Riverfront • Engel Memorial Park • Ford Park • Fort Wayne • Gabriel Richard Park • Grand Circus • Layfayette Park • New Center Park • Owen Park • Palmer Park • Patton Park • Reid Memorial Park • State Fairgrounds • Three Mile Drive Park • Roosevelt Park Metro 600 to 1,500 acres (243 to 607 ha) Addison Oaks • Algonac State Park • Belle Isle • Camp Dearborn • Crosswinds Marsh • Hayes State Park (Irish Hills) • Independence Oaks • Lower Huron • Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area • Metro Beach Metropark • River Rouge Park • Sterling State Park 1,500 to 5,000 acres (607 to 2,023 ha) Bald Mountain • Brighton Recreation Area • Hines Drive • Hudson Mills • Huron Meadows • Indian Springs • Kensington • Lake Erie Metropark • Pontiac Lake Recreation Area • Oakwoods • Pointe Mouillee State Game Area • Stony Creek Metropark • Wolcott Mill • Willow over 5,000 acres (2,023 ha) Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge • Highland Recreation Area • Ortonville Recreation Area • Pinckney State Recreation Area Waterways Clinton River • Detroit River (Islands) • Huron River • Lake St. Clair • River Rouge • St. Clair River Major beaches Belle Isle • Kensington • Lakeside Beach and Park • Lighthouse Beach and Park • Metro Beach • Stony Creek Trails 5 to 36 miles (8 to 58 km) Bald Mountain • Detroit River Walk / Dequindre Cut • Highland Recreation Lakes • Kensington • Lakelands Trail State Park • Maybury State Park • Novi North Park • Paint Creek Trail • Poly Ann Trail • Pontiac Lake Recreation Area • Stony Creek Inwood Trails • Waterloo-Pinckney Trail Zoological and botanical Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory • Cranbrook • Detroit Zoo • Matthaei Botanical Gardens See also Tourism in metropolitan Detroit and Huron-Clinton Metroparks

Coordinates: 42°31′59″N 82°40′29″W / 42.53306°N 82.67472°W / 42.53306; -82.67472

St. Clair Shores, Michigan
—  City  —
Nickname(s): The Shores
Location of St. Clair Shores, Michigan
Coordinates: 42°29′16″N 82°53′48″W / 42.48778°N 82.89667°W / 42.48778; -82.89667
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Macomb
Government
• Mayor	Kip C. Walby
• Councilmembers	John D. Caron, Ronald J. Fredericks, Peter A. Rubino, Candice B. Rusie, Anthony G. Tiseo, and Christopher M. Vitale
• City Manager	Benjamin Hughes
Area
• Total	14.2 sq mi (36.9 km2)
• Land	11.5 sq mi (29.9 km2)
• Water	2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2)  19.09%
Elevation	577 ft (176 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	63,096
• Density	5,472.3/sq mi (2,112.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Zip Codes	48080, 48081, 48082
Area code(s)	586
FIPS code	26-70760[1]
GNIS feature ID	0636601[2]

St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake St. Clair in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located approximately 13 miles (21 km) northeast of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,715. The current mayor is Kip C. Walby, and the current councilmembers are John D. Caron, Ronald J. Fredericks, Peter A. Rubino, Candice B. Rusie, Anthony G. Tiseo, and Christopher M. Vitale.

Geography[link]

A public beach in St. Clair Shores

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.2 square miles (37 km²), of which 11.5 square miles (30 km²) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²) (19.09%) is water. A notable feature of St. Clair Shores is its 14 miles (23 km) of canals.

History and culture[link]

The area was inhabited by French settlers as early as 1710, at which time it was called L'anse Creuse. (L'anse Creuse was also the name of a stop on the now-defunct interurban railroad off of Jefferson Ave near Nine Mile Road, and the name lives on today in the L'Anse Creuse Public Schools in central Macomb County, MI and L'Anse Creuse High School in Harrison Twp.)

From 1843 until 1911, St. Clair Shores was a part of Erin Township, parts of which make up today's Eastpointe, the Grosse Pointes and St. Clair Shores. In 1911, the township's name changed to Lake Township. Lake Township existed until 2009, when residents of the village of Grosse Pointe Shores (that portion of Grosse Pointe Shores in Macomb County located within Lake Township) voted to incorporate as a city.

The city once was home to an amusement park named Jefferson Beach. Built in 1927, it featured the longest roller coaster in the United States. In 1955, a fire destroyed several buildings in the park. While Jefferson Beach attempted to rebuild, its owners slowly converted the park to a marina. In 1959, the remaining amusement park buildings were destroyed to make room for the marina.

With help from its location along the shores of Lake Saint Clair, St. Clair Shores grew from a resort community to a suburban city rapidly after World War II. Prior to the city's incorporation in 1951, St. Clair Shores was recognized as the largest village in the United States.

The tallest building in St. Clair Shores is the 28-story Shore Club Highrise, known locally as "9 Mile Tower", located on Nine Mile Road and Jefferson Avenue near Lake Saint Clair.

Each year, St. Clair Shores hosts a popular Memorial Day Parade. The city is also known for its "Nautical Mile" - a strip of Jefferson Avenue between Nine Mile and 10 Mile roads featuring many retail establishments, boat dealers, and marinas.

St. Clair Shores is home to one of the longest running local pageants as a member of the Miss America Organization. The Miss St. Clair Shores program offers scholarships to young women in the community ages 17–24. Miss St. Clair Shores volunteers and serves her city during her preparation to compete at the Miss Michigan Pageant.

The city is also known for its connection to Detroit's musical history. Notable locations include Car City Records on Harper between 8 and 9 Mile roads (whose employees have included many from the Detroit music scene) and the Crows Nest East, a popular music venue in the 1960s which was located on Harper and 13 Mile Road.

St. Clair Shores is also well known for its hockey association, with more state championships than any other rink in the entire state. High school hockey during the 1970s dominated the competition; one team from Lakeview even went undefeated in 1973, and won the championship. There are still signs and vintage Hockeytown bumper stickers hanging inside the arena.

Naming[link]

Being situated on the western shores of Lake Saint Clair, the city's name is taken from the lake. An expedition led by the French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle named it Lac Sainte-Claire, because they entered the lake on August 12, 1679, the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi.^[3] The lake is named on English maps as early as 1710 as Saint Clare. But as early as the Mitchell Map in 1755, the spelling is presented with the current spelling as St. Clair.^[4] The name is sometimes attributed as honoring the American Revolutionary War General and Governor of the Northwest Territory Arthur St. Clair, but the name was in use with the current spelling long before St. Clair was a notable figure. However it is possible that earlier name of the lake was conflated with that of the general in naming some of the political entities near the lake and the river, such as St. Clair County St. Clair Township, and the cities of St. Clair and St. Clair Shores.

The origin of the name has also been confused with that Patrick Sinclair, a British officer who purchased land on the St. Clair River at the outlet of the Pine River. There, in 1764, he built Fort Sinclair, which was in use for nearly twenty years before being abandoned.^[5]

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were people, 27,024 households, and 17,283 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,472.3 per square mile (2,112.9/km²). There were 28,208 housing units at an average density of 2,446.5 per square mile (944.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.7% White, 3.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.

There were 27,024 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,047, and the median income for a family was $59,245. Males had a median income of $46,614 versus $31,192 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,009. About 2.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education[link]

Located in St. Clair Shores are the South Lake Schools, Lakeview Public Schools, and Lake Shore Public Schools public school districts; each district includes a high school. Private schools include St. Germaine, St. Isaac Jogues and St. Joan of Arc are in the city.

Notable residents[link]

• Dave Coulier [1] - actor and comedian
• Fred "Sonic" Smith of the band MC5.
• Patti Smith - Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame singer
• Mark Wells was a member of the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team that won the gold medal over the Finland.
• David Debol- NHL, Pro Hockey, member of the Hartford Whalers,(1979–80,1980–81).
• George Herbert Allen- (April 29, 1918 – December 31, 1990) was an American football coach in the NFL and USFL.
• Don Patrick Harvey - Actor (Die Hard 2, Walker, Texas Ranger)

See also[link]

	Michigan portal
	Metro Detroit portal

• Grosse Pointe
• Lake Saint Clair (North America)
• Mount Clemens
• Detroit

References[link]

External links[link]

	Michigan portal
	Metro Detroit portal

• Official Website of the City of St. Clair Shores
• 1875 Map of Macomb County, including Erin Township
• MapQuest map of St. Clair Shores
• Macomb County Extinct Towns, Railroad Stops and Place Names
• St. Clair Shores Public Library
• Nautical Mile

v t e Municipalities and communities of Macomb County, Michigan, United States County seat: Mt. Clemens Cities Center Line Eastpointe Grosse Pointe Shores‡ Fraser Memphis‡ Mount Clemens New Baltimore Richmond‡ Roseville St. Clair Shores Sterling Heights Utica Warren Villages Armada New Haven Romeo Charter townships Chesterfield Clinton Harrison Shelby Washington General law townships Armada Bruce Lenox Macomb Ray Richmond Unincorporated community Anchor Bay Gardens Anchor Bay Harbor Anchor Bay Shores Broad Acres Cady Chesterfield Chesterfield Shores Clifton Mill Clinton Davis Disco Lakeside Lottivue Macomb Meade Milton Mount Vernon Point Lakeview Preston Corners Ray Center Saint Clair Haven Saint Clair Shores Sebille Manor Shelby Waldenburg Washington Wolcott Mills Yates Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Metro Detroit Topics Architecture Culture Detroit River Economy Freeways History Historic places International Riverfront Lake St. Clair Media Music Parks and beaches People Skyscrapers Sports Theatre Tourism Transportation Major city Detroit Municipalities over 80,000 Canton Township Clinton Township Dearborn Livonia Sterling Heights Troy Warren Westland Municipalities 45,000 to 80,000 Dearborn Heights Farmington Hills Grosse Pointe Macomb Township Novi Pontiac Redford Township Rochester Hills Royal Oak St. Clair Shores Shelby Township Southfield Taylor Waterford Township West Bloomfield Township Satellite cities Ann Arbor Brighton Flint Howell Lapeer Monroe Port Huron Toledo Windsor Ypsilanti Counties in MSA Lapeer Livingston Macomb Oakland St. Clair Wayne Counties in CSA Genesee Monroe Washtenaw Regions Southeast Michigan Great Lakes Outlying regions Central Michigan Flint/Tri-Cities Northwest Ohio Southwestern Ontario The Thumb  Michigan  United States

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Coordinates: 42°29′44″N 82°54′1″W / 42.49556°N 82.90028°W / 42.49556; -82.90028