Lake Huron

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Lore & Background

Lake Huron was formed by melting ice as the continental glaciers retreated toward the end of the last ice age. Before this, it was a low-lying depression through which flowed the now-buried Laurentian and Huronian Rivers. About 9,000 years ago, when water levels were approximately 100 m below today's levels, the Alpena-Amberley Ridge was exposed and used as a migration route for large herds of caribou. Since 2008, archaeologists have discovered at least 60 stone constructions along the submerged ridge thought to have been used as hunting blinds by Paleo-Indians. A 2013 underwater discovery confirmed that a trade network brought obsidian from Oregon almost ten thousand years ago to be used for toolmaking. On the eve of European contact, an archaeological site on or near Lake Huron contained more than one hundred large structures housing a total population of between 4,000 and 6,000. The French, the first European visitors to the region, often referred to Lake Huron as La Mer Douce, "the fresh-water sea." In 1656, a map by French cartographer Nicolas Sanson refers to the lake by the name Karegnondi, a Wyandot word. Generally, the lake was labeled "Lac des Hurons" (Lake of the Huron) on most early European maps. By the 1860s, many European settlements on the shores were becoming incorporated, including Sarnia, the largest city on Lake Huron. On October 26, 2010, the Karegnondi Water Authority was formed to build and manage a pipeline from the lake to Flint, Michigan. More than a thousand wrecks have been recorded in Lake Huron. Purportedly the first European vessel to sail the Great Lakes, Le Griffon also became the first ship lost on the Great Lakes. Built in 1679, it disappeared after being sent back with pelts; two wrecks have been identified as Le Griffon, although neither has gained final verification. During the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 on November 9, 1913, Lake Huron sank 10 ships, and more than 20 were driven ashore. The storm, which raged for 16 hours, killed 235 seamen.

Reader's Guide

Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Its name is derived from early French explorers who named it for the indigenous people they knew as Huron (Wyandot). Hydrologically, it comprises the eastern portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, connected to Lake Michigan by the five-mile-wide, 20-fathom-deep Straits of Mackinac. Combined, Lake Michigan–Huron is the largest freshwater lake by area in the world. The Huronian glaciation was named from evidence collected from the Lake Huron region. The northern parts of the lake include the North Channel and Georgian Bay, while Saginaw Bay is located in the southwest corner. The main inlet is the St. Marys River from Lake Superior, and the main outlet is through the St. Clair River toward Lake Erie. Water flows through Lake Huron faster than the other Great Lakes with a retention time of only 22 years. By surface area, Lake Huron is the second-largest of the Great Lakes, with a surface area of 23,000 square miles. It is the third-largest fresh water lake on Earth. By volume, it is the third largest of the Great Lakes, containing a volume of 850 cubic miles. The lake's average depth is 32 fathoms 3 feet, while the maximum recorded depth is 125 fathoms. A notable feature is Manitoulin Island, the world's largest lake island, which separates the North Channel and Georgian Bay from the main body. Cities with over 10,000 people on Lake Huron include Sarnia, the largest city on the lake, and Saugeen Shores in Canada and Bay City, Port Huron, and Alpena in the United States. More than a thousand wrecks have been recorded in Lake Huron, including 185 in Saginaw Bay and 116 in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve. The first European vessel to sail the Great Lakes, Le Griffon, also became the first ship lost on the Great Lakes. During the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 on November 9, 1913, Lake Huron sank 10 ships and killed 235 seamen.

Did You Know?

• Lake Huron has a retention time of only 22 years, faster than the other Great Lakes.
• Combined, Lake Michigan–Huron is the largest freshwater lake by area in the world.
• Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron is the world's largest lake island.
• More than a thousand wrecks have been recorded in Lake Huron.
• The Huronian glaciation was named from evidence collected from the Lake Huron region.