The Yale expositor., 1915-08-26

The higher lands in the interior are divided by
remarkable broad valley extending from Saginaw
bay via Grand river to Lake Michigan, into a
northern highland and southern highland. The
northern highland is an elevated tract of coun-
try reaching from Otsego, Montmorency and
Altoona counties southwest into Lake, Newaygo
and Mecosta counties. The elevation OF this
tract ranges from 400 to 1000 feet above Lakes
Michigan and Huron The highest point in
Lower Michigan is few miles southeast of
Cadillac in northern Osceola county, where
group of hills reach height of about LOO feet
above lake level, or LOO feet above the sea.
The southeastern highland consists of much
lower and nearly parallel tract extending from
southern Huron county southwest through Branch
and Hillsdale counties into Indiana and Ohio.
Most of this area is from 200 to 600 feet above
Lake Huron, the highest portions lying in Hills
dale and Oakland counties, where the elevations
are at maximum 1887 feet to over 1900 feet
above sea level.
rise of 120 feet of the waters Of Lakes Huron
and Michigan would connect Saginaw bay ana
Lake Michigan with a strait miles wide and 90
feet deep. The "mtten from vicinity north
of Grand Rapids, northeast nearly to Lake Huron,
would become a large island with numerous
smaller around its shores. broad PENN
sula tapering to the northeast, would extend
from Indiana and northwestern Ohio into Tuscola
and Sanilac counties. Were the lakes to rise
400 feet the southeastern highland would be-
come merely a group Of islands with one large
one in Oakland and another in Jackson, Hillsdale
and Branch counties
The Upper Peninsula has higher western por-
ton, rugged and rocky in many localities and
much lower and less rugged and rocky eastern
one. The height of the interior tableland OF the
western portion, ranges from 1000 to 1,2O0 feet
above the lake. 1000 to 800 feet above sea
level but the rock knobs and hills of drift rise
a few hundred feet higher. The highest point
in the state 2023 feet, is in the Porcupine noun
tains in Ontonagon county. The eastern portion
has a general elevation of only about $50 feet
above the lakes, and the highest point is only
little over 400 feet above Lake Michigan. Like
Lower Michigan the Upper Peninsula is cut
across by prominent valley, the bed of a former
glacial river, running south from Au Train bay,
on the northern shore to White Fish river and
Little Bay de Noe. Were the level of Lake SUI
peror raised $50 feet its waters would flow
through this old valley into Lake Michigan.
The state is drained by a number of important
rivers Many of these streams have been or IN
calcuable value as mediums of transportation
of logs to the lumber mills. and have determined
the location of some OF the most important cities
of the state. In the future they are destined to
furnish an increasing amount of electric power
for transmission to villages. cities, industrial cen
ters and even to the farms The Raisn, Huron,
Saginaw and AuSabe are the most important
ones of the eastern slope of the Lower Peninsula
and the Manistee Muskegon. Grand. Kalamazoo
and St Joseph OF the western The Huron and
AuSable. rising in the interior highlands, anord
large amount OF water power The Saginaw,
the largest river of the peninsula, is navigable to
Saginaw the center of one Of the richest agri-
cultural and manufacturing districts Of the state.
and the Grand to Grand Rapids. where water
power has been extensively developed
In the Upper Peninsula the rivers are in gen.
eral shorter and more rapid, having sleeper gra-
dents The Menominee Is the largest river.
forming for a great part Of its length the bour