This used to one of the most important rivers in Michigan. A hundred years ago there was an extensive amount of lumbering in this area. The river carried the logs down to Lake Huron. That mostly came to an end after a big forest fire. Currently there are five dams on the river, so moving logs by water became impossible. Nowadays it is an important recreation area. There is a lot of fishing and canoeing done here, including a yearly 240 mile canoe race. I myself once caught a six-pound smallmouth bass just upstream from here while canoeing. This view is from High Banks, and shows one of many big horseshoe bends on the river, where it widens into one of the ponds.