Two Hearted River

Two Hearted River
River mouth at Lake Superior
Map of the Two Hearted River watershed
Two Hearted River is located in Michigan
Two Hearted River
Location within the state of Michigan
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationLuce County, Michigan
 • coordinates46°35′29″N 85°37′48″W / 46.59139°N 85.63000°W / 46.59139; -85.63000[1]
Mouth 
 • location
Lake Superior
 • coordinates
46°42′07″N 85°24′44″W / 46.70194°N 85.41222°W / 46.70194; -85.41222
Length23.6 mi (38.0 km)
Life Saving Station
LocationMouth of the Two Hearted River
McMillan Township, Michigan
Coordinates46°41′56″N 85°25′18″W / 46.69889°N 85.42167°W / 46.69889; -85.42167
Built1876
Demolished1944
DesignatedDecember 12, 1979
The North Country Trail crossing a bridge near the mouth of the Two Hearted River

The Two Hearted River is a river in the eastern Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located entirely within McMillan Township in Luce County.

The river runs approximately 23.6 miles (38.0 km) through forested wilderness,[2] and drains into Lake Superior. It rises in several short branches in northeastern Luce County, about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Grand Marais. The north and west branches meet approximately 8 miles (13 km) south-southeast of Muskallonge Lake State Park. The main branch flows generally northeast, approaching Lake Superior at a sharp angle. It enters the lake approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of Deer Park.

The Little Two Hearted River has its river mouth about 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east of Two Hearted River. The North Country Trail crosses near the mouth of the Two Hearted River along Lake Superior.

History

A Michigan Historic Marker commemorates the Two-Hearted Life-Saving Station built in 1876 at the river mouth. It was a simple two-story building with a small lookout tower manned by six to eight volunteer surfmen who conducted rescues of the Satellite (1879) and the Phineas S. Marsh (1896). The station, along with the rest of the United States Life-Saving Service, was integrated into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, decommissioned in the 1930s, and its structures were razed in 1944.[3][4]

Bell's Brewery, a craft brewery based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, makes a highly rated (the best beer in the United States according to Zymurgy Magazine, the publication of the American Homebrewers Association) India Pale Ale named Two Hearted Ale, with a graphic that features the river.[5]

The river is a popular destination for recreational fishing. As such, it was the title of a famous short story, "Big Two-Hearted River", by U.S. author Ernest Hemingway.[citation needed] Hemingway used the name because of its appeal; however, the geography of the story indicates that Hemingway was really describing a different trout stream, the Fox River near Seney.[citation needed] The story, set after World War I, was first published in 1925 as part of the collection In Our Time and republished in 1972 as part of The Nick Adams Stories.[citation needed] Later the short stories Part I and II start out the 2000 collection Hemingway on Fishing[6] edited by Nick Lyons.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Two Hearted River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed January 3, 2012
  3. ^ Michigan’s Historic Sites Online. “Two-Hearted River Life-Saving Station Informational Site”. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  4. ^ U.S. Coast Guard Lifesaving Stations. Two Heart River. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  5. ^ Liberty, John (June 30, 2011). "Bell's Brewery Inc.'s Two Hearted Ale named second best beer in the country, Founders ties at No. 3". MLive.com. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  6. ^ Hemingway, Ernest (2000). Hemingway on fishing. Nick Lyons. New York: Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-144-2. OCLC 44764082.