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See also:MICHIGAN, See also:LAKE , the only one of the See also:great lakes of See also:North See also:America wholly within the boundaries of the See also:United States, and the second largest See also:body of fresh See also:water in the See also:world. It lies S. of Lake See also:Superior and W. of Lake See also:Huron, between 41° 37' and 46° 05' N. and 84° 45' and 88° W.; is bounded on the N. and E. by the See also:state of Michigan, on the W. by See also:Wisconsin, while See also:Illinois and See also:Indiana See also:touch its S. end. It is 32o m. See also:long, and has an See also:average width of 65 m. The maximum See also:depth recorded by the United States Lake Survey is87o ft.; the mean level of the See also:surface is 5811 ft. above mean See also:sea-level, being the same as that of Lake Huron and 21 ft. below that of Lake Superior. Its See also:area is 22,400 sq. m., and it has a See also:basin 68,100 sq. m. in area.
The shores of Lake Michigan are generally See also:low and sandy, and the See also:land slopes gradually to the water. The See also:northern See also:shore of the lake is irregular and more rugged and picturesque than the other shores, the See also:summit of the highest See also:peak being about 1400 ft. above the sea. On the eastern See also:side are numerous See also:sand hills, formed by the See also:wind into innumerable fantastic shapes, sometimes covered with stunted trees and scanty vegetation, but usually See also:bare and rising to heights of from 150 to 250 ft. The See also:south-western shore is generally low, with sand hills covered with shrivelled pines and See also:bur oaks. Along the western shore See also:woods and prairies alternate, interspersed with a few high peaks. The cliffs on the See also:east shore of See also:Green See also:Bay See also:form a bold escarpment, and from this See also:ridge the land slopes gradually to the lake. With the exception of Green and See also:Traverse bays, Lake Michigan has few indentations of the See also:coast See also:line, and except at the north end it is See also:free from islands. The See also:waters near shore are shoal, and as there are few harbours of See also:refuge of easy See also:access See also:navigation is dangerous in heavy storms. Around the lake the See also:climate is equable, for, though the See also:winter is See also:cold and the summer hot, the waters of the lake modify the extremes, the mean temperature varying from 40° to 54° F. The average See also:annual rainfall is 33 in. The finest agricultural land in the United States is near the lake, and there is an immense See also:trade in all grains, fruits, livestock and See also:lumber, and in products such as See also:flour, pork, hides, See also:leather goods, See also:furniture, &c. See also:Rich See also:lead and See also:copper mines abound, as also See also:salt, See also:iron and See also:coal. Abundant water See also:power promotes manufactures of all kinds. See also:Beer and distilled liquors are largely manufactured, and See also:fine See also:building See also:- STONE
- STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
- STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
- STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
- STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
- STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
- STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
- STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
- STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)
stone is obtained from numerous quarries.
The lake is practically tideless, though true tidal pulsations amounting to 3 M. in height are stated to have been observed in See also:Chicago. In the water of the lake there is a See also:general set of current towards the outlet at the strait of Mackinac, following the east shore, with slight circular currents in the See also:main portion of the lake and at the northern end around See also:Beaver See also:island. These currents vary in See also:speed from 4 to 10 M. per See also:day. Surface currents are set up by prevailing winds, which also seriously affect water levels, lowering the water at Chicago and raising it at the strait, or the See also:reverse, so as greatly to inconvenience navigation. The level of the lake is subject to seasonal fluctuations, reaching a maximum in midsummer and a minimum in See also:February, as well as to alternating cycles of years of high and low water. See also:Standard high-water of 1838 was 3.36 ft. above mean level and standard low-water of 1895, 2.82 ft. below that datum, giving an extreme recorded range slightly over 6 ft.
The northern portion of the lake only is covered with See also:ice in winter, and ice never reaches as far south as See also:Milwaukee. Milwaukee See also:River remains closed on an average for one See also:hundred days—from the beginning of See also:December to the See also:middle of See also:March. The average date of the opening and closing of navigation at the strait of Mackinac, where the ice remains longest, is the 17th of See also:April and the 9th of See also:January respectively.l See also:Regular lines of steamers specially equipped to meet winter conditions, most of them being See also:car ferries, See also:cross the lake and the strait of Mackinac all winter between the various ports.
No notable See also:rivers flow into Lake Michigan, the largest being the Big See also:Manistee and See also:Muskegon on the east shore, and on the See also:west shore the See also:Menominee and the See also:Fox, both of which empty into Green Bay, the most important See also:arm of the lake. The numerous harbours are chiefly artificial, usually located at the mouths of streams,- the improvements consisting of two parallel piers extending into the lake and protecting a dredged channel. Sand bars keep filling up the mouths of these channels, necessitating frequent dredging and See also:extension of the breakwaters, See also:work undertaken by the Federal See also:government, which also maintains a most comprehensive and See also:complete See also:system of See also:aids to navigation, including lighthouses and See also:light-See also:ships, See also:fog alarms, See also:gas and other buoys, See also:life-saving, See also:storm See also:signal and See also:weather See also:report stations.
1 Report of Deep Waterways See also:Commission (1896).
Chicago, the See also:principal See also:port on the lake, is at its south-west extremity, and is remarkable for the See also:volume of its trade, the number of vessels arriving and departing exceeding that of any port in the United States, though the See also:tonnage is less than that of New See also:York. It is a large railway centre, and the number and See also:size of the See also:grain See also:elevators are noticeable. The port is protected by breakwaters enclosing a portion of the lake front. The Ievel of the See also:city above the lake being only 14 ft., much difficulty arose in draining it. A sanitary and See also:ship See also:canal 34 M. long was therefore completed in 1900 to divert the Chicago river, a small stream that flows into the lake, into the See also:head waters of the See also:Des Plaines river and thence through the river See also:Joliet into the See also:Mississippi at St See also:- LOUIS
- LOUIS (804–876)
- LOUIS (893–911)
- LOUIS, JOSEPH DOMINIQUE, BARON (1755-1837)
- LOUIS, or LEWIS (from the Frankish Chlodowich, Chlodwig, Latinized as Chlodowius, Lodhuwicus, Lodhuvicus, whence-in the Strassburg oath of 842-0. Fr. Lodhuwigs, then Chlovis, Loys and later Louis, whence Span. Luiz and—through the Angevin kings—Hungarian
Louis. The See also:discharge of water is by See also:law so regulated that the maximum flow shall not exceed 250,000 cub. ft. per See also:minute. The effect upon the permanent level of the lakes of the withdrawal of water through this artificial outlet is receiving much See also:attention. Milwaukee, situated on the shore of Milwaukee Bay, on the western side of the lake, is, next to Chicago, the largest city on the lake, and has a large See also:commerce and a See also:harbour of refuge. See also:Escanaba, on Little Bay de Noc (Noquette), in the northern See also:part of the lake, is a natural harbour and a large iron See also:shipping port. Green Bay and Lake Michigan are connected by a canal extending from the lake to the head of See also:Sturgeon Bay. Lake Michigan is connected at its north-east extremity with lake Huron by the strait of Mackinac, 48 M. long, with a minimum width of 6 m. ; the water is generally deep and the shoals lying near the usually travelled routes are well marked.
End of Article: MICHIGAN, LAKE
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