Kitch-iti-kipi

Kitch-iti-kipi is an oval pool measuring and is about deep with an emerald green bottom. From fissures in underlying limestone flows 10,000 US gallons per minute (630 L/s) of spring water throughout the year at a constant temperature of . Hydraulic pressure forces the groundwater to the surface. It has yet to be discovered precisely where this enormous volume of water comes from. The spring's pool bowl is similar to other sinkholes, except that it is connected with an aquifer (underground stream) to nearby Indian Lake. The small spring pool was created when the top layer of limestone dissolved away and collapsed into the cave already made by the underground water. In the crystal clear waters of the spring, ancient tree trunks with mineral-encrusted branches can be seen, as well as fish. Fish species commonly present in the spring are lake trout, brown trout and brook trout. On occasion, one may spot yellow perch and other species that move between Big Spring and Indian Lake. The name Kitch-iti-kipi is said to have many meanings in the language of the local indigenous Ojibwe people. Some were "The Great Water", "The Blue Sky I See", and "Bubbling Spring". Other Native Americans called it "The Roaring", "Drum Water", and the "Sound of Thunder"—even though there is total silence coming from the spring. A kaleidoscope effect of ever-changing shapes and forms within the spring is caused by the clouds of sand kept in constant motion by the gushing waters. ==History==

The state of Michigan acquired Kitch-iti-kipi in 1926. History records that John I. Bellaire, owner of a Manistique Five and Dime store, fell in love with the black hole spring when he discovered it in the thick wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the 1920s. It was hidden in a tangle of fallen trees, and loggers used the nearby area as a dump. Bellaire saw its potential as a public recreation spot. He could have purchased the spring and adjoining property himself; however, he persuaded Frank Palms of the Palms Book Land Company to sell the spring and to the state of Michigan for $10. The property deed requires the property "to be forever used as a public park, bearing the name Palms Book State Park." The State of Michigan has since acquired adjacent land, and the park now encompasses over . ==Raft==

A self-operated observation raft guides park visitors to vantage points overlooking the underwater features. ==Native American legends==

There are several purported Native American legends regarding Kitch-iti-kipi. However, some sources suggest that Bellaire himself made them up to publicize the park. Another legend was that Native American maidens of the area would take a drop of honey on a piece of birch bark and dip it into the spring. This would then be presented to a young chieftain that they adored making him true forever. ==References==