The River Raisin was used by local
Potawatomi and
Wyandot peoples, who had established
portages between the upper river and the
Grand and
Kalamazoo rivers that flowed west toward Lake Michigan. The river is still classified as canoeable throughout its length, however, a low gradient, access issues, frequent logjams in the upper reaches, and 22 dams limit its recreational use. The first European settlers along the river were
French Canadians, who in the 1780s developed their traditional
ribbon farms along the river and established a settlement known as Frenchtown. The farms had narrow fronts on the river so that farmers would have access, with deep rectangular lots reaching back from the river. Now part of
Monroe, Michigan, this area is still the most populous area along the river. The resort area of
Irish Hills lies in the uppermost region of the watershed, which includes 429 lakes and ponds. The largest of these is the Lake Columbia. During the winter of 1813 as part of the
War of 1812, the
Battle of Frenchtown occurred on the banks of the river. British and Indigenous forces under the command of
Henry Procter and the Wyandot war leader
Roundhead fought against a division of ill-trained
Kentucky regulars and militia under the command of Brigadier General
James Winchester. After he was captured Winchester ordered his men to surrender after receiving British assurances of safety for the prisoners. The British escorted those who could walk to
Amherstburg in
Upper Canada. The next day, however, many of the severely wounded prisoners left behind in Frenchtown were murdered by some of Britain's Indigenous allies. The River Raisin Massacre triggered a rallying cry ("Remember the Raisin") for Americans in the war, particularly for Kentuckians. American troops returned in September to drive the British from Michigan. The original battlefield was preserved for years as a county park in
Monroe, Michigan and had several monuments erected to the Kentucky soldiers who died there. On October 12, 2010, the land was transferred from the state to the federal government. By Congressional authorization, it is the only National Battlefield Park designating a battlefield of the War of 1812 - the
River Raisin National Battlefield Park. Since industrialization and intensified agriculture, the river has been polluted by industrial wastes and agricultural runoff. While cleanup efforts have mitigated some of the
pollution, difficult-to-remove
PCBs continue to constitute a hazardous waste. An established Area of Concern covers only of the watershed at the mouth of the river, much of which is devoted to industrial and harbor use, including the
Ford Motor Company plant,
Detroit Edison Monroe powerplant, and the Port of Monroe. Environmental authorities advise people not to eat some species of
fish from the river, if taken below the outlet of the Monroe Dam. The river has many small dams to control water flow. These were erected to power the many paper mills constructed along it in the mid-1800s during the lumber boom. They are also products of
Henry Ford's rural industry program. While most of the dams are in Monroe, the most significant one is located in
Dundee, Michigan. The Port of Monroe was constructed near the mouth of the river in the 1930s, as a needed infrastructure project sponsored by the President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration during the
Great Depression. Flooding along the river has three causes: heavy rains, ice dams developing during spring break-up, and on-shore winds pushing Lake Erie waters upstream. The worst flood was recorded on March 16, 1982, at , compared to an average mean flow of . Flooding affects mostly the lowest portions of the river. By contrast on July 13, 1988, during a severe drought, a measuring station found of water flow. Most of the flow of the river is diverted through the Detroit Edison plant and discharged into Plum Creek. Previously it was discharged into the river, but it is now diverted to limit additional pollution of the river mouth area. The power plant's peak use of of water exceeds the river's average flow of , so on some occasions, water is drawn upstream from Lake Erie into the plant. The high level of industrial water use is thought to kill large numbers of fish in the intake screens and to make fish migration from the river into the Great Lakes almost impossible. In 2013
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, along with the entire Michigan delegation, introduced a resolution (H. Res. 37, 113th Congress) to honor the 200th anniversary of the battles at the River Raisin.
Tributaries In addition to the river forming from the Upper River Raisin and the South Branch River Raisin, the following streams flow into the River Raisin: •
Goose Creek • Black Creek • Evans Creek • Iron Creek •
Little River Raisin • Macon Creek •
Saline River Islands •
Sisters Island (Michigan) •
Sterling Island •
Strong Island (Michigan) The Eagle Island Marsh is part of the
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. ==Flora and fauna==