Everything about Lake Saint Clair North America totally explained
Lake St. Clair (
French: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a
lake that lies between
Ontario,
Canada, and
Michigan in the
United States, located about 10 kilometres (6
mi) northeast of
Detroit and
Windsor, Ontario. Approximately 1,114
km² (430
sq mi) in area, the lake is part of the
Great Lakes system; however, because of its relatively small size, it's rarely, if ever, included in enumerations of the Great Lakes, although actions have been taken to include it as an officially-recognized Great Lake itself, including in 2002. The lake, along with the
St. Clair River and
Detroit River, provides the connection between
Lake Huron to the north and
Lake Erie to the south.
The lake is 42 kilometres (26 mi) from north to south and 37 kilometres (24 mi) from east to west. It is a very shallow lake with an average depth of about 10
feet (3 m), and a maximum natural depth of 21 feet (6.4 m), although it's 27 feet (8.2 m) deep in the navigation channel which has been dredged for freighter passage. Prior to the voyage of La Salle, other names for the lake had appeared on earlier maps, including "Lac des Eaux de Mer" [Lakeof the Water of the Sea], "Otsiketa" [Sugaror Candy], "Ganatchio" [Kettle], "Lac de la Chaudiere" [Kettle], "Kandequio" or "Kandekio" [possibly,Candy], "Oiatinatchiketo" [probably,a form of Otsiketa], and "Oiatinonchikebo". Candy or sugar, Iroquois Otsiketa, was reportedly used by Native People to discribe "white man's sugar" or salt. To compliment the Sugar, or Candy, Lake, Lake Huron was called "The Grand Lake of the Sweet Sea" and "Mare Dulce" on Dutch maps while "Mer Douce" [Seathat is Sweet] is found on early maps by the French. "Wahwehyahtahnoong" was the name used by the
Missisauga for Lake Saint Clair. They established a village near the lake in the latter part of the 17th century. The lake is named on English maps as early as 1710 as Saint Clare. But as early as the
Mitchell Map in 1755, the spelling is presented with the current spelling as St. Clair. The name is sometimes attributed as honoring the
American Revolutionary War General and Governor of the
Northwest Territory Arthur St. Clair, but the name was in use with the current spelling long before St. Clair was a notable figure. However it's possible that earlier name of the lake was conflated with that of the general in naming some of the political entities near the lake and the river, such as
St. Clair County, Michigan,
St. Clair Township, Michigan, and the cities of
St. Clair and
St. Clair Shores.
The origin of the name has also been confused with that
Patrick Sinclair, a British officer who purchased land on the
St. Clair River at the outlet of the
Pine River. There, in 1764, he built
Fort Sinclair, which was in use for nearly twenty years before being abandoned.
Locale
The southwestern portion of the lake shore is lined by the wealthy eastern suburbs of
Detroit and
Windsor, Ontario known as the
Grosse Pointe communities and Russell Woods and St. Clair Beach respectively. Public access to the lake is highly restricted in these areas, limited to private marinas and parks that are open only to residents of the specific community. Further north, in
Harrison Township, lies
Metro Beach, a popular public beach.
Several
yacht clubs are located along this shore, including:
Many of North America's fresh water fish species can be found in the lake throughout the seasons. Species popular with anglers include
Bass,
Bluegill,
Bullhead,
Catfish,
Muskellunge,
Northern Pike,
Perch,
Salmon,
Smelt,
Steelhead,
Sturgeon,
Trout, and
Walleye.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lake Saint Clair North America'.
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