Raisin River (Mich.)

The River Raisin (Ottawa: Nummasepee, "River of Sturgeon") is a 135-mile-long (217 km) river in southeast Michigan, United States, that flows in a generally easterly direction through glacial sediments before emptying into Lake Erie. The River Raisin drainage basin covers approximately 1,072 square miles (2,780 km2) in the Michigan counties of Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Jackson, and Hillsdale, along with Fulton County in northwest Ohio. Today, the land within its bounds is primarily used for agriculture, and light industry. Historically, the river served as a canoe transportation route for various Native American tribes, and for French Canadian Voyageurs. The river's English name comes from the French Rivière aux Raisins (translated as "River of Grapes"), in reference to the wild grapes growing along its banks.