Devils River (Wisconsin)
Encyclopedia
The Devils River is a small 12 miles (19.3 km) long river
in the state of Wisconsin
in the United States
. Devils River flows primarily through Brown and Manitowoc
counties, and joins with the Neshota River to form the West Twin River
. It is part of the 176 mi2 West Twin River watershed.
The Ojibwe name for the river is Ma-na-to-kik-e-we-se-be, or "Stooping Spirit River." The root word "Ma-na-to" (or manitou
) was often mistranslated as "devil" by early white settlers, which is why the river carries the name it does today.
The upper 8 miles (12.9 km) of the river have lower water flow than the lower 4 miles (6.4 km), and suffer from degraded habitat. In the late summer and fall dry season, much of the upper two-thirds of the river dries out, leaving only unconnected pools. Only on the lower third is sport fishing allowed. Minnows
are abundant throughout the river, and among those found in the Devils River are the blacknose dace
, common creek chub
, common shiner
, longnose dace
, northern redbelly dace
, redside dace
, white sucker
, and various species of darter
. Sport fish such as black bullhead
catfish
and rock bass
are native to the lower third. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
stocks brown trout
, northern pike
, and rainbow trout
in the river, but over-winter survival rates are very low. The rusty crayfish
, an invasive species
, is now found in the Devils River.
The Devils River is part of the West Twin River watershed. The West Twin River watershed is itself one of seven watersheds contributing to the Twin-Door-Kewaunee River Basin, which empties into Lake Michigan
.
trail used to cross the Devils River near Cherney Maribel Caves County Park in Brown County. White settlers later used the same trail to access and travel across the country. In 1840, United States Army
Captain Thomas Jefferson Cram surveyed much of the area, and successfully proposed construction of a military road from Fort Dearborn
(now the city of Chicago
) to Fort Howard (now the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin
).
The Devils River played an important part in white settlement of Brown County. When Brown County was first surveyed in 1820, the Devils River formed part of the boundary of the surveyed area. Second Lieutenant
Jefferson Davis
(and future President of the Confederate States of America
) was stationed at nearby Fort Winnebago
from 1829 to 1831. He went deer
hunting on a boat on the Devils River, and nearly drowned before his companion saved him. The town of Navarino was established on the river's banks in 1830. During the Black Hawk War
of 1832, the river formed one of the defensive boundaries of American forces in Brown County. Some time in the early 1840s, it is alleged, Colonel
Zachary Taylor
(a future President of the United States
) tried to cross the Devils River during a spring flood. The rushing water swept him off his horse, and he was rescued by his fellow soldiers. In 1847, investor Pliney Pierce built Rock Mill on the Devils River, a site now listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It is one of the oldest structures in Brown County.
In 2005, the Central Brown County Water Authority proposed removing the remaining stone abutments of two bridges which formerly comprised the old military road in order to build a 65 miles (104.6 km) water pipeline across the county. The Water Authority also proposed cutting a trench across the river in order to lay the pipeline beneath the riverbed. Tunneling and directional boring
were ruled out as prohibitively expensive. The pipeline had to be built because water supplies needed by heavy residential development in the county were heavily depleted and highly contaminated. The Water Authority changed the route of the proposed pipeline to avoid destruction of the stone bridge abutments, and the pipeline was constructed in 2006. The $80 million pipeline opened in August 2007.
A 14 miles (22.5 km) Devils River State Recreational Trail is being built alongside the river to provide recreational hiking and access to the river. The trail will take hikers near the Devils River Crossing, a noted ford where railroad
trestle
bridges tower 100 feet (30.5 m) above the river.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Devils River flows primarily through Brown and Manitowoc
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
Manitowoc County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 82,887. Its county seat is Manitowoc. The United States Census Bureau's Manitowoc Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Manitowoc County.-Government:...
counties, and joins with the Neshota River to form the West Twin River
West Twin River (Wisconsin)
The West Twin River is a river in east central Wisconsin that is a tributary to Lake Michigan. It merges with the East Twin River in the city of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, less than a mile from the lakeshore. The source of the river is in southeast Brown County, Wisconsin, near Richard J. Drum Memorial...
. It is part of the 176 mi2 West Twin River watershed.
The Ojibwe name for the river is Ma-na-to-kik-e-we-se-be, or "Stooping Spirit River." The root word "Ma-na-to" (or manitou
Manitou
Manitou is a general term for spirit beings among many Algonquian Native American groups.Manitou may also refer to:- Geography :* Manitou, Manitoba, Canada* Manitou, Kentucky, USA* Manitou, Oklahoma, USA- Other uses :...
) was often mistranslated as "devil" by early white settlers, which is why the river carries the name it does today.
Geology and ecology of the river
The river flows through agricultural land that drops a gentle 22.7 feet (6.9 m) per 1 miles (1.6 km). However, the river does contains a series of three-ledge rapids near its mouth.The upper 8 miles (12.9 km) of the river have lower water flow than the lower 4 miles (6.4 km), and suffer from degraded habitat. In the late summer and fall dry season, much of the upper two-thirds of the river dries out, leaving only unconnected pools. Only on the lower third is sport fishing allowed. Minnows
Minnow
Minnow is a general term used to refer to small freshwater and saltwater fish, especially those used as bait fish or for fishing bait. More specifically, it refers to small freshwater fish of the carp family.-True minnows:...
are abundant throughout the river, and among those found in the Devils River are the blacknose dace
Blacknose dace
Blacknose dace is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Rhinichthys....
, common creek chub
Semotilus atromaculatus
Semotilus atromaculatus is a small minnow found in the eastern two-thirds of the US and eastern Canada...
, common shiner
Common Shiner
The Common Shiner is a fish found in North America. They average in length between 2½ to 4 inches.-Description:The Common Shiner is silvery colored and has an "olive back with a dark dorsal stripe."...
, longnose dace
Longnose dace
The longnose dace is found in muddy and warm, clear and cold, streams and lakes. The largest longnose dace are about 6 inches long. They are well-adapted for living on the bottom of fast-flowing streams among the stones. Longnose dace eat mostly immature aquatic insects. They are important...
, northern redbelly dace
Northern redbelly dace
The northern redbelly dace, Chrosomus eos, is a freshwater cyprinid fish, generally found in lakes and small streams in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. It is one of fouty-four species from the minnow and carp family of Cyprinidae in these areas...
, redside dace
Redside dace
The redside dace is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family, found in the United States and Canada. It is unique among minnows, being the only species to routinely feed on flying insects by leaping from water. Thus, it acts as a conduit for energy transfers between terrestrial and...
, white sucker
White Sucker
The White Sucker is a bottom-feeding freshwater fish inhabiting North America from Labrador in the north to Georgia and New Mexico in the south. It is a long, round-bodied fish with a dark green, grey, copper, brown, or black back and sides and a light underbelly. When fullgrown, it is between 12...
, and various species of darter
Percidae
The Percidae are a family of perciform fish found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The family contains about 200 species in ten genera...
. Sport fish such as black bullhead
Black bullhead
The black bullhead, Ameiurus melas, is a species of bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid and/or very warm. It also has barbels located near its mouth, a broad head, spiny fins and no scales...
catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
and rock bass
Rock bass
The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...
are native to the lower third. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is an agency of the state of Wisconsin. Its purpose is to preserve, protect, manage and maintain the natural resources of the state. The WDNR has the authority to set policy for itself and to recommend regulations for approval by the State Legislature...
stocks brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, and rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
in the river, but over-winter survival rates are very low. The rusty crayfish
Rusty crayfish
The rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus, is a large, aggressive species of freshwater crayfish which is native to the U.S. states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee...
, an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
, is now found in the Devils River.
The Devils River is part of the West Twin River watershed. The West Twin River watershed is itself one of seven watersheds contributing to the Twin-Door-Kewaunee River Basin, which empties into Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
.
History of the area
A major Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
trail used to cross the Devils River near Cherney Maribel Caves County Park in Brown County. White settlers later used the same trail to access and travel across the country. In 1840, United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Captain Thomas Jefferson Cram surveyed much of the area, and successfully proposed construction of a military road from Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn was a United States fort built in 1803 beside the Chicago River in what is now Chicago, Illinois. It was constructed by troops under Captain John Whistler and named in honor of Henry Dearborn, then United States Secretary of War. The original fort was destroyed following the Battle of...
(now the city of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
) to Fort Howard (now the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
).
The Devils River played an important part in white settlement of Brown County. When Brown County was first surveyed in 1820, the Devils River formed part of the boundary of the surveyed area. Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
(and future President of the Confederate States of America
President of the Confederate States of America
The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States, thus precipitating the American Civil War. The only person to hold the...
) was stationed at nearby Fort Winnebago
Fort Winnebago
This article is about the U.S. Army fort. For the civil township of the same name, see Fort Winnebago, WisconsinFort Winnebago was a 19th century fortification of the United States Army located on a hill between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers in Portage, Wisconsin...
from 1829 to 1831. He went deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
hunting on a boat on the Devils River, and nearly drowned before his companion saved him. The town of Navarino was established on the river's banks in 1830. During the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
of 1832, the river formed one of the defensive boundaries of American forces in Brown County. Some time in the early 1840s, it is alleged, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
(a future President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
) tried to cross the Devils River during a spring flood. The rushing water swept him off his horse, and he was rescued by his fellow soldiers. In 1847, investor Pliney Pierce built Rock Mill on the Devils River, a site now listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places listings in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
Buildings, sites, districts, and objects in Manitowoc County listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesThis document is intended to provide a comprehensive listing of entries in the National Register of Historic Places that are located in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin...
. It is one of the oldest structures in Brown County.
In 2005, the Central Brown County Water Authority proposed removing the remaining stone abutments of two bridges which formerly comprised the old military road in order to build a 65 miles (104.6 km) water pipeline across the county. The Water Authority also proposed cutting a trench across the river in order to lay the pipeline beneath the riverbed. Tunneling and directional boring
Directional boring
Directional boring, commonly called horizontal directional drilling or HDD, is a steerable trenchless method of installing underground pipes, conduits and cables in a shallow arc along a prescribed bore path by using a surface launched drilling rig, with minimal impact on the surrounding area....
were ruled out as prohibitively expensive. The pipeline had to be built because water supplies needed by heavy residential development in the county were heavily depleted and highly contaminated. The Water Authority changed the route of the proposed pipeline to avoid destruction of the stone bridge abutments, and the pipeline was constructed in 2006. The $80 million pipeline opened in August 2007.
Recreational activities on the Devils River
A state campground, the Devils River Campground, is located on the Devils River near Richard J. Drum Memorial Forest.A 14 miles (22.5 km) Devils River State Recreational Trail is being built alongside the river to provide recreational hiking and access to the river. The trail will take hikers near the Devils River Crossing, a noted ford where railroad
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
bridges tower 100 feet (30.5 m) above the river.