The Flat River is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Grand River

Grand River (Michigan)

The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...

 in the western part of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. It rises as the outflow of the six lakes (Six Lakes) system in Belvidere Township

Belvidere Township, Michigan

Belvidere Township is a civil township of Montcalm County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,438.- Communities :...

, west of Edmore

Edmore, Michigan

Edmore is a village in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,244.Edmore was founded and platted by Edwin B. Moore, a real estate man, in 1878, and named with a contraction of his name. A post office was established on July 22, 1878 with...

 in Montcalm County

Montcalm County, Michigan

-Michigan State Highways:* M-46* M-57* M-66* M-82* M-91-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 61,266 people, 22,079 households, and 16,183 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 25,900 housing units at an average density...

. It flows mostly south and slightly west through Montcalm County, Ionia County

Ionia County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 61,518 people, 20,606 households, and 15,145 families residing in the county. The population density was 107 people per square mile . There were 22,006 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...

, and Kent County

Kent County, Michigan

-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...

, flowing into the Grand River in Lowell

Lowell, Michigan

Lowell is a city in Kent County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,013. The city is in the northern portion of Lowell Township, but is politically independent...

. Other cities it flows through along the way include Greenville

Greenville, Michigan

Greenville is a city in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. Portions of the county are associated with the Western region while others are more closely associated with the Central Michigan region. The population was 8,481 at the 2010 census...

 and Belding

Belding, Michigan

Belding is a city in Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,877 at the 2000 census. Belding is a small rural city surrounded almost entirely by farmland...

.

Two historic covered bridge

Covered bridge

A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...

s cross the river. One, the Fallasburg Bridge

Fallasburg Bridge

Fallasburg Bridge is a span Brown truss covered bridge, erected in 1871 in Vergennes Township, Michigan, United States, north of Lowell on the Flat River. Carrying Covered Bridge Road across the Flat, it is located in the Fallasburg Historical District south of Whites Bridge and Smyrna...

, in Vergennes Township

Vergennes Township, Michigan

Vergennes Township is a civil township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 3,611.-Geography:...

, Kent County is in Fallasburg County Park a few miles north of Lowell. The other, Whites Bridge

Whites Bridge

Whites Bridge is a 120-foot span Brown truss covered bridge, erected in 1869 in Keene Township, Michigan, United States, near Smyrna on the Flat River. Carrying Whites Bridge Road across the Flat, it is located north of the Fallasburg Bridge and south of Smyrna...

 is a few miles to the northeast in adjacent northwest Keene Township

Keene Township, Michigan

Keene Township is a civil township of Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,660 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of...

, Ionia County, near Smyrna.

There are 5 dams along the river: Greenville, Belding, Whites Bridge, Burroughs and Lowell.

It is the river named in the song "Sad Ballad of Jack Haggerty", sometimes known as "Flat River Girl."

External links

• "Sad Ballad of Jack Haggerty" Lyrics