The Ontonagon River is a 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...

 flowing to Lake Superior

Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...

 on the western Upper Peninsula 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"....

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The main stem of the river is 25 mi (40 km) long and is formed by a confluence of several longer branches, portions of which have been collectively designated as a National Wild and Scenic River

National Wild and Scenic River

National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...

.

Course

The Ontonagon River's principal tributaries are its West, South, Middle and East branches, all of which flow in part through the Ottawa National Forest

Ottawa National Forest

The Ottawa National Forest is a 1.0 million acre national forest in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It includes much of Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, as well as slices of Iron, Houghton, Baraga, and Marquette counties. The forest is under the jurisdiction of the U.S...

:

• The West Branch Ontonagon River flows is entirely contained in Ontonagon County
  Ontonagon County, Michigan
  -National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,818 people, 3,456 households, and 2,225 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile . There were 5,404 housing units...
  
  . It flows from Lake Gogebic
  Lake Gogebic
  Lake Gogebic is the largest lake of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is located within the 1 million acre Ottawa National Forest. Lake Gogebic State Park is located along its western shore....
  
   near the community of Bergland and flows generally east-northeastwardly for approximately 30 miles (48 km), collecting the South Branch and passing through a dam
  Dam
  A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
  
   which forms the Victoria Reservoir.
• The South Branch Ontonagon River is formed in southwestern Ontonagon County by the confluence of the short Tenmile Creek and the Cisco Branch Ontonagon River. The Cisco Branch starts in Cisco Lake in eastern Gogebic County
  Gogebic County, Michigan
  -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,370 people, 7,425 households, and 4,581 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile . There were 10,839 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
  
   and flows generally north-northeastwardly for 27 mi (43 km) to the South Branch, which then flows northwardly for 33 mi (53 km), passing the community of Ewen, to join the West Branch.
• The Middle Branch Ontonagon River, 58 mi (93 km) long, issues from Crooked Lake in eastern Gogebic County and initially flows eastwardly, passing the community of Watersmeet. After collecting the Tamarack River, the Middle Branch turns northwardly into Ontonagon County, where it collects the Baltimore River
  Baltimore River
  The Baltimore River is a river in Michigan. It rises in Ontonagon County and flows into the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River. The O Kun de Kun Falls are located on the river....
  
   and joins the East Branch.
• The East Branch Ontonagon River, 51 mi (82 km) long, issues from Jingle Lake in northern Iron County
  Iron County, Michigan
  -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 13,138 people, 5,748 households, and 3,615 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 8,772 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
  
   and flows generally northwestwardly through Houghton County
  Houghton County, Michigan
  -National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,016 people, 13,793 households, and 8,137 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 17,748 housing...
  
   into Ontonagon County, where it joins the Middle Branch.

Below the confluence of its various branches, the Ontonagon River flows generally north-northwestwardly for 25 mi (40 km) in Ontonagon County to the village of Ontonagon

Ontonagon, Michigan

Ontonagon is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 1,769. It is the county seat of Ontonagon County....

, where it flows into Lake Superior

Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...

.

National Wild and Scenic River designation

On March 3, 1992, the following reaches of the Ontonagon's upper tributaries were collectively designated the Ontonagon National Wild and Scenic River: The upper courses of the East and Middle branches in the Ottawa National Forest

Ottawa National Forest

The Ottawa National Forest is a 1.0 million acre national forest in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It includes much of Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, as well as slices of Iron, Houghton, Baraga, and Marquette counties. The forest is under the jurisdiction of the U.S...

; the Cisco Branch in its entirety; and approximately the middle section of the West Branch, from Cascade Falls to the Victoria Reservoir.

Other historical significance

During the mid-19th century, a very large mass of solid, nearly pure copper, the Ontonagon Boulder

Ontonagon Boulder

The Ontonagon Boulder is a 3,708 pound boulder of native copper originally found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States, and now in the possession of the Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution...

, was removed from the Ontonagon River. It now is in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....

 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....