Two Hearted River
The Two Hearted River is a river in the eastern Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.
| Two Hearted River | |
|---|---|
 Mouth of the Two Hearted River at Lake Superior | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Luce County, Michigan |
| • coordinates | 46.59138°N 85.62986°W[1] |
| Mouth | |
• location | Lake Superior, Michigan |
• coordinates | 46.70167°N 85.41457°W |
| Length | 23.6 mi (38.0 km) |
The river runs approximately 23.6 miles (38.0 km) through forested wilderness,[2] and drains into Lake Superior. It rises in several short branches in northeastern Luce County, about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Grand Marais. The North and West branches meet approximately 8 miles (13 km) south-southeast of Muskallonge Lake State Park. The main branch flows generally northeast, approaching Lake Superior at a sharp angle. It enters the lake approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of Deer Park.
A Michigan Historic Marker commemorates the Two-Hearted Life-Saving Station built in 1876 at the river mouth. It was a simple two-story building with a small lookout tower manned by six to eight volunteer surfmen who conducted rescues of the Satellite (1879) and the Phineas S. Marsh (1896). The station, along with the rest of the United States Life-Saving Service, was integrated into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, decommissioned in the 1930s, and its structures were razed in 1944.[3][4]
The river is a popular destination for recreational fishing. As such, it was the title of a famous short story, "Big Two-Hearted River", by U.S. author Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway used the name because of its appeal; however, the geography of the story indicates that Hemingway was really describing a different trout stream, the Fox River near Seney. The story, set after World War I, was first published in 1925 as part of the collection In Our Time and republished in 1972 as part of The Nick Adams Stories.
In popular culture
Bell's Brewery, a craft brewery based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, makes a highly rated (the best beer in the United States according to Zymurgy Magazine, the publication of the American Homebrewers Association) India Pale Ale named Two Hearted Ale, with a graphic that features the river.[5]
References
- "Two Hearted River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed January 3, 2012
- Michigan’s Historic Sites Online. “Two-Hearted River Life-Saving Station Informational Site”. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
- U.S. Coast Guard Lifesaving Stations. Two Heart River. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- Liberty, John (June 30, 2011). "Bell's Brewery Inc.'s Two Hearted Ale named second best beer in the country, Founders ties at No. 3". MLive.com. Retrieved November 29, 2013.