By Tom Lounsbury
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The lake sturgeon found in the Great Lakes is unique in that it has remained the same since prehistoric times. The fact that it features cartilage instead of bones like other fish has it closely related to sharks. Being a bottom feeder, the lake sturgeon uses its spade-like snout to root in the mud to stir up food and 4 sensory organs dangling down known as barbels to locate it, and uses its prehensile lips to vacuum up the food. Its diet consists of worms, leeches, insect larvae, crustaceans, mussels, snails and small fish. It is a large species which survives by eating very small species.
            The lake sturgeon is a long lived fish with males typically reaching 55 years and females 150 years of age. It is very slow growing, about an inch per year, but can reach up to 8 feet in length and weigh over 300 pounds. Its reproductive rate is also slow, with only about 10 to 20 percent of the population spawning each year, with spawning runs taking place each spring (usually in April and May) in fast running rivers, and is water temperature dependent requiring 53 degrees F or warmer. Sturgeon are also slow to reach sexual maturity with males being at least 15 years old and females 20 to 25 years old. The sturgeon mating ritual has the male and female circling each other while shaking violently until sperm and eggs are released. The sturgeon afterwards will then usually return to the Great Lakes. The fertilized eggs soon turn into juvenile sturgeon that will eventually return to the Great Lakes as well, until they are sexually mature. Typically the river in which the spawn takes place will leave a genetic imprint for the sturgeon to return to when they have reached sexual maturity.
            The sturgeon was very abundant in the pre-settlement era and an important food source for Native Americans. Besides being eaten fresh, it could also be smoked or dried to keep for winter storage and its flesh offered an excellent source of protein. The spike-like projections on its body were also used as abrasive scrapers (quite handy in making wooden bows and arrows or smoothing out a dugout canoe). The plentiful sturgeon were also an important food source for European settlers, but its having an all too common presence had it becoming considered as being trash fish, taking a backseat to other species such as trout and whitefish. It was buried to act as fertilizer and used to feed hogs.
            Commercial fisherman developed a great dislike for the sturgeon because there was no market for them and their large size and body spikes damaged nets when they thrashed around. Instead of releasing the netted sturgeon to eventually cause more damage, the fishermen would kill them. Dead sturgeon were placed in piles on the beach, and when they became oily enough, set on fire. They were also dried and stacked like cordwood to be used to fuel steamboats.
            In 1879, it was discovered there was a market for lake sturgeon and its flesh was considered a gourmet delight (similar to cod) and its roe (fish eggs) could be used as caviar. The sturgeon’s swim bladders were also used to create a gelatin called insinglass which speeded up the clarification process for beer and wine. From that time on until 1900, Great Lakes commercial fishermen would harvest over four million pounds of sturgeon each year. However, this overharvest of a fish species with a low reproductive rate would eventually have its effect. The Great Lakes sturgeon harvest would be less than 2000 pounds in 1928.
            Progress of a fast and growing young nation would also be hard on the lake sturgeon. Dams were built in rivers to create energy to power lumber and grain mills, and eventually to create electricity. The dams in turn would block sturgeon from performing their annual spawning runs up rivers they had used for eons. Pollution as well as sediment caused by erosion would also have a major impact, and the lake sturgeon numbers would continue to plummet in a steady and dramatic decline. There is no question that the only thing which kept the lake sturgeon from becoming an extinct species of the (near) past was its longevity. Being able to live a long time was its only edge during hard times. Even though the harvest of sturgeon became highly regulated, this very unique fish truly required more help.
            The Clean Water Act of 1972 has certainly been one of the best things to ever happen for the Great Lakes in general, and is a definite boon to lake sturgeon (not to mention other fish species as well). Removing no longer used dams which only serve as a fish-spawning block in rivers is another very positive move. A good example is the Fish Passage on the Cass River at Frankenmuth, which was completed in 2015. This replaced the Frankenmuth Dam, which was originally constructed in 1850, and blocked spawning fish from venturing further upstream ever since. This Fish Passage is not a fish ladder like that provided for salmon and trout, but is instead a series of fish ways, with resting pools which allow fish such as walleyes, suckers and sturgeon to successfully venture further upstream.
            A very important factor that is bringing the lake sturgeon back to the Great Lakes is the fish hatcheries managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the MDNR Fisheries. Roe (eggs) and sperm are collected from captured wild sturgeon, after which the captured fish are released unharmed. All is then taken to the fish hatchery where fertilized eggs are carefully brought to fruition in a highly controlled environment. In this manner thousands of juvenile sturgeon are being released each year in select Michigan rivers.  
On August 31, 2018, Frankenmuth was the site of a grand celebration of releasing juvenile sturgeon into the Cass River. It would include representatives from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the MDNR Fisheries, MSU’s Sea Grant and of course the City of Frankenmuth. This was the result of the successful joint effort of all those folks and agencies working closely together to make it happen.
Water buckets carrying juvenile sturgeon (which are small and beautiful mirror images of the adults) were carried down to the Cass River, where participating children were allowed to scoop them up from underneath with cupped hands and individually release them, one at a time. This gave all the children present an opportunity to play an important role in a definitely historic moment they will long remember. In all likelihood these sturgeon will make a genetic imprint of the Cass River and return to spawn when they reach sexual maturity in about 20 years.
The fact is, adult sturgeon have already been documented of late in the Cass River as far upstream as Frankenmuth, and there is no doubt the Fish Passage at Frankenmuth now allows them to venture even further upstream, the way it was once, before 1850. Natural reproduction per these adult fish will no doubt occur, and adding hatchery produced sturgeon certainly ups the ante.
I just completed canoeing down the Cass River from Cass City to Saginaw and I can attest that the water quality and river habitat is truly ideal for lake sturgeon spawning activities.
It is truly wonderful that a very unique fish species which nearly came to the brink of extinction now has a definite and positive future in the Great Lakes for all to enjoy for generations to come.

By Tom Lounsbury

Last Saturday represented the final leg of my journey down the Cass River, from Cass City to Saginaw. This would entail 5 scheduled daytrips in order for those who wished could join me on this grand adventure, and a goodly portion of these folks, including some kids, would be with me from start to finish. An example is Bob Walker of Kingston and his 15 year old grandson Hugh Walker of Cass City, who paddled their canoe throughout the entire journey. Professional photographer John Scollon would also be there to film the entire journey. There were also experienced kayakers Russ and Peg Fall of Millington who brought along their grandchildren on many occasions, and also experienced paddler Larry Kolb of Cass City.

I would paddle my own canoe on the first leg, from “The Forks” at Cass City to Caro, but from Caro on I would use kayaks (and a kayak is actually a Type K canoe) provided by Eric Fielbrandt, owner of Frankenmuth Kayak Adventures (kayakfrankenmuth@gmail.comor call 989-652-3400). I learned a long time ago that renting from a reliable canoe/kayak livery saves on the logistics of hauling everything and then putting in and getting out, and Fielbrandt provides quality equipment and services. He even provided transport for those of us who used their personal watercraft.

The Cass River is divided into two parts, the Lower Reaches (which is from Saginaw upstream to the Caro Dam) and the Upper Reaches (which is from the Caro Dam upstream the rest of the way, including both the North Branch and South Branch, which join to become one at Cass City). Thanks to the diligent and dedicated efforts of the Cass River Greenway (CRG), a goodly portion of the Lower Reaches, from Saginaw upstream to M-46 (Enos Park), is now an official water trail. My journey down the Cass River was to commemorate this fact, and to hopefully extend the water trail into the Upper Reaches someday. 
Ecotourism has become very important to the economy of Michigan which has countless lakes and waterways, including the Cass River. The Cass River Greenway has developed canoe/kayak launches (some with handicap accessibility) on the official water trail of the Lower Reaches, and this group is more than willing to assist (including obtaining grants for funding) municipalities who recognize the recreational value which the Cass River truly represents. They also perform regular cleanups on sections of the river each summer, and I can state for a fact that their efforts show. I’ve just paddled down a pretty clean river. Their 10thAnnual Cleanup on the Cass River is actually happening in my neck of the woods, near Cass City on August 18th. For more information, go to www.cassriver.org. 

My journey from Cass City to Saginaw has taken 26 hours to complete, and I estimate that it would take another 4 hours if I were to include a couple obstacles that I chose to avoid. The first obstacle is the Caro Dam which is privately owned and has a broken floodgate. The second obstacle is a gigantic logjam that is about an hour paddle downstream from Bridgeport, and blocks the entire river. Logjams of this nature can affect the current by intensifying it a bit, and they can suck you in. For this reason, we had selected the Shiawassee Boat Launch on M-13, just south of Saginaw, which is downstream from the logjam. It would be our shortest daytrip and entail about a 3 hour paddle to reach Wickes Park on the Saginaw River.

The weather prediction for last Saturday had a 70% chance for rain, so we were all prepared in that event. However it didn’t rain at all during our paddle, and though the sky was overcast, it was an excellent atmosphere for paddling that was surprisingly bug-free. My group entailed 15 people in 13 colorful kayaks and one canoe, and we had a decent tailwind along with the current. There were a lot of bald eagles soaring above, and eagles as well as ospreys have been our constant companions on the entire trip down the Cass River, which says a lot about the good water quality. The Cass River also has its share of history, and the Treaty of Saginaw which Lewis Cass made with Native Americans on its banks in 1819 was located most likely somewhere along our final leg of the journey (I’d sure like to find exactly where).
I spotted one bald eagle soaring above with a male red-wing blackbird homing in on it and this scene looked similar to small fighter plane coming in to strafe a large bomber. Instead of strafing, the little red-wing actually landed on and clung onto the eagle’s back and started pecking away! This caused the eagle to perform a near barrel roll to shake the little bird loose. Certainly a David and Goliath bit of drama in nature to witness firsthand. 

Like all of the Cass River we’ve travelled down on this journey, the final leg was absolutely beautiful with its own distinctly unique habitat features (such as being primarily surrounded by marshland and even having its own special scent in the air) and offering absolute solitude, as we were the only paddlers on the water in a truly wild atmosphere. There were snow-white egrets flushing and flying a short ways before landing again ahead of us, and even a long-bearded wild turkey gobbler on the riverbank seemed to be mesmerized by the wide array of colorful kayaks passing by. Numerous largemouth bass were rolling on the surface and jumping out of the water, and I made a mental note about doing this trip again, most likely real soon, with fishing gear. The bass were obviously on feeding frenzy of some sort. 

 Only about half of our final leg entailed the Cass River. It is often assumed that the Cass River empties into the Saginaw River which isn’t the case at all. The Cass River has a way of suddenly ending and you run into the Shiawassee River coming in from the south and passing by. When you leave the Cass River, you do a hard right turn (actually it is quite a wide stretch of water where the two rivers connect) and you are then paddling downstream on the Shiawassee River. About a mile downstream, you will encounter another river angling in on your left, which is the Tittabawassee River, and once this joins in, it then becomes the Saginaw River. Not far beyond this point is Wickes Park and it had been a great trip to paddle.

There no doubt was a mutual sense of accomplishment felt by those of us who had paddled the entire journey on the very beautiful and historic Cass River. Good fortune also smiled upon us in regards to the weather last Saturday, because right after we got off the water, we could see the rain coming, which appeared almost like a fast approaching fog, and it came down with a vengeance. Of course we really needed the rain, but I was sure glad our timing had fortuitously worked out.

Canoeing down the Cass River, from “The Forks” at Cass City all the way downstream to meet the Shiawassee River, and then also meet the Tittabawassee River where it all then becomes the Saginaw River, has long been on my bucket list. It has been truly amazing to witness the steady transition of the fauna and flora which is unique to the different stretches as we paddled downstream. It has also been truly wonderful to meet and share the Cass River with a bunch of really great folks.
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 I will no doubt do this all over again, because this sort of adventure becomes a bit habit forming.

By Tom Lounsbury
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Last Saturday dawned gray and with the hint of rain in the air. The TV weatherman the evening before, had predicted spotty showers in the Thumb during the morning and moving on by noon. I had high hopes the “spotty showers” would miss our group of paddlers while we journeyed down the Cass River from Vassar to Frankenmuth.

Vassar has a beautiful canoe/kayak launch located just below a rapids where a dam once stood. There is a nice parking lot featuring a handy cement sidewalk down the river making access quite convenient. This is due to the continued efforts of the Cass River Greenway (CRG) that has strived diligently to work with communities on the Cass River to establish such quality accessibility to a historic and absolutely beautiful waterway. Just recently, thanks to the efforts of the CRG, the Cass River has become an official water trail from M-46 downstream to Saginaw, with the hopes of continuing the official water trail further upstream, which is a painstaking process that doesn’t happen overnight.
The key element is to have a community realize the recreational importance of the Cass River and play a role, and the CRG has the means, including obtaining grants for funding, to make it all come to fruition. Ecotourism is a fast growing element which is a very important fact for Michigan with all of its lakes and rivers. For a long time, the (historic) Cass River has been erroneously looked upon by some as being the “Rodney Dangerfield” of Michigan waterways, something I have never agreed with, and what the CRG is striving to change, and why I fully support the group.

This is why I decided to canoe the Cass River from “The Forks” (where the North and South Branches join to become one at Cass City, which is named after the river for this reason) all the way downstream to Saginaw. I have been doing this as planned day trips, covering various river port to river port sections in order for those who wish, to join me on my journey. It is during this process I have come to know some mighty fine folks who also love and enjoy the Cass River and we were strangers who have become as close as family. We are definitely a cohesive team whenever accessing or disembarking the river, while paddling our canoes and kayaks downstream to the various destinations. Everyone never hesitates to lend a helping hand whenever it is needed.

Our first leg involving a dozen participants, from Cass City to Caro’s Chippewa Landing, occurred on Saturday, April 28 and required a leisurely paddle (including a lunch break) of 7 hours. The second leg (involving a dozen participants) of from Indian Fields Park near Caro, to Vassar occurred on Saturday, May 5 and required a leisurely paddle (including a lunch break) of 6 hours. From Cass City to Caro is considered the Upper Reaches of the Cass River, and launching at Indian Fields Park just below the Caro Dam would mark our beginning down what is considered the Lower Reaches.

It was at this point some of us would be using kayaks provided by Frankenmuth Kayak Adventures (kayakfrankenmuth@gmail.comor call 989-652-3400), which offers quality equipment and services. I learned a long time ago that working with a reputable canoe/kayak rental helps a whole lot with the logistics in accessing a river and being picked up later, and I believe it was quite fortuitous that Eric Feilbrandt would open up his new Frankenmuth kayak rental business this spring. Long a devout (Type C) canoe-person, this would be the first time for me to ever paddle a kayak (actually a Type K canoe) down the Cass River. I had gained a deep respect for the maneuverability of kayaks in the multiple (and very exciting) rapids of our journey down the Upper Reaches from Cass City.

At Vassar last Saturday morning, I would climb aboard a comfortable one-person kayak provided by Fielbrandt which is quite stabile and offers what I would call an “easy chair” to perch on above the deck. Fielbrandt also provided a two-person kayak which held our professional cameraman, John Scollon, in the front and was paddled from the back by expert kayaker Russ Fall of Millington. I’ve discovered on this journey that Russ is a good man to paddle a river with, and the cameraman was in excellent hands for the next two days.

There were 14 participants on this day, including several kids, some of whom had their own kayaks and were paddling all around and thoroughly enjoying our trek downstream to Frankenmuth. Having kids along during the adventure down the Cass River this spring has added a certainly animated atmosphere that I truly enjoy. Having kids energetically paddling back and forth around me while I’m simply paddling to the next bend in the river truly revives my spirit, and it is wonderful seeing kids enjoying quality time in the great outdoors.

The “spotty showers” would start up shortly after our launch at Vassar, and would continue during our entire paddle downstream, and at times would turn into a downright downpour, which didn’t dampen anyone’s spirit any, as we were all prepared for it, and it even added to the experience, with large raindrops hitting the water and creating unique bubbles all over the surface. It was actually quite beautiful.

We would take our lunch break at the handy canoe-launch at Tuscola and then continue on to Frankenmuth where we would land at another handy launch site above the Fish Way after a five hour paddle. It was as we neared Frankenmuth that we encountered a riverboat paddling upstream and we waved at the tourists onboard who waved back and were obviously curious about the canoes and kayaks out in the rain.

On Sunday the following morning, nine of us would launch from just below the Frankenmuth Fish Way (which replaced the Dam in 2015 and even features a canoe/kayak portage trail around it) and begin our 5 hour paddle downstream to Bridgeport. A distant church bell chimed a nice tune as we started downstream, and fortunately, although the day featured overcast skies, there wasn’t any rain throughout our trip.

This stretch of the Cass River features more sand than clay on the riverbank, and in certain areas springtime high waters have carved away the soil to expose the roots of gigantic hardwoods, creating what I would describe as a “Sleepy Hollow” effect which is quite beautiful and unique. Like the rest of the Cass River we have travelled thus far, we experienced true and uncluttered solitude that is lined with a forested riverbank, and the air was scented by fragrant spring blossoms. Eagles and ospreys have been constantly sighted throughout our journey which says a lot about the good water quality of the river.
One thing you will notice is the transcending change of the habitat as you venture down the Cass River with the atmosphere in the Upper Reaches featuring a northern Michigan flavor entailing a large mix of evergreens, and the Lower Reaches which begin to ease into a southern Michigan flavor featuring a dominance of hardwoods until seeing any evergreen trees becomes a rarity. All in all, each stretch we’ve covered has expressed its own unique individuality, and definite beauty.


In no time, It seemed, we were landing at the Bridgeport canoe/kayak launch site which is handicap accessible and features a ramp with rollers which allow you to pull yourself up using a railing, and you can easily get out at the top (Frankenmuth has this as well, thanks to the CRG).

The only thing we encountered on the river during that trip was a man and woman fishing from a canoe that was powered by an electric trolling motor (and they were successfully catching walleyes – the Cass River offers excellent fishing opportunities for a variety of species throughout its entire length). Otherwise we were offered complete solitude on an absolutely beautiful river.

​Our paddle down the Cass River thus far from Cass City to Bridgeport has entailed four (5 to 7 hour) day trips which were performed in a very relaxing and enjoyable manner. Our next and final trip from Bridgeport to Saginaw will happen in July, and I can hardly wait for it. Canoeing the Cass River from “The Forks” at Cass City, all the way downstream to Saginaw has long been on my bucket list, as I dearly love the Cass River, and having thoroughly enjoyed it since my early childhood, I owe much to it.
Meeting and getting to know some mighty fine folks to share the river journey with is truly the frosting on a very unique and flavorful cake.

By: Tom Lounsbury

​Indian Fields Park near Caro gets its name for a reason. Prior to there being present day Caro, Indian Fields had permanent Native American residents, who in the fall met with other tribes and had an annual powwow just prior to a big hunt to get meat for the winter. This is all described in the book “The Hunting Expeditions of Oliver Hazard Perry”. Perry had ventured from his home in Ohio in the fall of 1852 to hunt elk and deer in the Thumb’s wilderness along the Cass River (during which he killed a huge 8 x 8 bull elk). In his book, Perry describes a couple of Indian tribes visiting Indian Fields as being “Sebewane” and “Quanicussee”.
Due to the hunting powwow getting a bit boisterous Perry and his hunting companion would buy a canoe from the Indians and travelled upstream and made a hunting camp at the Forks of the Cass near present day Cass City. Perry describes venturing up the rapids on the Cass’s Upper Reaches quite vividly, and where the canoe had to be poled and pulled to traverse them upstream. Having done this myself a time or two, I can easily identify with Perry’s writings.
After a couple weeks of hunting near the Forks, where elk, deer, bears and wolves were seen, some fall rains brought the Cass River’s water level up enough, that Perry and his hunting companion had clear sailing downstream over the rapids to reach Indian Fields with their heavily loaded canoe. Perry describes the site at Indian Fields as being mostly evergreen trees, entailing a predominance of enormous hemlocks. After a short stay, they would begin their journey downstream to reach Saginaw, where they would depart by ship and return to Ohio.
Indian Fields would be the launch site for continuing my journey of canoeing the Cass River from Cass City to Saginaw to commemorate the river recently becoming an official water trail, thanks to the efforts of the Cass River Greenway, a group of dedicated folks I strongly support. I’m also duplicating Oliver Hazard Perry’s 1852 journey down the Cass from “The Forks” to Saginaw to point out the fact that the Cass River has always been an important water trail for eons. Native Americans relied upon it, as did pioneers, hunters and lumbermen. The Cass River has clearly played a very important key role in the history and development of the Thumb Area. 
Having never launched a canoe from Indian Fields, I decided to scout it out a couple days ahead of time. Over the years I’ve had a lot of fun in the hills and streams of Indian Fields Park, thanks to family reunions, and it is easy to see why it was a preferred site for Native Americans. The canoe launch entails a steep staircase, and I had my eye on the shallow ravine right next to it for an easier access for a number of canoes and kayaks, which would require only about a 10 yard haul from the access road. However, the high winds which swept through the Thumb the day before we were going to launch would change the entire picture.
The following morning we were greeted with fallen trees across the road, and the simple 10 yard haul of canoes and kayaks turned into a 200 yard obstacle course. Most of the folks who had joined me on the earlier trip down the Upper Reaches of the Cass were back again to join me on this start down the Lower Reaches. I had discovered at the very beginning that I was on this river adventure with really wonderful folks who never hesitated in giving assistance when needed, and without having to be asked. They were all naturally into teamwork and knew what to do. Needless to say, canoes and kayaks reached the river in no time at all, and I’d share a river adventure with all of these folks anywhere and anytime.
A large tree had fallen into and filled the ravine, so it was just the steep staircase waiting for us. 14 year old Kyle Fall of Millington donned chest-waders, and was in the river steadying canoes and kayaks while folks climbed aboard, of which there were a dozen in our group, and we were all anticipating the journey downstream to Vassar. This would entail 3 canoes and 4 kayaks, and it would be my first time venturing down the Cass in a kayak, something I was looking forward to.
I’ve long considered myself as being a dyed in the wool canoe-guy, but during the recent trip down the Upper Reaches of the Cass, I developed a profound respect for kayaks as being superbly maneuverable in rough waters, as well as their ability to literally glide along the surface with little effort. For this leg of the journey I was using a two-person kayak provided by Eric Fielbrandt, owner of Frankenmuth Kayak Adventures (www.kayakfrankenmuth.com or call 989-652-3400). Cameraman John Scollon, who is filming my entire journey down the Cass, was set up in the front of our kayak, and he had a very stabile platform for his tripod and camera. I’m no tiny-tot, and I found this kayak to be plenty roomy and offering a very comfortable seat, and I truly appreciated the ability to slice through the water with a full load aboard.
Fielbrandt had also brought a one-person kayak for Larry Kolb of Cass City, and this unique watercraft really caught my eye. It featured a comfortable seat on top of a very stabile double hull (and even had handy fishing rod holders), and Kolb never quit smiling while really enjoying paddling this kayak during the entire trip.
Having canoed all over the state, I’ve long appreciated the convenient logistics of renting watercraft instead of hauling my own around on top of my vehicle. The services provided by rental businesses such as Frankenmuth Kayak Adventures include drop-off and pick-up which is an important factor to always consider, and I’ll be using their kayaks for the remainder of my journey to Saginaw, as they offer a top quality product and service.
Our trip from Indian Fields to Vassar entailed great water depths, an excellent current under clear blue skies, balmy temperatures and absolutely no bugs, and all in the company of good people who truly enjoyed the river. It doesn’t get any better than that!
My being primarily an Upper Reaches river paddler, it was good to have a seasoned Lower Reaches river paddler along, such as Peggy Fall of Millington who ran point for us in her kayak, to scout ahead and assure the best way to skirt around any fallen trees caused by the windstorm the day before. Perry had mentioned in his book that his 1852 downstream paddle from Indian Fields to Vassar took 5 ½ hours and it remains so today. We did it in 6 hours, which included a relaxing lunch break on the riverbank. We did have to skirt around a fallen tree here and there, especially under bridges, but otherwise it was clear sailing all the way without any hitches whatsoever.
It was on this Lower Reaches stretch that I was introduced to the northern map turtle (its name derived from the markings on its neck and legs which resemble contour lines on a map) which I haven’t seen on the Upper Reaches, but is unique to this stretch during which we observed over three dozen, along with several soft shell turtles. We also saw bald eagles, ospreys, waterfowl and a wide variety of songbirds which included a brilliantly colored male scarlet tanager, not to mention deer and even beavers which were seen.
Naturalists Miles Willard of Mayville and Dan Duso of Bay City who accompanied us on this trip as well as on the Upper Reaches, both commented that it was amazing to watch an obvious change and difference in the fauna and flora along the Cass River as you venture down it, with certain species being unique to either the Upper or Lower Reaches. Willard and Duso also stated that the Cass River offered more solitude, less congestion and was cleaner (no doubt due to the efforts of the Cass River Greenway)  than most notable rivers further north. I’ll toast to that, folks!
Landing at Vassar required a final patch of fast water where a dam once stood, directly followed by making a hard left turn to reach the canoe/kayak launch, which we all did with no problem, and all too soon this particular paddle was done. As was the norm, everyone was helping everyone in getting their canoe and kayaks and gear to the parking lot close by. 
I’m truly looking forward to the next leg of the journey down the historic Cass River which will entail Vassar to at least Frankenmuth. I’ve really been enjoying the adventures of canoeing down this fantastic river and getting to know some mighty fine folks during the process. You never know, it could become an annual event!

   
​By: Tom Lounsbury

  That Saturday morning a couple weeks ago featured some chilling winds which were spitting snowflakes when my group launched their canoes and kayaks into the Cass River’s fast-flowing spring current. This was near the Cemetery Road Bridge just south of Cass City and our little flotilla entailed 4 canoes and 5 kayaks, carrying 12 folks wielding paddles. Our goal was to reach Chippewa Landing just south of Caro by that afternoon, and this was the beginning of day-trips to complete a journey from Cass City, all the way downstream to Saginaw, to commemorate the Cass River becoming an official water trail, thanks to a great group known as the Cass River Greenway (www.cassriver.org). I’m estimating this will entail at least 4 days, because the Cass River isn’t a tiny stream by any means.
    The Cass River is divided into two stretches, the Upper Reaches which are upstream from Caro to the river’s very beginnings, and the Lower Reaches which are from Caro on downstream to where the Cass eventually empties into the Saginaw River. My personal viewpoint has the Caro Dam (which was constructed in 1906) as being the dividing point between the two stretches. In reality, both the Upper and Lower Reaches offer their own distinctly unique atmosphere, of which my group entailing avid river adventurers was ready to see and experience firsthand.
    Native Americans had used the Cass River as a key travel corridor for eons, which is evidenced by the ancient Petroglyphs on the North Branch of the Cass in Sanilac County. There is also the primitive “tool shop” on the Cass’s banks just a short ways downstream from Cass City where prehistoric Indians created the tools needed for survival from chert (a stone which can be chipped and shaped similar to flint).
    The Upper Reaches entails two river tributaries which are the North Branch and the South Branch which converge to become one just south of Cass City. Prior to Cass City becoming a place on the map, this area was known simply as “The Forks”, which was a notable elk hunting hotspot for hunters coming upstream from Saginaw into the Thumb wilderness prior to the Civil War, and why Cass City’s township is named “Elkland”. Although the Cass River is named after Lewis Cass (who signed the Treaty of Saginaw with Native Americans on the banks of the Cass near present day Bridgeport in 1819), there is no doubt in my mind Cass City is named after the river whose north and south branches join close by and floated a lot of logs downstream to feed hungry sawmills to create the necessary lumber for a fast growing young country. This timbering aspect and the Cass River played an important role to Cass City’s early beginnings.
    When it comes to the Cass River’s extensive winding trail downstream westerly through the Thumb, I consider myself as being an “Upper Reaches” river-person. Although I’ve canoed in years past all the way downstream to Frankenmuth, my main association since early childhood has been primarily in the Upper Reaches, which I have come to know quite well, and I first began canoeing this stretch nearly 60 years ago. Depending upon the spring runoff, this can often offer up to 3 months of canoeing opportunities, and also often again in the fall when autumn rains might frequently occur. I’ve always enjoyed paddling on an Upper Reaches fall color tour whenever the Cass River offers it.
    The majority of adventuresome folks accompanying me on this recent Upper Reaches journey had never done it before, and I let them know the first few miles travelling downstream from Cass City were going to be a “wild ride” due to the distinct fall to the river entailing a multitude of rapids, which I have come to dearly love. I truly look forward to “shooting” them with my canoe each spring and I have come to know certain boulders quite well, a familiarity achieved from doing my best to avoid colliding with them for almost 6 decades. I can remember the time my canoe became hung up in a “sweeper” (a fallen tree which can add a whole new dimension to fast flowing rapids) and the current was so strong, it was nearly impossible to dislodge the canoe. The energy and power of the current through this particular stretch are nothing to take for granted.
    Almost as if on cue, ospreys began escorting us down the river shortly after our launch, and we lost count of the number of bald eagles along our entire route. We also saw a multitude of songbirds and waterfowl (two naturalists paddling their canoe with us, Miles Willard of Mayville and Dan Duso of Bay City, identified 55 different bird species, some of which are quite rare) and though the river otters weren’t seen, their notable “otter slide” into the river was quite evident. A herd of 10 deer also crossed the river in front of us, and deer were often seen along the entire route. By midmorning the sun came out and it turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day to be on the river.
    In our group were two 14 year old young men. Hugh Walker of Cass City was the bowman for his grandfather Bob Walker of Kingston in their canoe. Grandpa Bob is a seasoned Upper Reaches river-person, and grandson Hugh knows how to skillfully wield a canoe paddle.
    Kyle Fall was in a single-person kayak, as were his grandparents, Russ and Peggy Fall of Millington, and they all knew how to really handle a kayak. Kyle gave me the impression he was actually a part of his bright yellow kayak, and I was amazed by his skilled ability to paddle all around us, from bank to bank, in search of unique rocks which he collected.
    Also in a kayak was Larry Kolb of Cass City, who just like me, grew up appreciating what the Upper Reaches of the Cass River has to offer in recreational opportunities. A skilled and seasoned paddler of both canoes and kayaks, Kolb has canoed and kayaked all over the country and Canada, and still considers the Cass his favorite river. According to him, the Cass River and its recreational capabilities is one of the best kept secrets which must be shared with others.
    In another kayak was Terry Fahner of Sebewaing. Clearly a very skilled kayaker, this was her first adventure on the Upper Reaches of the Cass, and she obviously enjoyed every bit of our journey. The fact is, I have long considered myself a dyed in the wool canoe guy, but in watching the kayakers on this adventure and their ability to deftly maneuver around obstacles gave me a whole new and profound respect for kayaks. Needless to say folks, I’m going to get me one.
    My wingman (no doubt to keep an eye on the “old man”, probably due to his mother’s orders) on this journey was my son Jake in a one-person canoe. You can say Jake is an Upper Reaches river-person too, because he has been experiencing the Cass ever since I put a life jacket on him as a toddler, attached a rope to him and me, and towed him behind me while I wade-fished. He and his two brothers can readily remember being tucked into the center of our canoe while my wife Ginny and I did our annual Memorial Day paddle down the Cass.
    Riding in the front of my canoe was former Cass City resident John Scollon, who is now a professional photographer. His goal is to film my entire journey from Cass City to Saginaw, for the Cass River Greenway. I’m looking forward to seeing what he filmed in the Upper Reaches rapids, while we veered around boulders and even bumped into a couple, which I have long remembered as being very “personable” big rocks. I was pretty sure John’s knuckles were a bit white at times while he gripped his camera’s tripod in the bow of my canoe. He was definitely a seasoned Upper Reaches river-person when we beached our canoe at Chippewa Landing near Caro.
    All present on that day agreed it was a great adventure on a fabulous river. Naturalist Dan Duso capped everything when he declared that the Upper Reaches of the Cass River reminded him of the AuSable River. I fully agree.
    For me, I had a fine time with truly wonderful people who readily assisted other folks on the river whenever needed without hesitation, and it was clear they fully enjoyed the experience. I will do river adventures with all of them, anywhere and anytime.
    Come to think of it, I will likely be doing just that, as they were all saying they were looking forward to the next leg of the journey, which will represent paddling down the Lower Reaches of the historic Cass River.
    Needless to say folks this story is just getting started.

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