13.0 French River

The Native American name was "Angwassago-zibi", which meant Floodwood River; the French called it "Rivière de Francais" which translates to its present name. In 1848 French River was the site of a copper ore discovery, and a rush of prospectors came to the area, but it turned out that there was little commercial value to the ore. The river is only 12 miles long and flows out to a flat pebble beach along the lake; the state fish hatchery stands on its bank. The railroad crosses the river on another steel bridge.