Why Michigan’s Valentines Creek Runs Red

Michigan is filled with lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and creeks. One Michigan creek has a mysterious color that probably helped name the creek, or did it?

Valentines Creek is located in Garden, Michigan. A recent visitor commented on the water's bright orange and red color. Several Michiganders chimed in to explain the creek's history.

Garden, Michigan: the Home for Valentines Creek

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Garden is located on a peninsula in Michigan's U.P. near Big Bay De Noc, just northeast of Devils Corner. Garden is a village in Delta County known for its natural beauty and proximity to Fayette Historic State Park with a population just under 200.

The village is off the beaten path when crossing the U.P., so most visitors have a specific reason for coming to the area. Unless you live there, most people don't even know it exists.

How Did Michigan's Valentines Creek Get its Mysterious Color?

Valentines Creek is located in Garden, Michigan. The creek is connected to Valentine Point named after a French settler "Valentine." French fishermen settled in the area in the 1850s, and it was also home to the iron industry.

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Recently on the Upper Peninsula Reddit page, a poster asked why the creek is an orange/red color. After sifting through all the posters comments, most came up with the same conclusion I had discovered while researching the creek.

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If you have ever been to Florida and saw some of the swampy water in creeks and rivers, you would know that Valentines Creek looks like it could be located in Sunshine State. It turns out the orange/red color is due to leaching from decaying vegetation which is common in areas of brackish or swampy water. The process occurs when plant matter breaks down and releases tannins and other organic materials, coloring the water brown or reddish.

So there is no real mystery to Valentines Creek and the color of the water had nothing to do with how the creek got its name.

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It can almost be looked at as a different state entirely, while encompassing everything beautiful about Michigan. There are some spots that are truly breathtaking, and if you've never planned a trip to the upper peninsula, make sure you're comfortable with long drives.