Class I Pigeon River, IN/MI

Pigeon River, located in northeastern Indiana, originates at Mongo and flows west-northwest to the St. Joseph River, 36 miles away. Above Mongo, Pigeon River is known as Pigeon Creek. The river received its name from Chief White Pigeon, whose tribe inhabited the area and hunted and fished the stream. The river valley is narrow and shallow, being less than one-half mile wide. The river drains about 350 square miles and drains more than fifty lakes. For much of its length it hugs the face of a moraine which prevents the flow of tributaries from the north. This also accounts for the fact that the Fawn River parallels the Pigeon River for more than half of its length, being separated by the moraine. (Indiana DNR Canoeing Guide)