By: Sander Levin, Free Press guest writer
The Great Lakes and their connecting waterways carried the first European explorers to Michigan in the 1600s. And it was the Lakes (and the Erie Canal) that brought large numbers of settlers to Michigan in the early 1800s. These settlers lived by the water in places like Detroit, Mt. Clemens, Rochester and Pontiac.
http://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2015/10/16/feds-must-prioritize-funding-great-lakes-restoration/74006586/
