This used to one of the most important rivers in Michigan. A hundred years ago there was an extensive amount of lumbering in this area. The river carried the logs down to Lake Huron. That mostly came to an end after a big forest fire in 1911. If it was not for the fire, which was the most destructive in the history of Michigan, Oscoda/AuSable would most likely still be the biggest and most important city in the state (not Detroit).

Currently there are five dams on the river, so moving logs by water became impossible. Nowadays it is an important recreation area. There is a lot of fishing and canoeing done here, including a yearly 240 mile canoe race. I myself once caught a six-pound smallmouth bass just upstream from here while canoeing. This view is from High Banks, and shows one of many big horseshoe bends on the river, where it widens into one of the ponds.