Boyne River is a
stream in
Northern Michigan, named for the
River Boyne in
Leinster,
Ireland. Together with the north and south branches, the river system has approximately 22 miles (35 km) of mainstream and the water basin drains 40,320 acres (163.2 km2).[2] Boyne River is Lake Charlevoix's second-largest tributary, after the
Jordan River.
The Boyne City Mill Pond within the Boyne City limits less than a mile from the river's mouth. The Boyne City Mill Pond is not a true impoundment resulting from a dam on the river, but affects the river similarly in that itcollects sediments and provides a large surface area that tends to raise the water temperature during the summer months.[6] The pond is called "Little Lake" in a 1901
plat book.[7]
The
reservoir formed by a hydroelectric dam owned by
Boyne Resorts at 45°11′38″N84°56′53″W / 45.19389°N 84.94806°W / 45.19389; -84.94806. The dam was built about 1906 to provide power to nearby towns. The Boyne River Power Company was consolidated with many other small power providers in west Michigan to form the Michigan Public Service Company in 1927.
Consumers Energy bought that company in 1950 and continued to operate the power plant until October 12, 1962, after which the generating equipment was removed and the dam, buildings and land surrounding the reservoir were sold to the Boyne Mountain Lodge in 1963. In 1982, the Boyne Mountain Resort received a license to operate a 250 kilowatt hydroelectric generator using the existing dam and 80-acre (0.32 km2) reservoir.[6][8]