Paint Creek (Washtenaw County, Michigan)
Paint Creek is a stream mostly located within Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The stream flows south before entering as a tributary to Stony Creek along the county line with Monroe County. Paint Creek is also the name of an unincorporated community that dates back to 1829. It is located along the creek within Augusta Township. Community of Paint Creek A community named Paint Creek was settled by James Miller along the banks of the creek in southwest Washtenaw County as early as 1829. It was originally known by its native Chippewa name of Wejinigan-sibi, translated as Paint Creek, which the settlement was later known by its English settlers. A post office named Paint Creek was established on January 15, 1833, with David Hardy as the first postmaster. The station was an important route linking the city of Monroe to the southeast and the village of Ypsilanti to the northwest. Augusta Township, where the community is located, was established in 1836, and Paint Creek served as its first post office. The post office was later renamed Newcomb on September 27, 1881, and finally to Willis on December 15, 1887. The Willis post office remains in operation and utilizes the 48191 ZIP Code, which covers most of eastern Augusta Charter Township. The present-day community of Paint Creek is located just west of Willis and north of Whittaker at the intersection of Willis Road and Tuttle Hill at . The creek flows north–south just west of this intersection. Paint Creek continues to exist as a small unincorporated community with no legal autonomy. Description The source of Paint Creek is an unnamed location within northeast Pittsfield Township just southeast of the city limits of Ann Arbor near the junction of U.S. Route 23 and Interstate 94 at . From its source, it flows briefly northeast through the city of Ypsilanti near the Huron River and Ford Lake. The river then meanders south into Ypsilanti Township and rural Augusta Township. The creek ends when it joins Stony Creek at the county line in London Township in Monroe County. Paint Creek is one of the main tributaries of Stony Creek, along with Sugar and Buck creeks, as well as numerous drainage canals. Stony Creek itself flows for a much longer distance all the way to Lake Erie within Frenchtown Township in Monroe County. Paint Creek is a designated cold-water stream, as it also receives sources from groundwater and has a colder than average temperature. Paint Creek contains no dams along its route, and it is also fed by numerous irrigation canals and lesser streams, including the McCarthy Drain. The creek's largest tributary is West Branch Paint Creek. It is a creek that begins near Ypsilanti. Because of high agricultural usage of the area, the tributary is prone to increased flooding and erosion. The upper portion of Paint Creek is also threatened due to increasing development within Pittsfield Township and Ypsilanti. The creek contains numerous bridges and crossing, including an underpass along Interstate