Tobacco River Dam & M-30 Bridge

The Dam and the River

The camera frames the Tobacco River Dam, a low earthen structure crossed by the M-30 Bridge. The rock-armored embankment and the channel of the Tobacco River dominate the foreground, while the flat, open river basin recedes into wooded shoreline.

A Landscape Reshaped

This stretch marks the western edge of what was once Wixom Lake, drained after the Edenville Dam failed and reshaped the valley. The view captures a landscape in transition, where river, embankment and former lakebed meet.

Mid-Michigan Watershed

The Tobacco River is part of the Tittabawassee watershed near Beaverton, in Gladwin County. The wide-angle vantage takes in the gently rolling countryside of central Michigan and the network of dams along the river system.

What You Watch For

Viewers follow the steady flow of the river, passing traffic on the M-30 Bridge, and the slow play of light across the open basin — a continuous window onto a rural Michigan landmark and its ongoing recovery.