Algonac is situated on what is called "the largest fresh-water delta in the world", at the mouth of the St. Clair River. Many canals wind their way throughout the city, which has given Algonac its nickname of "The Venice of Michigan." Mark Twain traveled through this area Wednesday, July 17th, 1895. Major Pond, in his journal wrote: "New Venice, on the St. Clair River, is a most interesting resort. I have seen nothing else like it in America. For miles on the American side are rows of cottages built upon piles over water, with no means of communication with each other except by small row boats, and these are numerous. There is a slip, or dock, with pretty boats and boat houses by every cottage. Some of the boats are elaborate, This is a unique resort for wealthy people of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, and quite a number of Chicagoans have elegant summer houses here. There is great opportunity for fishing and duck shooting, as the Canadian side of the river is a vast rice marsh inhabited by water fowls only. Now few eastern people know of these extensive luxurious resorts, and all the growth of two decades."
Overland with Mark Twain, p3.