Everything about The Roanoke River totally explained
The
Roanoke River is a river in southern
Virginia and northeastern
North Carolina in the
United States, 410 mi (660 km) long.
(External Link
) A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the
coastal plain from the eastern edge of the
Appalachian Mountains southeast across the
Piedmont to
Albemarle Sound. An important river throughout the history of the United States, it was the site of early settlement in the
Virginia Colony and the
Carolina Colony. Part of its upper course in Virginia between the
City of Roanoke and
Clarksville is also known as the
Staunton River. It is impounded along much of its middle course to form a chain of reservoirs.
Description
The river has its headwaters in the
Blue Ridge Mountains in
southwestern Virginia at
Lafayette in
Montgomery County where the North Fork and South Fork of the river merge. The North Fork, approximately 30 mi (50 km) long, rises between two mountain ridges and flows initially southwest, then loops back to the northeast. The South Fork, approximately 20 mi (30 km) long, rises in several streams in the mountains on the border of
Floyd,
Roanoke, and Montgomery counties and flows generally north, joining the North Fork from the south.
The combined stream flows northeast between mountain ridges, approximately 10 mi (15 km) to
Salem, then east through the city of
Roanoke, emerging from a
gorge in the Blue Ridge Mountains southeast of Roanoke and forming the boundary between
Franklin and
Bedford counties. The river flows generally east-southeast across the Piedmont of southern Virginia and enters northeastern North Carolina, passing north of
Roanoke Rapids. The river then flows southeast in a zigzag course across the coastal plain and then briefly turns north as it enters
Batchelor Bay on the western end
Albemarle Sound.
The river is impounded twice in succession in the Piedmont of southwestern Virginia downstream from Roanoke to form the
Smith Mountain Lake and
Leesville Lake reservoirs. Farther downstream in southern
Mecklenburg County along the North Carolina border, the river is impounded to form the expansive
Kerr Lake. In northeastern North Carolina, 3 mi (5 km) west of Roanoke Rapids, the river is impounded to form the
Lake Gaston reservoir, which stretches upstream into Virginia to the John H. Kerr Dam.
History
The Roanoke River was the homeland of various
Native American tribes such as the Ocaneechi (today part of the
Haliwa-Saponi). The deadly spring floods earned it the name "River of Death".
(External Link) The river's lower course began to be settled by Virginians about the middle of the 17th century, in what was known as the
Albemarle Settlements. The upper reaches of the Roanoke River were explored by fur trading parties sent by
Abraham Wood in the late 17th century.
The name "Roanoke" is said to have originated from an
Algonquian word for shell "money".
(External Link) In
1883, the small town of Big Lick on the river was selected as a major shops and terminal point for the new
Norfolk and Western Railway to meet the
Shenandoah Valley Railroad. Big Lick was renamed
Roanoke for the river that bisected it, as the surrounding
Roanoke County had been in
1838.
(External Link)Further Information
Get more info on 'Roanoke River'.
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