TheShenandoah River/ˌʃɛnənˈdoʊə/is the principaltributaryof thePotomac River,55.6 miles (89.5 km) long with twoforksapproximately 100 miles (160 km) long each,[3]in theU.S. statesofVirginiaandWest Virginia.The river and itstributariesdrain the central and lowerShenandoah Valleyand thePage Valleyin theAppalachianson the west side of theBlue Ridge Mountains,in northwestern Virginia and theeastern panhandle of West Virginia.[1]There is a hydroelectric plant along the Shenandoah River constructed in 2014 byDominion.
| Shenandoah River | |
|---|---|
 Crossing the Shenandoah River inHarpers Ferry, West Virginia | |
 Shenandoah River drainage basin | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia,West Virginia |
| Towns | Harpers Ferry, WV,Front Royal, VA,Luray, VA |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | North Fork |
| • location | Shenandoah Mountain |
| 2nd source | South Fork |
| • location | Port Republic |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Front Royal, VA |
| Mouth | Potomac River |
• location | Harpers Ferry |
• coordinates | 39°19′21″N77°43′40″W/ 39.3226009°N 77.7277704°W[1] |
• elevation | 246 ft (75 m)[1] |
| Length | 56 mi (90 km) |
| Basin size | 2,937 sq mi (7,610 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Millville, WV[2] |
| • average | 2,755 cu ft/s (78.0 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | North Fork (Shenandoah River) |
| • right | South Fork (Shenandoah River) |
Course
editThe Shenandoah River is formed northeast ofFront Royalnear Riverton, by theconfluenceof theSouth Forkand theNorth Fork.It flows northeast acrossWarren County,passing underneathInterstate 661 mile (1.6 km) from its formation. Beyond the I-66 bridge, the river flows through a set of bends before turning to the northeast again, crossing intoClarke County11 miles (18 km) below I-66. Five miles (8 km) downriver from the Clarke County border, the Shenandoah passes underU.S. Route 50and then passes through a triple bend. 14.5 miles (23.3 km) below the Route 50 bridge, the river passes underneathState Route 7and then continues northeast another 8 miles (13 km) where it crosses intoJefferson Countyin West Virginia. Once in West Virginia, the river completes six large bends before joining the Potomac from the southwest nearHarpers Ferry.Theconfluenceis on the West Virginia-Maryland border, and 0.4 miles (0.64 km) from the Virginia-West Virginia border.[4]
Geology
edit
TheShenandoah Valleyis underlaid bylimestone.The fertile soil made it a favored place for early settlement. It remains a majoragriculturalarea of Virginia and West Virginia. Somekarst topographyis evident, and the limestone is honeycombed with caves. Several have been developed as commercial tourist attractions, includingLuray Caverns,Shenandoah Caverns,andSkyline Caverns.
On the riverbank, a few miles above Harper's Ferry, is said to be a cave with an opening just large enough for a mounted rider to squeeze through. It widened in the interior to a spacious room where hundreds ofCol. John Mosby'sraiding troops are said to have hidden from pursuing Union cavalry.[5]
Environmental issues
editMercury contamination
editThe Shenandoah River was contaminated withmercurywhich was released by aDuPontrayonmanufacturing facility located inWaynesboro, Virginiafrom 1929 to 1950.[6]This mercury is still present in the fish population of the river today; data collected over the last several decades shows that mercury levels remain stable.[7]The fish in many sections of the Shenandoah River are not safe for human consumption. For example, theVirginia Department of Health(VDOH) states that it is not safe to consume any species excepttroutwhich are caught between Waynesboro andGrottoes, Virginiadue to elevated mercury levels. In general, the VDOH states that it is not safe to consume more than two fish per month which are caught on the Shenandoah River inPage,Warren,Augusta,orRockinghamcounties.[8]
In 2017 DuPont agreed to pay $42,069,916.78 to address natural resource damages and to implement restoration projects related to the impacted resources in the South Fork Shenandoah River watershed.[6]
Fish kills
editSince 2005, the Shenandoah River has experienced several springtimefish killsthat have affected several of its native fish species. In 2005,redbreast sunfishandsmallmouth bassalong a 100-mile (160 km) stretch of the South Fork Shenandoah River began dying of lesions caused by bacteria and fungi. Although the fish kill eventually wiped out 80% of the adult redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass, juvenile populations appeared to be unaffected.[9]The following year more-localized fish kills inClarke Countyspread to two of the Shenandoah's three species of sucker: theshorthead redhorseand thenorthern hogsucker– the former suffering from similar lesions witnessed in the previous year's fish kill.[10]Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality received reports of fish kills near Elkton and between Bentonville and Front Royal in late April 2007 and observed fish exhibiting lesions and strange behavior.[11]
Etymology
edit
Various accounts tell the origin of the name. According to one, GeneralGeorge Washingtonnamed the valley (and river) in honor ofSkenandoa(or Shenandoah), anOneida"pine tree chief" based in New York, who led hundreds of Oneida and Tuscarora warriors in support of the American rebels on the frontier during the Revolutionary War. He also sent much needed corn to Washington and his troops during their hard winter atValley Forge, Pennsylvaniain 1777–1778.[13][14]However, the name was in use when Washington was a child, as evidenced in land grants and correspondence.[15]
It is also said to be named after theSenedo people,a little-documented tribe said to have lived on the north fork of the river and destroyed by theCatawba,some time between 1650 and 1700.
Recreation
editThe Shenandoah River is a very popular river forcanoeing,river tubing,andwhite-water recreationsuch asraftingandkayaking(class I-III in season, II-III+ during the spring run-off), and several commercial outfitters offer a variety of guided trips and rentals.
South Fork Shenandoah River
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The South Fork is formed atPort Republicin southernRockingham County,by theconfluenceof theNorth RiverandSouth River.It flows 98.5 miles (158.5 km)[3]northeast in a tightmeanderingcourse, pastElktonandShenandoah,through Page Valley, with the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and theMassanutten Mountainrange to the west.
South Fork tributaries
edit- North River
- South River
- Naked Creek
- Mudhole Run
- Deep Run
- Crooked Run
- Fultz Run
- Hickory Run
- Cub Run
- Roaring Run
- Pitt Spring Run
- Foltz Creek
- Honey Run
- Line Run
- Stony Run
- Hawksclaw Creek
- Big Run
- Georges Run
- Browns Run
- Mill Creek
- Hawksbill Creek
- Pass Run
- Dry Run
- Hollow Run
- Chub Run
- Beaver Run
- Rocky Branch
- Jeremys Run
- Moody Creek
- Nelson Run
- Dry Mine Run
- Overall Run
- Gooney Creek
Bridges over the South Fork
edit- N Shenandoah Avenue (US 340/ US 522/ Va 55)
- Rivermont Drive (SR 619)
- Indian Hollow Road (SR 613)
- Bixlers Ferry Road (SR 675)
- Lee Highway (US 211/ US 340)
- US 340 BUS
- US 340
- Maryland Avenue (SR 602)
- Old Spotswood Trail (US 33 BUS)
- Spotswood Trail (US 33)
- Island Ford Road (SR 649)
- Lynnwood Road (SR 708)
North Fork Shenandoah River
editThe North Fork is 105 miles (169 km) long[3]and rises in northernRockingham County,along the eastern flank ofShenandoah Mountainin theGeorge Washington National Forest.At its formation, the principal feeder on the North Fork is theGerman River.
The North Fork flows initially southeast, down from the mountains, then northeast through a valley acrossShenandoah County,along the western side ofMassanutten Mountain.It flows pastWoodstockandStrasburg.On the north end of the ridge it turns briefly southeast to join the South Fork from the northwest to form the Shenandoah.
North Fork tributaries
edit
- German River
- Cedar Creek
- Smith Creek
- Toms Brook
- Passage Creek
- Linville Creek
- Shoemaker River
- Little Dry River
- Turley Creek
- Runions Creek
Bridges over the North Fork
edit- Winchester Road (US 340)
- Strasburg Road (Va 55)
- Deer Rapids Road (SR 744)
- Colby Lane (low-water, on private property)
- Bear Paw Road
- Headly Road (SR 600)
- Hesley Bridge Lane
- Artz Road (SR 663)
- Woodstock Tower Road (SR 758)
- South Hollingsworth Road (SR 609)
- Laurel Hill Lane
- Edinburg Gap Road (SR 675)
- Palmyra Church Road (SR 698)
- Red Banks Road (SR T-698)
- Old Valley Pike (US 11)
- Wissler Road (SR 720)
- Caverns Road (SR 730)
- Interstate 81
- Quicksburg Road (SR 767)
- River Road (SR 728)
- Va 42
- Shenandoah Avenue (SR 1411)
- Spar Mine Road (SR 617)
- Brocks Gap Road (Va 259)
- Hopkins Gap Road (SR 612)
- Little Dry River Road (SR 818)
- Yankeetown Road
- Lairs Run Road
- Bergton Road (SR 820)
- Bergton Road (SR 820)
Shenandoah tributaries
editWest Virginia
edit- Hog Run
- Long Marsh Run
- Bullskin Run
- Evitts Run
- Forge Run
- Cattail Run
- Flowing Springs Run
- Stikeys Run
- Double Run
Virginia
edit
- Happy Creek
- Manassas Run
- Venus Branch
- Long Branch
- Spout Run
- Morgan Mill Stream
- Chapel Run
- Lewis Run
- Craig Run
- Dog Run
- Spout Run
- Wheat Spring Run
- Passage Creek
In culture
editThe Americanfolk songandriver and sea chanteytitled "Oh Shenandoah"has been adapted to explicitly reference the river or river valley, although earlier versions referred to the 18th century Oneida Chief Shenandoah and theMissouri River,1,000 miles to the west.
The 1971 hit andsignature songofJohn Denver,"Take Me Home, Country Roads",prominently mentions the Shenandoah River, and was adopted by the state ofWest Virginiain 2014 as its fourth officialstate song.
An episode ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,continuing the tradition of naming their runabout vessels after rivers, has a shuttle named Shenandoah.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abc"Shenandoah River".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey,United States Department of the Interior.
- ^"USGS 01636500 Shenandoah at Millville, WV"(PDF).National Water Information System.U.S. Geological Survey. 1895–2013.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
- ^abcU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data.The National Map,accessed August 15, 2011
- ^Harpers Ferry, West Virginia,7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1996
- ^Virgil Carrington Jones,Mosby's Rangers(Chapel Hill & University of North Carolina Press, 1944), p. 240 (The Union discovered Mosby's cave only by accident late in the war when a wandering horse fell through a trap door hidden in a burnt-out house on the bluff above the river. A curious Union soldier noticed stairs leading downward, which proved to be the second entrance to the cave. There were stalls, hay, and room enough for 100 to 300 horses).
- ^abU.S. Department of the Interior."DuPont Waynesboro Case Details".Natural Resrouce Damage Assessment and Restoration Program.RetrievedFebruary 17,2023.
- ^Stewart, Caleb (December 15, 2016)."DuPont to pay $50 million over mercury dumped in South River".RetrievedFebruary 17,2023.
- ^Virginia Department of Health."Fish Consumption Advisory".Environmental Health.RetrievedFebruary 17,2023.
- ^Michael Alison Chandler (July 20, 2005)."Troubled Waters in the Shenandoah".The Washington Post.RetrievedMarch 29,2015.
- ^Trice, Calvin R. (June 7, 2006). "Shenandoah fish kill has afflicted more species".Richmond Times-Dispatch.Richmond, VA. p. B-1.
- ^Virginia Department of Environmental Quality."Virginia Seeks Public's Help in Fish Kill Investigation".Deq.virginia.gov.RetrievedMarch 29,2015.
- ^Woodward engraving reproduced from The Aldine Magazine, Vol. VI No. 7, July 1873
- ^""Cultural Heritage: American Revolution", 5 July 2010, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin ".oneidanation.org.
- ^""The Revolutionary War", 5 July 2010, Oneida Indian Nation ".oneidaindiannation.com.
- ^Imagevirginia.gov[dead link]
External links
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