Patuxent River

Patuxent River
Catchment area of ​​the Patuxent River
Data
location	Maryland , USA
muzzle	Chesapeake Bay Coordinates: 38 ° 19 ′ 8 "  N , 76 ° 24 ′ 18"  W 38 ° 19 ′ 8 "  N , 76 ° 24 ′ 18"  W.
length	182 km
The river in the area of ​​the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, a nature reserve

The Patuxent River is a river that flows through the US state of Maryland and flows into the Chesapeake Bay . Together with the Potomac River to the west and the Patapsco River to the northeast, it is one of the three largest rivers in this state and the largest that flows exclusively through Maryland.

geography

The river has its source 182 km from its mouth in the Piedmont Hills in Maryland, part of the Appalachian foothills. From there it flows in an approximately south-southwest direction through the densely populated region between Baltimore and Washington, DC and forms an approximately 80 km long, maximally 3.7 km wide, navigable and tidal delta southeast of Bowie (Maryland) so-called estuary ). Important tributaries are the Little Patuxent River , the Middle Patuxent River, and the Western Branch .

history

The name of the river can be seen for the first time on a map made by John Smith after a scouting trip made in 1608. The first European visitors to the region, however, were probably Spanish sailors who anchored in the mouth of the foot in June 1588. Settlement by Europeans began in the middle of the 17th century , with the beginning of tobacco cultivation during this time, the economic basis for the next two hundred years was created. In the middle of the 18th century , an iron industry developed, and the Patuxent became a busy transport and traffic route. Steam ships were used from the 1820s. Military significance won by the river in August 1814, when the War of 1812 ended British troops at the mouth, a Kanonenbootflottille the US Navy forced to self-destruction and were advancing along the Patuxent on Washington that led them to their victory in the Battle of Bladensburg partially burned. The decline of the tobacco plantations due to the war damage and the leaching of the soil led to a long-lasting economic stagnation in the region, which lasted until the 1930s.

In the 20th century , the construction of two dams ( Brighton Dam and Rocky Gorge ) created two large reservoirs at Patuxent , which are an important reservoir of drinking water for Maryland. In particular, the construction of the city of Columbia (Maryland) in the headwaters of the Middle and Little Patuxent from the 1960s and the resulting pollution of the river with sediments and sewage led to massive environmental damage and the extensive death of the fishing industry in the delta area. Since then - partly under the pressure of processes - considerable improvements have been achieved and large areas have been placed under nature protection. This resulted in the development of a now flourishing tourism in the region.