Roanoke River

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Roanoke River
Staunton River
Map of the Roanoke River basin

Map of the Roanoke River basin

Data
Water code US1502110
location Virginia , North Carolina (USA)
River system Roanoke River
origin The confluence of the North and South Fork Roanoke Rivers in Montgomery County
37 ° 14 ′ 15 ″  N , 80 ° 12 ′ 49 ″  W
muzzle in the Albemarle Sound Coordinates: 35 ° 56 ′ 33 ″  N , 76 ° 41 ′ 42 ″  W 35 ° 56 ′ 33 ″  N , 76 ° 41 ′ 42 ″  W.

length 660 km
Catchment area 24,800 km²
Right tributaries Dan River
Reservoirs flowed through Smith Mountain Lake , Leesville Lake , John H. Kerr Reservoir , Lake Gaston , Roanoke Rapids Lake
Medium-sized cities Roanoke
Small towns Salem , Roanoke Rapids
North Fork Roanoke River
Water code US1485902
location Virginia , USA
source in Roanoke County,
37 ° 20 ′ 11 ″  N , 80 ° 12 ′ 45 ″  W.
confluence with the South Fork Roanoke River to Roanoke River
37 ° 14 ′ 15 ″  N , 80 ° 12 ′ 49 ″  W

length 50 km
South Fork Roanoke River
Water code US1474867
location Montgomery County , Virginia , USA
origin Confluence of several streams in the Blue Ridge Mountains
37 ° 6 ′ 7 ″  N , 80 ° 13 ′ 13 ″  W
confluence with the North Fork Roanoke River to Roanoke River
37 ° 14 ′ 15 ″  N , 80 ° 12 ′ 48 ″  W

length 30 km

The Roanoke River is a 660 kilometer long river in the United States that runs through southern Virginia and northeast North Carolina . As one of the great rivers of the southeastern United States, it traverses a predominantly rural area between the eastern edge of the Appalachians , the Piedmont Plateau and the coastal region. There it finally flows into the Albemarle Sound . The Roanoke has an important history, the first settlements of the Virginia colony and the Carolina province emerged on its banks . Parts of the upper course of the river in Virginia between the city of Roanoke and Clarksville are also known as the Staunton River . In the middle section, the river is dammed by a series of reservoirs .

course

The headwaters of the Roanoke have their source in the Blue Ridge Mountains and connect in southwest Virginia in Montgomery County at Lafayette . The northern source river, about 50 kilometers long, first flows in a south-westerly direction and then turns to the northeast. The approximately 30 kilometers long southern source river flows mainly in a northerly direction and arises from several streams in the mountains on the edge of the counties Floyd , Roanoke and Montgomery.

The resulting river flows for about 15 kilometers between the mountains through the Roanoke Valley to the northeast and then reaches Salem , then in an easterly direction through the city of Roanoke. It leaves the Blue Ridge Mountains through a canyon southeast of Roanoke and forms the border between the counties Franklin and Bedford . The river then flows east-southeast over the Piedmont Plateau in southern Virginia before reaching northeast North Carolina near Roanoke Rapids . The Roanoke follows a zig-zag course across the coastal plain before flowing into Batchelor Bay at the western end of Albemarle Sound.

The Roanoke is dammed twice in a row in the Piedmont of southwest Virginia below Roanoke to form the Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville Lake reservoirs . Further downstream in southern Mecklenburg County , the river is dammed to the John H. Kerr Reservoir . In northeast North Carolina, five kilometers west of Roanoke Rapids, is Lake Gaston Reservoir, which extends to the John H. Kerr Dam.

history

The area around the Roanoke River was home to numerous Indian tribes , including the Occaneechee . Due to the violent spring tides, the river was also named "River of Death". The bank of the lower section of the river, the Albemarle Settlements, was inhabited by Virginia settlers in the mid-17th century, the upper sections were explored by fur traders in the late 17th century.

The name Roanoke probably comes from the Algonquian language and means "shell money". In 1883, the town of Big Lick was selected as the trading location and terminus of the new Norfolk and Western Railway , which was to meet the Shenandoah Valley Railroad there . The place was renamed Roanoke, after the river that divided the city into two districts, just as the county surrounding the city was named after the river in 1838.

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Virginia Department of Environmental Quality: Roanoke River Basin (PDF file, English, 85 kB) Last accessed on May 10, 2009
  2. Exploring North Carolina: The Roanoke Super Highway ( Memento from December 30, 2004 in the web archive archive.today ) (English) Last accessed on May 10, 2009
  3. Fred Willard: Trade Items as Transfer of Money , November 2002 (English) Last accessed on May 10, 2009
  4. Virginia's Roanoke Valley: The History Of Roanoke ( Memento of March 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (English) Last accessed on May 10, 2009

Web links

Commons : Roanoke River  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files