Swannanoa River Tributary to French Broad River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | North Carolina |
County | Buncombe |
City | Black Mountain Swannanoa Asheville |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | divide between Swannanoa River and Catawba River |
• location | about 0.25 miles south of Swannanoa Gap |
• coordinates | 35°37′11″N082°17′40″W / 35.61972°N 82.29444°W [1] |
• elevation | 2,790 ft (850 m) [2] |
Mouth | French Broad River |
• location | Asheville, North Carolina |
• coordinates | 35°34′05″N082°33′49″W / 35.56806°N 82.56361°W Coordinates: 35°34′05″N082°33′49″W / 35.56806°N 82.56361°W [1] |
• elevation | 1,968 ft (600 m) [2] |
Length | 24.83 mi (39.96 km) [3] |
Basin size | 132.77 square miles (343.9 km2) [4] |
Discharge | |
• location | French Broad River |
• average | 166.88 cu ft/s (4.726 m3/s) at mouth with French Broad River [4] |
Basin features | |
Progression | French Broad River → Tennessee River → Ohio River → Mississippi River → Gulf of Mexico |
River system | French Broad River |
Tributaries | |
• left | Camp Branch Wolfpit Branch Stepp Branch Gashes Creek Christian Branch Sweeten Creek Ram Branch |
• right | Flat Creek Tomahawk Branch North Fork Swannanoa River Beetree Creek Bull Creek Grassy Branch Haw Creek Ross Creek |
Bridges | Yates Avenue, Old US 70, Broadway Street, S Blue Ridge Road, I-40, US 70, Paton Hill Road, Riverwood Road, Davidson Road, Warren Wilson College Road, Tunnel Road (US 70), E Azalea Road, I-240, S Tunnel Road, Biltmore Avenue, Biltmore Estate Road |
The Swannanoa River flows through the Swannanoa Valley of the region of Western North Carolina, and is a major tributary to the French Broad River. Its headwaters arise in Black Mountain, North Carolina; however, it also has a major tributary near its headwaters: Flat Creek, which begins on the slopes of Mount Mitchell. The Swannanoa River ends at its confluence with the French Broad, now within the grounds of the 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
The estate encompasses numerous ancient Native American sites, including an earthwork platform mound, now known as Biltmore Mound, that is located south of the Swannanoa River. Based on evidence from excavations conducted there in the early 21st century, the mound was started by indigenous people between 400 and 550CE, with the second to last stage of the mound built about 580-600CE. It was built over a Connestee Phase habitation (built during the Pisgah phase) in the Middle Woodland period. [5]
The historic Cherokee people occupied this area, which is part of their traditional homeland in this region. The mound has been identified as an area of feasting. The Cherokee called this site near the confluence Untokiasdiyi, meaning "where they race." They used it as a meeting place and area of competitive ritual games. [6]
Under pressure from European-American settlers, the Cherokee ceded their land here in 1819. This site near the Swannanoa River was later abandoned and became overgrown. At one time there was plowing in the area, reducing the height of the mound, but it is distinguished by a much wider, oval-shaped base. The mound was rediscovered in 1984. It was first excavated in a more than two-year project by a team from Appalachian State University, beginning in 2000. [6]
The river is 22 miles or 35 kilometers long, and it flows entirely within the geographical boundaries of Buncombe County. It is a valuable resource to the county, providing drinking water to the Asheville metropolitan area, and numerous recreational opportunities. In September 2004, extremely heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Ivan caused the Swannanoa to flood, causing major damage to the Biltmore Village section of Asheville, and to the other communities that it flows through.
(Not necessarily in order.)
Buncombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is classified within Western North Carolina. The 2020 census reported the population was 269,452. Its county seat is Asheville. Buncombe County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Cullasaja River is a short river located entirely in Macon County, North Carolina. It is a tributary of the Little Tennessee River into which it flows near the county seat of Franklin.
The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows 218 miles (351 km) from near the town of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville forms the beginning of the Tennessee River. The river flows through the counties of Transylvania, Buncombe, Henderson, and Madison in North Carolina, and Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier, and Knox in Tennessee. It drains large portions of the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest.
North and South Chickamauga Creek are short tributaries of the Tennessee River which join it near Chattanooga, Tennessee on the north and the south. West Chickamauga Creek is a much longer tributary of South Chickamauga Creek.
The Nottely River is a river in the United States. The river originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia. The river flows for 51.1 miles (82.2 km) into the artificial Hiwassee Reservoir in North Carolina. The Nottely River is dammed in Georgia, creating Lake Nottely. Arkaqua Creek is a tributary.
The Roaring River is a tributary of the Yadkin River in northwestern North Carolina in the United States. Via the Yadkin it is part of the watershed of the Pee Dee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as "Roaring Creek." The river's name comes from its headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where it flows through a series of small waterfalls.
The Reddies River is a tributary of the Yadkin River in northwestern North Carolina in the United States. Via the Yadkin it is part of the watershed of the Pee Dee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as "Reddis River."
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The North Fork Feather River is a watercourse of the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades in the U.S. state of California. It flows generally southwards from its headwaters near Lassen Peak to Lake Oroville, a reservoir formed by Oroville Dam in the foothills of the Sierra, where it runs into the Feather River. The river drains about 2,100 square miles (5,400 km2) of the western slope of the Sierras. By discharge, it is the largest tributary of the Feather.
The Pisgah phase is an archaeological phase of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture in Southeast North America. It is associated with the Appalachian Summit area of southeastern Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and northwestern South Carolina in what is now the United States.
The Valley River is a tributary of the Hiwassee River. It arises as a pair of springs in the Snowbird Mountains of Cherokee County, North Carolina and descends 2,960 feet (900 m) in elevation in approximately forty miles (64 km) to enter the Hiwassee embayment at present-day Murphy, North Carolina.
The South Toe River is a river in Yancey County in Western North Carolina. The name Toe is taken from its original name Estatoe, pronounced 'S - ta - toe', a native American name associated with the Estatoe trade route leading down from the NC mountains through Brevard where there is a historical plaque with information that affirms the route, on into South Carolina where a village of the same name was located.
Tenmile Creek is a stream in Washington and Greene Counties, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a tributary of the Monongahela River.
Flat Creek is a 5.39 mi (8.67 km) long 2nd order tributary to the Swannanoa River in Buncombe County, North Carolina. It is impounded at Montreat Reservoir and Lake Susan.
Tomahawk Branch is a 2.61 mi (4.20 km) long 1st order tributary to the Swannanoa River in Buncombe County, North Carolina. It has one impoundment at Lake Tomahawk.
Wolfpit Branch is a 2.55 mi (4.10 km) long 2nd order tributary to the Swannanoa River in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
North Fork Swannanoa River is a 11.23 mi (18.07 km) long 3rd order tributary to the Swannanoa River in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Camp Branch is a 1.54 mi (2.48 km) long 2nd order tributary to the Swannanoa River in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Beetree Creek is a 8.05 mi (12.96 km) long 2nd order tributary to the Swannanoa River in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Stepp Branch is a 1.61 mi (2.59 km) long 1st order tributary to the Swannanoa River in Buncombe County, North Carolina.