James River (Virginia)
The James River in the
U.S. state of
Virginia is 547.160 km long and drains a
watershed comprising 27,019 km , including about 4% open water, an area with a population of 2.5 million people . It is one of the larger rivers in the
United States that remains entirely in a single state.
Encyclopedia
The
James River in the
U.S. state of
Virginia is 547.160 km long and drains a
watershed comprising 27,019 km˛ , including about 4% open water, an area with a population of 2.5 million people . It is one of the larger rivers in the
United States that remains entirely in a single state.
Geography, watershed
The James River forms in the Allegheny Mountains, near
Iron Gate on the border between Alleghany and
Botetourt counties from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers, and flows into the
Chesapeake Bay at
Hampton Roads. Tidal waters extend west to
Richmond, the capital of Virginia, at its fall line, . Larger tributaries draining to the tidal portion include the
Appomattox River, Chickahominy River, Pagan River, Warwick River, Nansemond River, and Elizabeth River.
History
The
Native Americans called the James River the
Powhatan River. The English colonists named it "James" after King
James I of England, as they also did their first permanent
English settlement in the Americas in 1607 at
Jamestown, along the banks of the James River.
Navigation of the river played an important role in early Virginia commerce and the settlement of the interior. Produce from the
Piedmont and Great Valley regions traveled down the river to seaports at Richmond through such port towns as
Lynchburg,
Scottsville,
Columbia and
Buchanan. Below the falls at Richmond, many James River plantations had their own wharfs, and additional ports and early railheads were located at
City Point,
Claremont,
Scotland, and
Smithfield.
James River and Kanawha Canal
The James River was also considered as a route for transport of produce from the
Ohio Valley. The James River and Kanawha Canal was built for this purpose, to provide a link between the James and the
Kanawha River, a tributary of the
Ohio River and the
Mississippi River. However, before it could be fully completed, in the mid-19th century,
railroads emerged as a more practical technology and eclipsed
canals for economical transportation. In the 1880s, the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad was laid along the eastern portion of the canal's towpath. In modern times, this rail line serves as a water-level route of
CSX Transportation, used primarily in transporting
West Virginia coal to export
coal piers at
Newport News.
American Civil War
During the
American Civil War, the XVIII Corps and X Corps of the
Union Army merged to form the Army of the James, named after the river. During the war the army took part in many battles and military operations along the river. Confederate defenses at
Drewry's Bluff, about 8 miles below Richmond at a major bend in the river, were key to defending the Confederate Capital against the powerful Union Navy. These defenses were a subtantial obstacle to Union leaders, and held from 1862-1865, and were only abandoned after the fall of Petersburg on April 5, 1865.
Recreation
The James River also contains numerous parks and other recreational attractions. Canoeing, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and swimming are some of the activities that people enjoy along the river during the summer. From the rivers start in the
Blue Ridge mountains to
Richmond, Virginia, numerous rapids and pools offer fishing and white water rafting. After the fall line and continuing east of Richmond, the river is better suited for water skiing and other large boat recreation.
Bridges below Richmond
In the
Hampton Roads area, the river is as much as five miles wide at points. Due to ocean-going shipping upriver as far as the Port of Richmond, a combination of
ferryboats, high
bridges and bridge-tunnels are used for highway traffic. Crossings east to west include:
...
which was the second of its type in the U.S. when it was completed.
The VA-895 high level crossing is the last bridge east of the Port of Richmond and head of ocean-going navigation at the fall line of the James River. West of this point, potential flooding is more of an engineering concern than clearance for watercraft.
Bridges at and above Richmond
The river quite literally divides Richmond since it merged with its smaller sister city of
Manchester in 1910.
Major highway bridges above the fall line at Richmond include
- I-95 bridge
- Mayo Bridge
- Manchester Bridge
- Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge
- Boulevard Bridge
- Powhite Parkway Bridge
- Huguenot Memorial Bridge
- Edward E. Willey Bridge
- World War II Veterans Memorial Bridge
Some of the additional bridges located upstream of the Richmond area are located at:
The river passes the city of
Lynchburg, and there are several crossings, including one for major north-south route
US 29.
Above Lynchburg,
US 501 crosses near Balcony Falls . Further upstream, near its head, the river passes under
Interstate 81 near
Buchanan on an unnamed bridge.
Bicycles
The
James River Bridge and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel prohibit bicycles, but bicyclists may take the
Jamestown Ferry. After a fatal accident on the Boulevard Bridge, the City of Richmond passed a local ordinance that bicyclists on bridges across the river within the city limits, where permitted, must dismount and walk using sidewalks while crossing. Bicycles and pedestrians are not permitted at all on the
Powhite Parkway and
I-95 bridges in the city. The Manchester Bridge has provision for bicycles and pedestrians between its traffic lanes, and the Mayo Bridge and the Huguenot Bridge have walkways on each side.
Trivia
- The James River is one of the longest waterways that is wholly contained in one state in the United States. The Trinity and Neches Rivers in Texas and the Innoko in Alaska are longer.
- In the town of Buchanan, in Botetourt County, the high school is named after the James River. So is another high school in Chesterfield County and an elementary school in James City County. James River Day School is a private school located in Lynchburg, Virginia also named after the James River.
- The James River Reserve Fleet, part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, known locally as the "Ghost Fleet", is anchored in James River at Mulberry Island and Fort Eustis
...
near
Newport News.
See also
References
Further reading
- Talk by Ann Woodlief at James River Symposium, 1995
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