Waccamaw River
Encyclopedia
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
, approximately 140 miles (225 km) long, in southeastern North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and eastern South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It drains an area of approximately 1110 square miles (2886 km²) in the coastal plain
Coastal plain
A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...
along the eastern border between the two states into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Along its upper course, it is a slow-moving, blackwater river surrounded by vast wetlands, passable only by shallow-draft watercraft such as canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
. Along its lower course, it is lined by sandy banks and old plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
homes, providing an important navigation channel with a unique geography, flowing roughly parallel to the coast.
Description
Lake Waccamaw
Lake Waccamaw is a unique fresh water lake located in Columbus County in North Carolina. The lake is oval in shape and measures roughly 5.2 by with an average depth of . It covers 36,170,802 square meters, an average width of 2.32 meters and a shoreline of about 22,852 meters...
, a Carolina Bay
Carolina Bay
Carolina bays are elliptical depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and northcentral Florida...
in Columbus County, North Carolina
Columbus County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 54,749 people, 21,308 households, and 15,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 58/sq mi . As of 2004, there were 24,668 housing units at an average density of 26/sq mi...
. Downstream it forms the county line between Columbus and Brunswick
Brunswick County, North Carolina
-External links:*******....
Counties, flowing generally southwest and parallel to the coastline; it is separated from the ocean by approximately 15 miles (24 km). It enters South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and flows southwest across Horry County
Horry County, South Carolina
Horry County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. This name honored Revolutionary War Hero, Peter Horry. Brigadier General Horry was born in South Carolina sometime around 1743 and started his distinguished military career in 1775 as one of 20 captains the Provincial Congress...
, past Conway
Conway, South Carolina
Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 16,317 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home of Coastal Carolina University....
. Near Burgess
Burgess, South Carolina
Burgess is an unincorporated community in Horry County, South Carolina, United States, along South Carolina Highway 707 at latitude 33.607 and longitude -79.056 and appears on the Brookgreen Gardens U.S...
it is joined from the northwest by the Great Pee Dee River
Pee Dee River
The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in North Carolina and South Carolina. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course above the mouth of the Uwharrie River is known as the Yadkin River. It is extensively dammed for flood...
which rises in north central North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. It continues southwest, separated from the ocean by only five miles (8 km) in a long tidal estuary. The long narrow point of land along the ocean formed by the lower river is called Waccamaw Neck
Waccamaw Neck
The Waccamaw Neck is a long narrow peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Waccamaw River in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The town of Pawleys Island is located on the Waccamaw Neck, as well as the mainland area, incorrectly called Pawleys Island, which is unincorporated. The entire area...
. At Georgetown
Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, in the Low Country. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River, Waccamaw River, and Sampit River, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina,...
it receives the Black River (South Carolina)
Black River (South Carolina)
The Black River is a blackwater river in South Carolina in the United States....
from the north, then turns sharply to the southeast and enters the ocean at Winyah Bay
Winyah Bay
Winyah Bay is a coastal estuary that is the confluence of the Waccamaw River, the Pee Dee River, the Black River and the Sampit River in Georgetown County in eastern South Carolina...
, approximately five miles (8 km) north along the coast from the mouth of the Santee River
Santee River
The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage and navigation for the central coastal plain of South Carolina, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean approximately from its farthest headwater on the Catawba River...
.
The lower river is navigable as far as Conway, and has formed an important commercial route for European Americans in the region since the 18th century. Before that, it was equally important for various indigenous
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
cultures. Its lower course in South Carolina forms part of the recreational Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, which joins the river from the northeast at Bucksport, South Carolina
Bucksport, South Carolina
Bucksport is a census-designated place in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,117 at the 2000 census. It is also a rural port on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at the merger point with the Waccamaw River...
.
The river's extensive wetlands offer habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
for diverse species, including the Carolina pygmy sunfish
Carolina pygmy sunfish
The Carolina pygmy sunfish is a species of fish in the Elassomatidae family. It is endemic to the United States.-Source:* Gimenez Dixon, M. 1996. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
and the American black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
.
"Extensive forest communities cover the Waccamaw floodplain, including cypress-gum swamp and bottomland hardwood forests. The bottomland hardwood forests of the Waccamaw are unique in the Carolinas in containing abundant Atlantic white cedar and live oaks, along with the more typical laurel and overcup oak and loblolly pine."
A portion of the habitat has been acquired by The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
. Land along the Waccamaw, the lower Pee Dee and Little Pee Dee rivers has been acquired for habitat preservation. Additional land is being acquired for the new Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge
Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge
thumb|right|Waccamaw National Wildlife RefugeWaccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1997, is a recent addition to the United States National Wildlife Refuge system...
.
In the 19th century, planters had extensive rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
cultivation on lands of the lower Waccamaw River. This was a labor-intensive crop, made possible only by thousands of enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
laborers, mostly Africans and their descendants. After the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, emancipation
Emancipation
Emancipation means the act of setting an individual or social group free or making equal to citizens in a political society.Emancipation may also refer to:* Emancipation , a champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse foaled in 1979...
of slaves meant the decline of the industry.
External links
- Winyah Rivers Foundation: About the Waccamaw River
- Albergotti, Dan. "Shadows Along the Waccamaw" Southern Spaces, November 24, 2008.