The Shenandoah River is formed northeast of Front Royal near Riverton, by the confluence of the South Fork and the North Fork. It flows northeast across Warren County, passing underneath Interstate 66 1 mile (1.6 km) from its formation. Beyond the I-66 bridge the river flows through a set of bends before turning to the northeast again, crossing into Clarke County 11 miles (18 km) below I-66. Five miles (8 km) downriver from the Clarke County border, the Shenandoah passes under U.S. Route 50 and then passes through a triple bend. 14.5 miles (23.3 km) below the Route 50 bridge, the river passes underneath State Route 7 and then continues northeast another 8 miles (13 km) where it crosses into Jefferson County in West Virginia. Once in West Virginia the river completes six large bends before joining with the Potomac from the southwest near Harpers Ferry. The confluence is on the West Virginia-Maryland border and 0.4 miles (0.64 km) from the Virginia-West Virginia border.[4]
On the riverbank a few miles above Harper's Ferry is said to be a cave with an opening just large enough for a mounted rider to squeeze through. It widened in the interior to a spacious room where hundreds of Col. John Mosby's raiding troops are said to have hidden from pursuing Union cavalry.[5]
Environmental issues
Since 2005, the Shenandoah River has experienced several springtime fish kills that have affected several of its native fish species. In 2005, redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass along a 100-mile (160 km) stretch of the South Fork Shenandoah River began dying of lesions caused by bacteria and fungi. Although the fish kill eventually wiped out 80% of the adult redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass, juvenile populations appeared to be unaffected.[6] The following year more-localized fish kills in Clarke County spread to two of the Shenandoah's three species of sucker: the shorthead redhorse and the northern hogsucker – the former suffering from similar lesions witnessed in the previous year's fish kill.[7] Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality received reports of fish kills near Elkton and between Bentonville and Front Royal in late April 2007 and observed fish exhibiting lesions and strange behavior.[8]
Etymology
Moonlight on the Shenandoah, engraving by J.D. Woodward[9]
Various accounts tell the origin of the name. According to one, General George Washington named the valley (and river) in honor of Skenandoa (or Shenandoah), an Oneida "pine tree chief" based in New York, who led hundreds of Oneida and Tuscarora warriors in support of the American rebels on the frontier during the Revolutionary War. He also sent much needed corn to Washington and his troops during their hard winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1777–1778.[10][11] However, the name was in use when Washington was a child, as evidenced in land grants and correspondence.[12] It is also said to be named after the Senedo people, a little-documented tribe said to have lived on the north fork of the river and destroyed by the Catawba, some time between 1650 and 1700.
Recreation
The Shenandoah River is a very popular river for canoeing, river tubing, and white-water recreation such as rafting and kayaking (class I-III in season, II-III+ during the spring run-off), and several commercial outfitters offer a variety of guided trips and rentals.
The North Fork is 105 miles (169 km) long[3] and rises in northern Rockingham County, along the eastern flank of Shenandoah Mountain in the George Washington National Forest. At its formation, the principal feeder on the North Fork is the German River. The North Fork flows initially southeast, down from the mountains, then northeast through a valley across Shenandoah County, along the western side of Massanutten Mountain. It flows past Woodstock and Strasburg. On the north end of the ridge it turns briefly southeast to join the South Fork from the northwest to form the Shenandoah.
The American folk song and sea chantey titled "Oh Shenandoah" has been adapted to explicitly reference the river or river valley, although earlier versions referred to the 18th century Oneida Chief Shenandoah and the Missouri River, 1,000 miles to the west.
^"USGS 01636500 Shenandoah at Millville, WV" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1895–2013. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
^ abcU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 15, 2011
^Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1996
^Virgil Carrington Jones, Mosby's Rangers (Chapel Hill & University of North Carolina Press, 1944), p. 240 (The Union discovered Mosby's cave only by accident late in the war when a wandering horse fell through a trap door hidden in a burnt-out house on the bluff above the river. A curious Union soldier noticed stairs leading downward, which proved to be the second entrance to the cave. There were stalls, hay, and room enough for 100 to 300 horses).
^Michael Alison Chandler (July 20, 2005). "Troubled Waters in the Shenandoah". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
^Trice, Calvin R. (June 7, 2006). "Shenandoah fish kill has afflicted more species". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, VA. p. B-1.
^Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. "Virginia Seeks Public's Help in Fish Kill Investigation". Deq.virginia.gov. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
^Woodward engraving reproduced from The Aldine Magazine, Vol. VI No. 7, July 1873
^""Cultural Heritage: American Revolution", 5 July 2010, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin". oneidanation.org.
^""The Revolutionary War", 5 July 2010, Oneida Indian Nation". oneidaindiannation.com.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shenandoah River.
Friends of the North Fork Shenandoah River
Shenandoah Riverkeeper
January 07, 2023
shenandoah, river, river, zealand, zealand, principal, tributary, potomac, river, miles, long, with, forks, approximately, miles, long, each, states, virginia, west, virginia, river, tributaries, drain, central, lower, shenandoah, valley, page, valley, appalac. For the river in New Zealand see Shenandoah River New Zealand The Shenandoah River ˌ ʃ ɛ n e n ˈ d oʊ e is the principal tributary of the Potomac River 55 6 miles 89 5 km long with two forks approximately 100 miles 160 km long each 3 in the U S states of Virginia and West Virginia The river and its tributaries drain the central and lower Shenandoah Valley and the Page Valley in the Appalachians on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwestern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia 1 There is a hydroelectric plant along the Shenandoah river constructed in 2014 by Dominion Shenandoah RiverCrossing the Shenandoah River in Harpers Ferry West VirginiaShenandoah River drainage basinLocationCountryUnited StatesStateVirginia West VirginiaTownsHarper s Ferry WV Front Royal VA Luray VAPhysical characteristicsSourceNorth Fork locationShenandoah Mountain2nd sourceSouth Fork locationPort RepublicSource confluence locationFront Royal VAMouthPotomac River locationHarpers Ferry coordinates39 19 21 N 77 43 40 W 39 3226009 N 77 7277704 W 39 3226009 77 7277704 Coordinates 39 19 21 N 77 43 40 W 39 3226009 N 77 7277704 W 39 3226009 77 7277704 1 elevation246 ft 75 m 1 Length56 mi 90 km Basin size2 937 sq mi 7 610 km2 Discharge locationMillville WV 2 average2 755 cu ft s 78 0 m3 s Basin featuresTributaries leftNorth Fork Shenandoah River rightSouth Fork Shenandoah River Contents 1 Course 2 Geology 3 Environmental issues 4 Etymology 5 Recreation 6 South Fork Shenandoah River 6 1 South Fork tributaries 6 2 Bridges over the South Fork 7 North Fork Shenandoah River 7 1 North Fork tributaries 7 2 Bridges over the North Fork 8 Shenandoah tributaries 8 1 West Virginia 8 2 Virginia 9 In culture 10 See also 11 References 12 External linksCourse EditThe Shenandoah River is formed northeast of Front Royal near Riverton by the confluence of the South Fork and the North Fork It flows northeast across Warren County passing underneath Interstate 66 1 mile 1 6 km from its formation Beyond the I 66 bridge the river flows through a set of bends before turning to the northeast again crossing into Clarke County 11 miles 18 km below I 66 Five miles 8 km downriver from the Clarke County border the Shenandoah passes under U S Route 50 and then passes through a triple bend 14 5 miles 23 3 km below the Route 50 bridge the river passes underneath State Route 7 and then continues northeast another 8 miles 13 km where it crosses into Jefferson County in West Virginia Once in West Virginia the river completes six large bends before joining with the Potomac from the southwest near Harpers Ferry The confluence is on the West Virginia Maryland border and 0 4 miles 0 64 km from the Virginia West Virginia border 4 Geology Edit Dream Lake inside Luray Caverns The Shenandoah Valley is underlaid by limestone The fertile soil made it a favored place for early settlement It continues to be a major agricultural area of Virginia and West Virginia Some karst topography is evident and the limestone is honeycombed with caves Several have been developed as commercial tourist attractions including Luray Caverns Shenandoah Caverns and Skyline Caverns On the riverbank a few miles above Harper s Ferry is said to be a cave with an opening just large enough for a mounted rider to squeeze through It widened in the interior to a spacious room where hundreds of Col John Mosby s raiding troops are said to have hidden from pursuing Union cavalry 5 Environmental issues EditSince 2005 the Shenandoah River has experienced several springtime fish kills that have affected several of its native fish species In 2005 redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass along a 100 mile 160 km stretch of the South Fork Shenandoah River began dying of lesions caused by bacteria and fungi Although the fish kill eventually wiped out 80 of the adult redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass juvenile populations appeared to be unaffected 6 The following year more localized fish kills in Clarke County spread to two of the Shenandoah s three species of sucker the shorthead redhorse and the northern hogsucker the former suffering from similar lesions witnessed in the previous year s fish kill 7 Virginia s Department of Environmental Quality received reports of fish kills near Elkton and between Bentonville and Front Royal in late April 2007 and observed fish exhibiting lesions and strange behavior 8 Etymology Edit Moonlight on the Shenandoah engraving by J D Woodward 9 Various accounts tell the origin of the name According to one General George Washington named the valley and river in honor of Skenandoa or Shenandoah an Oneida pine tree chief based in New York who led hundreds of Oneida and Tuscarora warriors in support of the American rebels on the frontier during the Revolutionary War He also sent much needed corn to Washington and his troops during their hard winter at Valley Forge Pennsylvania in 1777 1778 10 11 However the name was in use when Washington was a child as evidenced in land grants and correspondence 12 It is also said to be named after the Senedo people a little documented tribe said to have lived on the north fork of the river and destroyed by the Catawba some time between 1650 and 1700 Recreation EditThe Shenandoah River is a very popular river for canoeing river tubing and white water recreation such as rafting and kayaking class I III in season II III during the spring run off and several commercial outfitters offer a variety of guided trips and rentals South Fork Shenandoah River Edit The South Fork Shenandoah River with Massanutten Mountain in the background as viewed from an overlook in Shenandoah River State Park The South Fork is formed at Port Republic in southern Rockingham County by the confluence of the North River and South River It flows 98 5 miles 158 5 km 3 northeast in a tight meandering course past Elkton and Shenandoah through Page Valley with the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Massanutten Mountain range to the west South Fork tributaries Edit North River Middle River South River Back Creek Overall Run Gooney CreekBridges over the South Fork Edit N Shenandoah Avenue US 340 US 522 Va 55 Rivermont Drive SR 619 Indian Hollow Road SR 613 Bixlers Ferry Road SR 675 Lee Highway US 211 US 340 US 340 BUS US 340 Maryland Avenue SR 602 Old Spotswood Trail US 33 BUS Spotswood Trail US 33 Island Ford Road SR 649 Lynnwood Road SR 708 View of the North Fork Shenandoah River near Woodstock VirginiaNorth Fork Shenandoah River EditThe North Fork is 105 miles 169 km long 3 and rises in northern Rockingham County along the eastern flank of Shenandoah Mountain in the George Washington National Forest At its formation the principal feeder on the North Fork is the German River The North Fork flows initially southeast down from the mountains then northeast through a valley across Shenandoah County along the western side of Massanutten Mountain It flows past Woodstock and Strasburg On the north end of the ridge it turns briefly southeast to join the South Fork from the northwest to form the Shenandoah North Fork tributaries Edit German River Cedar Creek Smith Creek Toms Brook Passage Creek Linville Creek Shoemaker River Little Dry River Turley Creek Runions Creek Bridges over the North Fork Edit Winchester Road US 340 Strasburg Road Va 55 Deer Rapids Road SR 744 Colby Lane low water on private property Bear Paw Road Headly Road SR 600 Hesley Bridge Lane Artz Road SR 663 Woodstock Tower Road SR 758 South Hollingsworth Road SR 609 Laurel Hill Lane Edinburg Gap Road SR 675 Palmyra Church Road SR 698 Red Banks Road SR T 698 Old Valley Pike US 11 Wissler Road SR 720 Caverns Road SR 730 Interstate 81 Quicksburg Road SR 767 River Road SR 728 Va 42 Shenandoah Avenue SR 1411 Spar Mine Road SR 617 Brocks Gap Road Va 259 Hopkins Gap Road SR 612 Little Dry River Road SR 818 Yankeetown Road Lairs Run Road Bergton Road SR 820 Bergton Road SR 820 Shenandoah tributaries EditWest Virginia Edit Hog Run Long Marsh Run Bullskin Run Evitts Run Forge Run Cattail Run Flowing Springs Run Stikeys Run Double Run Virginia Edit Happy Creek Manassas Run Venus Branch Long Branch Spout Run Morgan Mill Stream Chapel Run Lewis Run Craig Run Dog Run Spout Run Wheat Spring Run Passage Creek The confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers at Harpers FerryIn culture EditThe American folk song and sea chantey titled Oh Shenandoah has been adapted to explicitly reference the river or river valley although earlier versions referred to the 18th century Oneida Chief Shenandoah and the Missouri River 1 000 miles to the west The 1971 hit and signature song of John Denver Take Me Home Country Roads prominently mentions the Shenandoah River and was adopted by the state of West Virginia in 2014 as its fourth official state song An episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine continuing the tradition of naming their shuttles after rivers has a shuttle named Shenandoah See also EditList of Virginia rivers List of West Virginia riversReferences Edit a b c Shenandoah River Geographic Names Information System United States Geological Survey United States Department of the Interior USGS 01636500 Shenandoah at Millville WV PDF National Water Information System U S Geological Survey 1895 2013 Retrieved May 24 2014 a b c U S Geological Survey National Hydrography Dataset high resolution flowline data The National Map accessed August 15 2011 Harpers Ferry West Virginia 7 5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle USGS 1996 Virgil Carrington Jones Mosby s Rangers Chapel Hill amp University of North Carolina Press 1944 p 240 The Union discovered Mosby s cave only by accident late in the war when a wandering horse fell through a trap door hidden in a burnt out house on the bluff above the river A curious Union soldier noticed stairs leading downward which proved to be the second entrance to the cave There were stalls hay and room enough for 100 to 300 horses Michael Alison Chandler July 20 2005 Troubled Waters in the Shenandoah The Washington Post Retrieved March 29 2015 Trice Calvin R June 7 2006 Shenandoah fish kill has afflicted more species Richmond Times Dispatch Richmond VA p B 1 Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Virginia Seeks Public s Help in Fish Kill Investigation Deq virginia gov Retrieved March 29 2015 Woodward engraving reproduced from The Aldine Magazine Vol VI No 7 July 1873 Cultural Heritage American Revolution 5 July 2010 Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin oneidanation org The Revolutionary War 5 July 2010 Oneida Indian Nation oneidaindiannation com http image lva virginia gov LONN LO 1 018 018 0109 tif bare URL image file External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shenandoah River Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries South Fork Friends of the North Fork Shenandoah River Shenandoah Riverkeeper Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shenandoah River amp oldid 1128901814, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
