James River?

Question

Can you send me some imformation on the James River? I have to do a report on the James River in Va.

Answer 1

The James River in the U.S. state of Virginia is 547.160 km (340 miles) long and drains a watershed comprising 27,019 km² (10,432 square miles), including about 4% open water, an area with a population of 2.5 million people (2000). It is one of the larger rivers in the United States that remains entirely in a single state.


Geography
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, (the head of navigation). 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.

The upper reaches of the river were explored by fur trading parties sent by Abraham Wood during the late 17th century.

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. 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 substantial 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.