Broad River (Carolinas)

The Broad River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 150 miles (240 km) long,[1] in western North Carolina and northern South Carolina in the United States. Via the Congaree, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean.[2]

Broad River
The Broad River near Blacksburg, South Carolina
Map of the Santee River watershed showing the Broad River.
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina, South Carolina
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationBlack Mountain, Buncombe County, North Carolina
 • elevation2,890 ft (880 m)
MouthCongaree River
 • location
Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina
 • elevation
128 ft (39 m)
Length150 mi (240 km)
Discharge 
 • locationCongaree River, Columbia, South Carolina
Basin features
ProgressionBroad → Congaree → Santee → Atlantic Ocean
River systemBroad River
Tributaries 
 • leftLittle River, Green River
 • rightPacolet River, Enoree River
For other rivers with the same name, see Broad River (disambiguation).

Course

The Broad River originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains of eastern Buncombe County, North Carolina[3] and flows generally south-southeastwardly, through or along the boundaries of Rutherford, Polk and Cleveland Counties in North Carolina;[4] and Cherokee, York, Union, Chester, Fairfield, Newberry and Richland Counties in South Carolina.[2] In North Carolina, the river is dammed to form Lake Lure;[4] in South Carolina it passes through the Sumter National Forest and the communities of Cherokee Falls and Lockhart before joining the Saluda River to form the Congaree River in the city of Columbia.[2]

Principal tributaries of the Broad River include the Green, Second Broad and First Broad Rivers in North Carolina ; and the Bowens,[4] Pacolet, Sandy, Tyger, Enoree and Little Rivers in South Carolina.[2]

Dams

This is an incomplete list of dams starting at Lake Lure and moving downstream

North Carolina

South Carolina

Crossings

The Broad River is crossed several times by many highways (Note: this list at times may be incomplete)

North Carolina

South Carolina

Variant names

According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Broad River has also been known as[5]

  • Eswa Huppeday
  • Eswawpuddenah
  • Line River
  • Main Broad River
  • Eswan Happedaw

It was also known in colonial times as the English Broad River to distinguish it from the French Broad River which also originates in western North Carolina, but flows northwest.

The present name is descriptive of the river's width.[6]

See also

References
  1. Houghton Mifflin Company (1997). The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Geography. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-86448-8
  2. DeLorme (1998). South Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-237-4
  3. Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry for Broad River Archived 2005-10-03 at the Wayback Machine
  4. DeLorme (2001). North Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-277-3
  5. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Broad River
  6. Lake, William C. (22 June 1935). "Names of Union Streams Have Interesting History". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. pp. A1. Retrieved 22 April 2015.

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