The Congaree River is a short but wide river in

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

; It flows for approximately 53 miles (85 km). The river serves an important role as the final outlet channel for the entire Lower Saluda and Lower Broad watersheds, before merging with the Wateree River just north of Lake Marion to form the

Santee River } The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...

. It is formed in Columbia by the confluence of the Saluda and

Broad Broad(s) or The Broad(s) may refer to: People * A slang term for a woman. * Broad (surname), a surname Places * Broad Peak, on the border between Pakistan and China, the 12th highest mountain on Earth * The Broads, a network of mostly na ...

rivers near the

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Fall Line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

. It serves as part of the boundary between Richland, Calhoun, and Lexington counties. The only cities near the river are Columbia on the east, and Cayce and West Columbia on the west. Congaree0262

Despite the vast bottomland swamp below Columbia, the Congaree is

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against di ...

along much of its length at high water by

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

traffic. This travels upriver from the Port of Charleston (approximately 100 miles (167 km) away through the Santee-Cooper Lakes to within 5 miles (8 km) of the

fall line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

. The

Congaree National Park Congaree National Park is a American national park in central South Carolina, 18 miles southeast of the state capital, Columbia. The park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. The lush tre ...

, one of the main recreational attractions of the river, is located about halfway down the river's course. The 22,200-acre (90 km²) park contains some of the last remaining

old growth An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

bottomland hardwood forest in North America. Recreational opportunities include

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, biking,

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

interests, and canoeing. The river was named for the Congaree Native Americans who used to live along it.

Crossings

Below is a list of crossings from the river's origin in Columbia downstream to its confluence with the Wateree, where it forms the Santee River: *Columbia/West Columbia/Cayce **Jarvis Klapman Blvd ( SC 12) ** Gervais Street Bridge ( U.S. 1/U.S. 378) **Blossom Street Bridge ( U.S. 21/U.S. 321) **Granby/Olympia Mills railroad trestles **Interstate 77/Southeastern Beltway, Gills Creek forms near the I-77 Bridge * Eastover **railroad trestle near confluence **McCords Ferry Road ( U.S. 601), connecting Eastover and Saint Matthews

The Native Americans

The Congaree Native Americans lived near the Congaree River. They would make boats out of special wood which came from trees in that area. If you walk around the boardwalk in Congaree National Park, you can see those trees. They would eat corn, beans, squash, freshwater fish, and game (meat).

External links

Congaree National ParkSouth Carolina Dept. of Natural ResourcesSouth Carolina DHEC
{{authority control Geography of Columbia, South Carolina Rivers of South Carolina Rivers of Richland County, South Carolina Rivers of Lexington County, South Carolina Rivers of Calhoun County, South Carolina Tributaries of the Santee River

Crossings

The Native Americans

See also

External links