| Greenbrier River | |
| River | |
 Greenbrier River at Marlinton, West Virginia
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| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  West Virginia |
| Counties | Greenbrier, Monroe, Pocahontas, Summers |
| Tributaries | |
| - right | Anthony Creek, Knapp Creek |
| Source | West Fork Greenbrier River [1] |
| - location | Pocahontas County, WV |
| - elevation | 3,396 ft (1,035 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°44′07″N 79°45′37″W / 38.73528°N 79.76028°W |
| Secondary source | East Fork Greenbrier River [2] |
| - location | Pocahontas County, WV |
| - elevation | 3,746 ft (1,142 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°41′04″N 79°39′31″W / 38.68444°N 79.65861°W |
| Source confluence | |
| - location | Durbin, WV |
| - elevation | 2,710 ft (826 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°32′37″N 79°49′56″W / 38.54361°N 79.83222°W |
| Mouth | New River [3] |
| - location | Hinton, WV |
| - elevation | 1,365 ft (416 m) |
| - coordinates | 37°39′13″N 80°53′05″W / 37.65361°N 80.88472°W |
| Length | 162 mi (261 km) [4] |
| Basin | 1,656 sq mi (4,289 km²) [4] |
| Discharge | for Alderson, WV |
| - average | 2,600 cu ft/s (74 m³/s) [5] |
| - max | 10,200 cu ft/s (289 m³/s) (2000) |
| - min | 576 cu ft/s (16 m³/s) (1976) |
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The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, 173 miles (278 km) long,[4] in southeastern West Virginia, USA. Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 1,656 square miles (4,290 km2).[4] It is one of the longest rivers in West Virginia, and the longest untamed (un-dammed) river East of the Mississippi[6]
Contents |
Course
The Greenbrier is formed at Durbin in northern Pocahontas County by the confluence of the East Fork Greenbrier River[2] and the West Fork Greenbrier River,[1] both of which are short streams rising at elevations exceeding 3,300 feet (1,000 m) and flowing for their entire lengths in northern Pocahontas County.[4][7] From Durbin the Greenbrier flows generally south-southwest through Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Summers Counties, past several communities including Cass, Marlinton, Hillsboro, Ronceverte, Fort Spring, Alderson, and Hinton, where it flows into the New River.[7]
Uses
The Greenbrier is the the longest untamed (unblocked) river left in the Eastern United States.[8] It is heavily used for recreational pursuits.[4] Its upper reaches flow through the Monongahela National Forest,[7] and it is paralleled for 77 miles (124 km) by the Greenbrier River Trail, a rail trail which runs between the communities of Cass and North Caldwell.[9] It has always been a valuable water route, with the majority of the important cities in the watershed being established riverports. The river gives the receiving waters of the New River an estimated 30% of its water volume. Over three-fourths of the watershed is heavily a karstic (cavern system) that supports fine trout fishing, cave exploration and recreation. The river connects many important festivals and public events throughout the watershed.
In honor of the river's use in the state's logging history, the West Virginia State Park, Cass Scenic Railroad in Cass has a car called "The Greenbrier River."[1]
Variant names
According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Greenbrier River has also been known historically as:[3]
- Green Briar River
- Green Brier River
- Green Bryar River
- Greenbriar River
- O-ne-pa-ke (Lenape for Dark Path)
- O-ne-pa-ke-cepe (Lenape for Dark Path Water or River)
- Onepake
- Riviere de la Ronceverte (River of the Greenbrier)
- We-o-to-we
- We-o-to-we-cepe-we
- Weotowe
Cave and Karst
The unique karstlands of the Greenbrier River Valley includes one of the world's densest sinkhole plains, with an average of 18 sinkholes per square kilometer. This green moonscape of collapsed craters is a unique problem for development as the ground is prone to subsidization. It is impossible to tell how large a cave system is by looking at the surface, and developers often build their structures too close to the open spaces beneath the ground. There is no current karst protection plan for any of the counties that are involved with this problem. A booklet describing the issues of the watershed, "What's All the Fuss About Karst?" has been placed online to help residents along the Greenbrier understand their unique region:
- What's All The Fuss About Karst? Overview
- What's All The Fuss About Karst? A Closer Look At Sinkholes
- What's All The Fuss About Karst? The Karst Watershed
The comprised caves and karst of the Greenbrier River Valley is among the world's Top Ten Endangered Karst Ecosystems as listed by the Karst Waters Institute in 2001.[10]
West Virginia State Fossil
American Paleontology was arguably started in the sub-watershed of Second Creek. Bones discovered by saltpeter miners in Haynes Cave close to the river in Monroe County were sent to Thomas Jefferson, who identified them as a previously unknown species. Without a skull for identification purposes, Jefferson used the eight-inch claws as an identifying mark, and named the skeleton, 'Megalonyx' or Great Claw. Later the bones were positively identified as that of a giant three-toed sloth, with Jeffersonii added to it in tribute. For years the sloth was mistakenly thought to be from another cave within the watershed, Organ Cave, but recent research conclusively proves Haynes Cave was the cave of origin. The Megalonyx is now the state fossil of West Virginia.
West Virginia State Gemstone
The West Virginia state gemstone is also part of the Greenbrier River watershed: The Lithostrotionella, a fossilized form of coral[11] that is found in the Hillsdale Limestone group in Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties. Not an official gemstone, it is a siliceous chalcedony. It is found almost exclusively within Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties.[12]
Species of Note
The Greenbrier hosts one of the state's two endemic species of salamanders, the West Virginia Spring Salamander in Fort Spring. The other salamander, the Cheat Mountain Salamander lives in the mountains of the headwaters.
The Candy Darter of Knapp Creek (Finescale saddled darter) is a survivor to when the Greenbrier followed a more ancient drainage pattern with Teays Valley.
References
- ^ a b USGS GNIS: West Fork Greenbrier River
- ^ a b USGS GNIS: East Fork Greenbrier River
- ^ a b USGS GNIS: Greenbrier River
- ^ a b c d e f McNeel, William P. "Greenbrier River." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
- ^ United States Geological Survey; USGS 03183500 GREENBRIER RIVER AT ALDERSON, WV; retrieved April 19, 2008.
- ^ greenbrierriver.org
- ^ a b c DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
- ^ http://www.8riverssafedevelopment.com/sys/getFile.php?file=documents/vg_aug_sep_2006_p20.pdf
- ^ Greenbrier River Trail website
- ^ Tronvig, Kristen A. and Belson, Christopher S. "Top Ten List of Endangered Karst Ecosystems" The Karst Waters Institute 2000/2001, retrieved on 25 April 2009.
- ^ http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lithostrotionella
- ^ http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-gemstone/west-virginia.html
See also
- Battle of Greenbrier River
- List of West Virginia rivers
- Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
- Watoga State Park
- Greenbrier River Trail State Park
External links
- Map of the Greenbrier River watershed
- The Greenbrier River Watershed Association
- The Greenbrier River Trail and The Great Greenbrier River Race
- Allegheny Mountain Radio
- Durbin Days, Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad
- Battle of Lewisburg
- Ronceverte River Festival
- Riders of the Flood
- The Festival of the Rivers in Hinton
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