Seneca River (South Carolina) Explained

Seneca River
Name Other:Keowee River (portions)
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:South Carolina
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name3:Oconee County, Pickens County, Anderson County
Source1 Location:Clemson
Source1 Coordinates:34.6956°N -82.8494°W
Mouth Coordinates:34.4436°N -82.8561°W

The Seneca River is created by the confluence of the Keowee River and Twelvemile Creek in northwestern South Carolina, downriver from Lake Keowee near Clemson. It is now entirely inundated by Lake Hartwell, and forms a 21adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] arm of the lake. The Seneca River and the Tugaloo River join to form the Savannah River.[2]

The boundary between the Seneca River and the Keowee River has changed over time. In the Revolutionary War period, the upper part of the Seneca River was often called the Keowee River.[3] [4]

In current times, the section of the Keowee River between the Keowee Dam and its confluence with Twelvemile Creek is called the Seneca River on many maps, including the official county highway map.[5] Since this area was flooded by Lake Hartwell, created by damming the Seneca and Tugaloo rivers, this section is often referred to as the Seneca.

Notes and References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 26, 2011
  2. Web site: Seneca River . Geographic Names Information System . USGS . 13 July 1980 . 2 December 2009.
  3. Book: Mooney, James . James Mooney . Myths of the Cherokee . Forgotten Books . 1900. 2008 . 270 . 9781605068879.
  4. Web site: Hopewell on the Keowee Church . Horse Trails . Clemson University . 20 December 2009 . 20 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111020124039/http://www.clemson.edu/trails/history/hopewell.html . dead .
  5. South Carolina Department of Transportation . Oconee County General Highway Map . 1971 . 20 December 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090331170606/http://www.dot.state.sc.us/getting/pdfs/Oconee.pdf . 31 March 2009 .