Principal Rivers and Branches.
The waters belonging to the Atlantic system drain six-sevenths of the
State. The principal streams of this system are: The Potomac, a wide
and deep river, the northeastern boundary of Virginia, with its large
branches, the Shenandoah and the South Branch, and its prominent
smaller ones, Potomac Creek, Occoquan River, Broad Run, Goose, Catoctin
and Opequon Creeks, draining a large area of each of the sections of
the State. The Potomac is navigable for 110 miles from where it enters
the bay, some 65 miles from the ocean. It has many landings, and lines
of steamers and sailing vessels connect with all portions of the country,
giving great facilities for cheap transportation to a very extensive and valuable
portion of the Northern Neck. The Rappahannock, with its Rapid
Anne and numerous other branches, flows from the Blue Ridge across
Piedmont, Middle and Tidewater, irrigating a large territory. The Rappahannock
is navigable to Fredericksburg, 92 miles from its mouth at the
bay, some 40 miles from the ocean. The Piankitank, draining only a portion
of Tidewater, is navigable for some 14 miles; and Mobjack Bay and
its rivers furnish deep entrances to the Gloucester Peninsula. The York,
with its Pamunkey and Mattapony branches, and many tributaries, flows
through a considerable area of Middle and Tidewater. The York is a
wide, deep, and almost straight
belt of water, reaching over 40 miles from
the bay to the junction of the Pamunkey and the Mattapony, which are
themselves navigable for many miles for light-draught vessels. The
James, with the Chickahominy, Elizabeth, Nansemond, Appomattox, Rivanna,
Willis', Slate, Rockfish, Tye, Pedlar, North, Cowpasture, Jackson's,
and many other inflowing rivers and streams of all kinds, gathers from a
large territory in all the divisions, draining more of the State than any
other river. The James is navigable to Richmond. The Elizabeth is a
broad arm of the Hampton Roads estuary of the James, extending for 12
miles, the last four of which are expanded as the superb harbor between
the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth. All these flow into Chesapeake Bay.
The Chowan, through its Blackwater, Nottoway and Meherrin branches
and their affluents, waters portions of Middle and Tidewater Virginia.
The Roanoke, called the Staunton from the mouth of the Dan to the
Blue Ridge, receives the Dan, Otter, Pig, and many other streams from
the Valley, Piedmont and Middle Virginia, and then flows through North
Carolina to Albemarle Sound, joining the Chowan. The sources of the
Yadkin are in the Blue Ridge.
The waters of the Ohio, a part of the Mississippi system, drain the
remaining seventh of the State; but they reach the Ohio by three diverse
ways. The rivers are: The Kanawha or New River, that rises in North
Carolina, in the most elevated portion of the United States east of the
Mississippi, flows through the plateau of the Blue Ridge, from which it
receives Chestnut, Poplar Camp, Reed Island and other creeks and Little
River; across the Valley, where Cripple, Reed and Peak's Creeks join it;
across Appalachia, from which Walker's, Sinking, Big and Little Stony
and Wolf Creeks and East and Bluestone Rivers flow into it, and then
through West Virginia into the Ohio, having cut through the whole Appalachian
system of mountains, except its eastern barrier, the Blue Ridge.
The Holston, through its South, Middle and North Forks, Moccasin
Creek, etc., drains the southwestern portions of the Valley and Appalachia;
and the Clinch, by its North and South Forks, Copper Creek,
Guest's and Powell's Rivers, and many other tributaries, waters the extreme
southwest of the Appalachian Country. These flow into the Tennessee.
A portion of the mountain country gives rise to the Louisa and
Russell's Forks of the Big Sandy River, and to some branches of the Tug
Fork of the same river, the Tug forming the Virginia line for a space.
These flow into the Ohio by the Big Sandy.
These are but a few of the thousand or more named and valuable
streams of Virginia. They abound in all portions of the State, giving a
vast quantity of water-power, irrigating the country, furnishing waters
suited to every species of fish, giving channels for the tide and inland
navigation, and enlivening the landscapes. Springs are very numerous,
many of them of large size. Nearly every portion of the State is well
watered.
Virginia has about 1,500 miles of steamboat navigation and as much
more for small boats. Its tide-waters afford 3,000 miles of fishing shores
and over 2,000 of oyster grounds. The chief cities are Richmond, the
capital, population 81,388; Norfolk, the great seaport, population 34,871;
Petersburg, on the Appomattox, population 22,680; Lynchburg, on the
James, population 19,709; Roanoke, in the valley, 16,159; Alexandria, on
the Potomac, population 14,339; Portsmouth, a seaport, population
13,268; Danville, on the Dan, population 10,305; Manchester, across the
James from Richmond, population 9,246; and many smaller and well-situated
cities of over 5,000 inhabitants. These figures are from the census
of 1890.
There are six great natural divisions of Virginia—belts of country
extending across the State from northeast to southwest, nearly parallel to
each other, and corresponding to the trend of the Atlantic coast on the
east, and the Appalachian system of mountains on the northwest. These
grand divisions are taken in the order of succession from the ocean northwest
across the State; 1st. The Tidewater Country; 2d. Middle Virginia;
3d. The Piedmont Section; 4th. The Blue Ridge Country; 5th. The Great
Valley of Virginia; 6th. The Appalachian Country. These divisions not
only succeed each other geographically, but they occupy different levels
above the sea, rising to the west like a grand stairway. They differ geologically
also; therefore, they have differences of climate, soil, productions
etc., and require separate consideration in a description of the State.
