Matanzas River
| Matanzas River | |
|---|---|
 Bridge of Lions across the Matanzas River | |
  Location of mouth | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | St. Johns, Flagler |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Atlantic Ocean |
• coordinates | 29°54′50″N 81°17′01″W / 29.9138577°N 81.2836827°W |
| Length | 23 mi (37 km) |
The Matanzas River is a body of water in
The Matanzas River is 23 miles (37 km) in length[2] and extends from St. Augustine Inlet southward to approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) south of the Matanzas Inlet on the southern tip of Anastasia Island. The waterbody connects ocean inlets in the Port of St. Augustine and at the Fort Matanzas National Monument. The Matanzas River does not flow in one direction, as it is tidally influenced by the two inlets. The river has a tidal range of up to 6 feet (1.8 m).[3]
The Matanzas River at St. Augustine was the main entrance to the historic city, America's oldest port. The body of water is often referred to as the Matanzas Harbor in the immediate vicinity of the city's waterfront. The southern portion of the Matanzas River was traditionally considered the "backdoor" to the city of St. Augustine, and control of the river was considered a strategic necessity for the early Spanish colony at St. Augustine. Spanish engineers and laborers built Fort Matanzas in the 18th century to control access to the river from Matanzas Inlet, about 14 miles (23 km) south of St. Augustine.
The Matanzas River supports an extensive
Three major bridges cross the Matanzas River: the Bridge of Lions and the Mickler-O'Connell Bridge carrying Florida State Road 312 between St. Augustine and Anastasia Island, and the Crescent Beach Bridge (Verle Allen Pope Bridge) carrying State Road 206 across the river to Crescent Beach.
The Matanzas River was named by Spanish forces for
See also
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Matanzas River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 18, 2011
- ^ "Rivers and Streams". National Park Service. National Park Service. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ Stewart, George (1945). Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States. New York: Random House. pp. 18, 19.
- The Columbia Gazetteer of North America, 2000
- Fort Matanzas National Monument at National Park Service