Swannanoa River
| Swannanoa River Tributary to French Broad River | |
|---|---|
 Swannanoa River at Asheville, North Carolina | |
  Location of Swannanoa River mouth  Swannanoa River (the United States) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Buncombe |
| City | Black Mountain Swannanoa Asheville |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | divide between Swannanoa River and Catawba River |
| • location | about 0.25 miles south of Swannanoa Gap |
| • coordinates | 35°37′11″N 082°17′40″W / 35.61972°N 82.29444°W[1] |
| • elevation | 2,790 ft (850 m)[2] |
| Mouth | French Broad River |
• location | Asheville, North Carolina |
• coordinates | 35°34′05″N 082°33′49″W / 35.56806°N 82.56361°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,968 ft (600 m)[2] |
| Length | 24.83 mi (39.96 km)[3] |
| Basin size | 132.77 square miles (343.9 km2)[4] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | French Broad River |
| • average | 166.88 cu ft/s (4.726 m3/s) at mouth with French Broad River[4] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | North Fork Swannanoa River Beetree Creek Bull Creek Grassy Branch Haw Creek Ross Creek |
| Bridges | Yates Avenue, Old US 70, Broadway Street, S Blue Ridge Road, I-40, US 70, Paton Hill Road, Riverwood Road, Davidson Road, Warren Wilson College Road, Tunnel Road (US 70), E Azalea Road, I-240, S Tunnel Road, Biltmore Avenue, Biltmore Estate Road |
The Swannanoa River flows through the Swannanoa Valley of the region of
The estate encompasses numerous ancient Native American sites, including an earthwork platform mound, now known as Biltmore Mound, that is located south of the Swannanoa River. Based on evidence from excavations conducted there in the early 21st century, the mound was started by indigenous people between 400 and 550CE, with the second to last stage of the mound built about 580-600CE. It was built over a Connestee Phase habitation (built during the Pisgah phase) in the Middle Woodland period.[5]
The historic
Under pressure from European-American settlers, the Cherokee ceded their land here in 1819. This site near the Swannanoa River was later abandoned and became overgrown. At one time there was plowing in the area, reducing the height of the mound, but it is distinguished by a much wider, oval-shaped base. The mound was rediscovered in 1984. It was first excavated in a more than two-year project by a team from Appalachian State University, beginning in 2000.[6]
The river is 22 miles or 35 kilometers long, and it flows entirely within the geographical boundaries of
Tributaries
(Not necessarily in order.)
- Sweeten Creek
- Ross Creek
- Haw Creek
- Gashes Creek
- Grassy Branch
- Christian Creek
- Bull Creek
- Beetree Creek
- Lower North Fork
- Upper North Fork
- Tomahawk Branch
- Flat Creek
- Camp Branch
References
- ^ a b "GNIS Detail - Swannanoa River". geonames.usgs.gov. US Geological Survey. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Swannanoa River Topo Map, Buncombe County NC (Asheville Area)". TopoZone. Locality, LLC. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". epa.maps.arcgis.com. US EPA. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Swannanoa River Watershed Report". Waters Geoviewer. US EPA. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- S2CID 129808107. Retrieved 9 Nov 2020.
- ^ a b Whitmire, Tim (9 Feb 2003). "Gilded-Age Opulence Shelters Prehistoric Tribe's Artifacts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 Nov 2020.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
