Deep River is a tributary of the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Ca ...

, approximately 125 miles (200 km) long, in north central

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Deep River is a translation of the Indian name ''sapponah'', "deep river". Paddling is popular on the river. Deep River is flanked by the planned Deep River State Trail and several other parks and preservation areas including Carbonton Dam Park, House in the Horseshoe Historic Site, Deep River Park and

Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge The Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge is a steel camelback truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements ...

Endor Iron Furnace The Endor Iron Furnace was an iron furnace that operated from 1861–1864 and again from 1870–1871, near Cumnock, Lee County, North Carolina. It was constructed between 1862 and 1864 to take advantage of the iron deposits along the Deep River. ...

, White Pines Nature Preserve, Lockville Dam, Canal and Powerhouse, and Mermaid Point. The Cape Fear shiner, a critically endangered minnow, inhabits the river.

Course

Deep River rises in the

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country in western Guilford County, east of

Kernersville Kernersville is a town in Forsyth County and the largest suburb of Winston-Salem. The town is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. A small portion of the town is also in Guilford County. The population was 26,481 at the 2020 census, up ...

. It flows southeast past High Point and Randleman, forming the Randleman Lake. It passes northeast of Asheboro, then flows east to Franklinville then to Ramseur, then passing north of

Sanford Sanford may refer to: People *Sanford (given name), including a list of people with the name *Sanford (surname), including a list of people with the name Places United States * Sanford, Alabama, a town in Covington County * Sanford, Colorado, ...

. The Rocky River enters the Deep River at the White Pines Nature Preserve. Deep River joins

Haw River The Haw River is a tributary of the Cape Fear River, approximately 110 mi (177 km) long, that is entirely contained in north central North Carolina in the United States. It was first documented as the "Hau River" by John Lawson, an E ...

at Mermaid Point near Moncure to form the

Dams

Deep River has 12 dams or relict dam structures and is the source river of the Randleman lake project that covers 3000 acres (12 km²) of property on the river near U.S. Route 220. The river crosses the Fall Line of North Carolina, an area where rivers are quite rocky and have a moderately high gradient. This gradient was used to power mills along the river to support the early

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not t ...

industry in North Carolina. The river, popular with

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

ists, was a center of a great deal of activity during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

at places such as Franklinville and the House In The Horseshoe. The Lockville Dam, built of stone, is the only portion of the 19th-century Deep River lock and dam system that remains today. Until recently, the Deep River was host to the Carbonton Dam, the largest dam on the river at 17 feet (5.2 m) high and 270 feet (82 m) wide. In the fall of 2005, the dam was removed for the purpose of creating

environmental mitigation Environmental mitigation, compensatory mitigation, or mitigation banking, are terms used primarily by the United States government and the related environmental industry to describe projects or programs intended to offset known impacts to an exist ...

credit by Restoration Systems, LLC, a leading environmental mitigation company in North Carolina. The project restored 10 miles (16 km) of the former impoundment around the House in the Horseshoe to free-flowing river.

Tributaries

References

{{authority control Rivers of North Carolina Rivers of Chatham County, North Carolina Rivers of Guilford County, North Carolina Rivers of Lee County, North Carolina Rivers of Moore County, North Carolina Rivers of Randolph County, North Carolina