The Waccamaw River is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

, approximately 140 miles (225 km) long, in

southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

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 and So ...

and

eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It drains an area of approximately 1,110 square miles (2886 km²) in the

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Coa ...

along the eastern border between the two states into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. Along its upper course, it is a slow-moving, blackwater river surrounded by vast

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, passable only by shallow-draft watercraft such as

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 ...

. Along its lower course, it is lined by sandy banks and old

plantation house A plantation house is the main house of a plantation, often a substantial farmhouse, which often serves as a symbol for the plantation as a whole. Plantation houses in the Southern United States and in other areas are known as quite grand and e ...

s, providing an important navigation channel with a unique geography, flowing roughly parallel to the coast.

Description

The Waccamaw River begins its course at

Lake Waccamaw Lake Waccamaw is a fresh water lake located in Columbus County in North Carolina. It is the largest of the natural Carolina Bay lakes. Although bay trees (''Magnolia virginiana L.'', ''Gordonia lasianthus Ellis'', and ''Persea'') are present w ...

, a

Carolina Bay Carolina bays are elliptical to circular depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and north Florida.Kaczorowski, R. T. (1977) '' ...

Columbus County, North Carolina Columbus County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina, on its southeastern border. Its county seat is Whiteville. The 2020 census showed a loss of 12.9% of the population from that of 2010. As of the 2020 census, the popul ...

. Downstream it forms the county line between Columbus and Brunswick counties, flowing generally southwest and parallel to the coastline; it is separated from the ocean by approximately 15 miles (24 km). It enters

and flows southwest across

Horry County Horry County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 351,029. It is the fourth-most populous county in South Carolina. The county seat is Conway. Horry County is the central ...

, past Conway. Near

Burgess __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...

, it is joined from the northwest by the

Great Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River, is known as ...

, which rises in north central

. It continues southwest, separated from the ocean by only five miles (8 km) in a long

tidal estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

. The long narrow point of land along the ocean formed by the lower river is called

Waccamaw Neck The Waccamaw Neck is a long narrow peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Waccamaw River in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The town of Pawleys Island is located on the Waccamaw Neck, as well as the unincorporated mainland area, which inc ...

. At Georgetown it receives the Black River (South Carolina) from the north, then turns sharply to the southeast and enters the ocean at

Winyah Bay The Winyaw were a Native American tribe living near Winyah Bay, Black River, and the lower course of the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. The Winyaw people disappeared as a distinct entity after 1720 and are thought to have merged with the Wacc ...

, approximately five miles (8 km) north along the coast from the mouth of the

Santee River } The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...

. Navigable as far as Conway, the lower river has been an important commercial route for the region since the 18th century. Before that, it was equally important for various Native American cultures. In the 19th century, planters developed extensive

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

cultivation on lands of the lower Waccamaw River. They depended on the labor of thousands of enslaved Africans and their descendants to cultivate and process this labor-intensive crop. After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, some of the large plantations were confiscated by the federal government. In addition, the emancipation of enslaved persons and new laws established a "free labor" market. Some planters established sharecropping or tenant farmers to gain workers, but as freedmen wanted to control some of their work. The rice industry declined under these conditions. Since the early 20th century, the Waccamaw's lower course in South Carolina forms part of what is now known as the

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

. It joins the river from the northeast at Bucksport, South Carolina. Long important to trade and transportation, the waterway also began to be recognized for its recreational uses. In addition, the river's extensive

provide

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

for diverse species, including the

Carolina pygmy sunfish The Carolina pygmy sunfish, ''Elassoma boehlkei'', is a species of pygmy sunfish endemic to the United States, where it is only known from the Waccamaw and Santee River drainages in the Carolinas. This species prefers waters with dense vegetatio ...

and the

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), also called simply a black bear or sometimes a baribal, is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bear ...

"Extensive forest communities cover the Waccamaw floodplain, including cypress-gum swamp and bottomland hardwood forests. The bottomland hardwood forests of the Waccamaw are unique in the Carolinas in containing abundant Atlantic white cedar and live oaks, along with the more typical laurel and overcup oak and loblolly pine."

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

has acquired a portion of the habitat for conservation and preservation. They control land along the Waccamaw, the lower Pee Dee and Little Pee Dee rivers for habitat preservation. A much larger area was acquired by the federal government for the

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1997, is a recent addition to the United States National Wildlife Refuge system. It is located in parts of northeastern Georgetown County, South Carolina, southern Horry, and southeastern Marion ...

, established in 1997 near the confluence of these three rivers. Originally consisting of , it is planned to have a total of .Official refuge site
/ref>

References

External links

Winyah Rivers Foundation: About the Waccamaw River
* Albergotti, Dan
"Shadows Along the Waccamaw"
''Southern Spaces,'' November 24, 2008. {{authority control Rivers of North Carolina Rivers of South Carolina Rivers of Georgetown County, South Carolina Rivers of Horry County, South Carolina Rivers of Columbus County, North Carolina Rivers of Brunswick County, North Carolina Rivers of Bladen County, North Carolina Tributaries of the Pee Dee River

Description

See also

References

External links