The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, power, and flood control. The river becomes the

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 The Uwharri ...

at the confluence of the Uwharrie River south of the community of

Badin Badin ( Sindhi and ur, ) is the main city and capital of Badin District in Sindh, Pakistan. It lies east of the Indus River. It is the 87th largest city in Pakistan. Badin is often called 'Sugar State' due to its production of sugar. Badin ...

and east of the town of Albemarle. The river then flows into South Carolina near

Cheraw The Cheraw people, also known as the Saraw or Saura, were a Siouan-speaking tribe of indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, in the Piedmont area of North Carolina near the Sauratown Mountains, east of Pilot Mountain and north of the Yad ...

, which is at the Fall Line. The entirety of the Yadkin River and the Great Pee Dee River is part of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin.

Etymology

The meaning of the word Yadkin, derived from ''Yattken'', or ''Yattkin'', a Siouan Indian word, is unknown. In Siouan terminology it may mean "big tree" or "place of big trees." Alternate names include: :Adkin River :Atkin River :Big Yadkin River :Reatkin River :Sapona River :Yatkin River Yadkin County, North Carolina, and its county seat, the town of Yadkinville, are named after the river.

History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Yadkin basin was inhabited by Siouan-speaking tribes. The

Saura Saura may refer to: * Saura (Hinduism), a Hindu denomination * Saura calendar, the Vedic and medieval Indian solar calendar People * Antonio Saura, Spanish surrealist artist * Carlos Saura, Spanish film director * Enrique Saura, Spanish footb ...

and Tutelo tribes are mentioned in historic records of the area. Before the Revolutionary War, colonial settlers of primarily Scots-Irish,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, and English extraction migrated into the Yadkin basin from Virginia and Pennsylvania using the Great Wagon Road and the

Carolina Road The Carolina Road or the "Old Carolina Road" are names for various sections of the Great Wagon Road and other routes in colonial America. "The 'Old Carolina Road', extending from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to the Yadkin Valley, was one of the most he ...

. Notably, these included Moravian colonists from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania who occupied the 100,000-acre Wachovia tract following its purchase in 1753 (See also

Old Salem Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was originally settled by the Moravian community in 1766. This small city features a living history museum (operated by the non-profit Old Salem Museums & Gardens, organize ...

). On May 9, 1771, when marching to join Governor William Tryon's army at the Battle of Alamance, a colonial force was intercepted along the Yadkin in Rowan County by a larger force of

Regulators Regulator may refer to: Technology * Regulator (automatic control), a device that maintains a designated characteristic, as in: ** Battery regulator ** Pressure regulator ** Diving regulator ** Voltage regulator * Regulator (sewer), a control de ...

formed under Captain

Benjamin Merrill Benjamin Merrill (sometimes Merrell) (c. 1731 – June 19, 1771) was a captain in the militia of Rowan County, North Carolina who sided with the Regulators during the pre- Revolutionary War uprising. He was captured following the conflict ending ...

. Realizing their forces were outnumbered, Tryon's men fell back to Salisbury, and were unable to join the governor until after the battle at Alamance was fought.''Captain Benjamin Merrell & The Regulators of Colonial North Carolina''
ia "History of the Liberty Baptist Association, by Elder Henry Sheets, Edwards & Broughton of Raleigh, N.C, (1907)" TAMU; accessed Aug 2018 In 1859 the NC Supreme court noted "it is certain that the Yadkin river is capable of private ownership and that some parts of the riverbed have been granted to private individuals." The court determined that the owners of the dam across the Yadkin could not have his property taken without just compensation.

Use

The river is extensively used for recreation. Fishing consists mostly of sunfish, catfish, largemouth bass and white bass in the spring and early summer. Canoeing and rafting are also possible. A portion of the river flows through

Pilot Mountain State Park Pilot Mountain State Park is a North Carolina state park in Surry and Yadkin Counties, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Pinnacle, North Carolina on highway US 52, it covers and includes the distinctive 2,241 foot (683&nbs ...

. Morrow Mountain State Park and the Uwharrie National Forest are along the banks of the river where the river's name changes to the

State trail

In 1985, the NC General Assembly established the Yadkin River State Trail as a paddle trail which follows the river for . The paddle trail is a part of the North Carolina State Trails System, which is a section of the NC Division of Parks and Recreation. A system of launch points and camping locations were created along the river for the trail.

Geography

Principal tributaries of the Yadkin include the Reddies,

Roaring A roar is a type of Animal communication#Auditory, animal vocalization that is deep and acoustic resonance, resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intim ...

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...

Fisher Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral. Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to: Places Australia *Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland *Elect ...

Ararat Ararat or in Western Armenian Ararad may refer to: Personal names * Ararat ( hy, Արարատ), a common first name for Armenian males (pronounced Ararad in Western Armenian) * Ararat or Araratian, a common family name for Armenians (pronounced A ...

and South Yadkin Rivers.

Water supply

Water supplies for many communities in North and South Carolina are taken from the Yadkin-Pee Dee and during drought years the division of the water is a contentious issue. The Mitchell River was impacted in the 1980s by massive runoff of sediment from land clearing at the Olde Beau development. Numerous citations from the NC EPA were issued against developer Earl Slick but the development proceeded. Today the golf course community near Roaring Gap is a good tax base for impoverished

Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's seco ...

. Cones Lake is a reservoir located immediately upstream of where the Yadkin River begins, marking it the one of the initial sources of the Yadkin River.

Lakes created by dams along the Yadkin/Pee Dee River

There are many reservoirs created by damming the Yadkin and Pee Dee rivers within the bounds of North Carolina, and are listed from upstream to downstream: *

W. Kerr Scott Reservoir The W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir is a artificial lake impounded by a dam located in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It is located on the Yadkin River system, and is operated and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Recreation The l ...

* High Rock Lake * Tuckertown Reservoir *

Badin Lake Badin Lake is one of a series of lakes created by the damming of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River in the Uwharrie Lakes Region of the United States. The Badin Lake Dam was built in 1917 to support local aluminum smelting plant, Alcoa, and the associated ...

Falls Reservoir Falls Reservoir is part of the Yadkin River Project in North Carolina and managed by Alcoa as part of their hydroelectric business. It is the last of four reservoirs along a stretch of the Yadkin River. Falls Reservoir is the smallest of the ...

* Lake Tillery * Blewitt Falls Lake All but W. Kerr Scott generate hydroelectric power, and High Rock, Tuckertown, Badin, and Falls were managed by

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...

under contract with the US Government, under oversight by the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas in interstate commerce and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in ...

(FERC). The contract with FERC expired in April 2008, and was under review after the N.C. Division of Water Quality revoked their water-quality certificate that the company needs to continue operating its power-generating dams along the river. The former governor of North Carolina,

Bev Perdue Beverly Eaves Perdue (born Beverly Marlene Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party who served as the List of governors of North Carolina, 73rd Govern ...

, and other North Carolina politicians made it a priority to recapture the Yadkin River water rights, but this has been denied. On September 22, 2016, Alcoa received a license to operate until March 31, 2055, a period 12 years shorter than desired. The license requires a minimum water level and a swimming beach for High Rock Lake. The terms of the license will now apply to Cube Hydro Carolinas, which bought the hydroelectric power operations.

List of crossings

* Caldwell County **Many minor crossings of the Upper Yadkin **Multiple Crossings of (Yadkin River Road) **Grandin Road * Wilkes County ** in

Ferguson Ferguson may refer to: Places Canada * Ferguson Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario) * Ferguson, British Columbia * Mount Ferguson (Ontario), a mountain in Temagami, Ontario United States *Ferguson, a meteorite fall in North Carolina * Ferguson, Arkansas ...

**Browns Ford Road below the W. Kerr Scott Dam ** in Wilkesboro **Curtis Bridge Road in Wilkesboro **Wilkesboro Avenue () in Wilkesboro ** US 421 Business **Red White and Blue Road in Roaring River **Clingman Road in Ronda * Surry County and

Yadkin County Yadkin County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,214. Its county seat is Yadkinville. Yadkin County is included in the Winston-Salem, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also in ...

**South Bridge Street and South Gwyn Avenue ( US 21 Business connecting Elkin and Jonesville) ** ** in

Crutchfield Crutchfield Corporation is a North American retailer specializing in a wide range of electronics, including mobile audio and video equipment for the automobile, along with speakers, televisions, and other electronics for home or portable use, se ...

**Rockford Road / Richmond Hill Church Road in Rockford **Siloam Road in Siloam *

and Forsyth County ** in Donnaha **Old US 421 ** **Shallowford Road * Davie County and Forsyth County ** between Bermuda Run and Clemmons ** between Bermuda Run and Clemmons **

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

between

Advance Advance commonly refers to: *Advance, an offensive push in sports, games, thoughts, military combat, or sexual or romantic pursuits * Advance payment for goods or services * Advance against royalties, a payment to be offset against future royalty p ...

and Clemmons * Davie County and Davidson County ** * Rowan County and Davidson County **The Yadkin River Bridges at Trading Ford near Spencer ***

Wil-Cox Bridge The Wil-Cox Bridge is a historic concrete arch bridge, arch pedestrian bridge spanning the Yadkin River between Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan and Davidson County, North Carolina, Davidson counties in North Carolina. The bridge formerly carr ...

***// *** North Carolina Railroad / Norfolk Southern Railway *** **

Bringle Ferry Bridge The Bringle Ferry Bridge is a crossing of the Yadkin River Channel and the Tuckertown Reservoir in Rowan County, North Carolina and Davidson County, North Carolina. The bridge is on Bringle Ferry Road between Salisbury, North Carolina and Denton, ...

**/ *

Stanly County Stanly County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,504. Its county seat is Albemarle. Stanly County comprises the Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included ...

and Montgomery County **

Winston-Salem Southbound Railway The Winston-Salem Southbound Railway is a short-line railroad jointly owned by CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), which provide it with equipment. It connects with NS at the north end in Winston-Salem, CSX at the south ...

in Whitney **A service bridge at the

Narrows Dam and Power Plant Complex Narrows Dam and Power Plant Complex is a national historic district located at Badin, Stanly County, North Carolina. The district encompasses one contributing building and two contributing structures in the company town of Badin. The dam and p ...

References

External links

Yadkin RiverkeeperYadkin River State Trail
official website for the state paddle trail.
General information about many of the dam projects on the river
*
Yadkin River entry on Water Wiki
{{authority control Rivers of North Carolina Rivers of Caldwell County, North Carolina Rivers of Wilkes County, North Carolina Rivers of Davidson County, North Carolina State parks of North Carolina Rivers of Surry County, North Carolina Rivers of Davie County, North Carolina Water trails Tributaries of the Pee Dee River no:Yadkin (elv)