Kanawha River
Kanawha River in Saint Albans
Map of the catchment area of the river with its main source river, the New River
Lock and dam in Winfield, WV, 50 km upstream of the mouth
Mouth of the Kanawha River in the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, WV
As the largest lying within the state of the waterway flow from the middle of the 19th century formed a significant economic region.
The river is formed in the town in the northwest of Gauley Bridge Fayette County, about 55 km south-east of Charleston by the confluence of New River and Gauley River. He always flows in a northwesterly direction in a tortuous course through the non- glacial embossed Allegheny Plateau by the County Fayette, Kanawha, Putnam and Mason. He passes through the cities Charleston and Saint Albans, as well as a number of smaller towns. It ends at Point Pleasant in the Ohio River.
The river valley has significant deposits of coal and natural gas. At the time of the colonization of the highly fluctuating water level of the river prevented its use as a transportation route. The removal of rocks and tree stumps in the lower reaches during the 1840s allowed for the shipping, which was expanded after the beginning of the construction of locks and weirs in 1875. Today the river is navigable to Deepwater, a town about 35 km upstream from Charleston. The lying on the banks of the river chemical industry contributes a significant portion to the economy of West Virginia.
Tributaries
Aside from New River and Gauley River discharge into the Kanawha River in Charleston the Elk River in Saint Albans and the Coal River at Poca the Pocatalico River.
Cities along the Kanawha River
- Bancroft
- Belle
- Buffalo
- Cedar Grove
- Charleston
- Chesapeake
- Dunbar
- East Bank
- Eleanor
- Gauley Bridge
- Glasgow
- Handley
- Henderson
- Jefferson
- Leon
- Marmet
- Montgomery
- Nitro
- Poca
- Point Pleasant
- Pratt
- Saint Albans
- Smithers
- South Charleston
- Winfield
Variants of the name
The Geographic Names Information System are for the Kanawha River, a number of different names to:
- Big Connawas River
- Big Connawas River
- Big Kanawha River
- Canawha
- Canhawa River
- Chinidashhichetha
- Chinodahichetha River
- Chinodashichetha
- Chinondaista
- Great Canawha River
- Great Kanawha River
- Great Kanawha River
- Great Kanhaway River
- Great Kehhawa River
- Great Kenhawa River
- Great Kenhaway River
- Great Konhaway River
- Great Konhawayriver
- Kanahaway River
- Kanawa River
- Kanawah River
- Kanaway River
- Kanawhy River
- Kanhaway River
- Kannawha River
- Keanawha River
- Kenhaway River
- Keninsheka
- Kinhaway River
- Kunhaway River
- Le -we- ke -o -mi
- New River
- Pi - que -me- ta -mi
- Pique -me- ta -nei
- Woods River
Highways
- Interstate 64 crosses the Kanawha River four times in the vicinity of Charleston.