A
River Runs Through It
Asheville
and its environs are situated within the Upper
French Broad River Watershed. The Upper French
Broad River has its headwaters southeast of
Hendersonville, and flows through a gap in the
Smoky Mountains to connect with the Tennessee
River at Chattanooga.
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How
did the river get its name? During colonial times,
there was another Broad River just across the Eastern
Continental Divide, with its headwaters being just
south of Black Mountain. The Eastern Continental Divide
was the boundary between the British colonies and
what was then French territory. Thus, the Broad River
to the west was called the “French Broad River” by
the English-speaking colonists to distinguish it from
the Broad River that ran through their lands. (Click
here for a history of Asheville’s riverfront.)
A
major tributary of the Upper French Broad is the Swannanoa
River, with headwaters just east of Black Mountain
and flowing west to its confluence with the Upper
French Broad at Asheville. Another major tributary
is Mud Creek in Henderson County.
Additional
Resources:
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