Keowee River

The Keowee River is created by the confluence of the Toxaway River and the Whitewater River in northern Oconee County, South Carolina. The confluence is today submerged beneath the waters of Lake Jocassee, a reservoir created by Lake Jocassee Dam.

Keowee River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Carolina
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationOconee County, South Carolina
 • coordinates34°58′35″N 82°56′04″W
Source confluenceToxaway River & Whitewater River
Mouth 
 • location
Oconee County, South Carolina
 • coordinates
34°41′44″N 82°52′58″W

The Keowee River flows out of Lake Jocassee Dam and into Lake Keowee, a reservoir created by Keowee Dam and Little River Dam. The Keowee River flows out of Keowee Dam to join Twelvemile Creek near Clemson, South Carolina, forming the beginning of the Seneca River, a tributary of the Savannah River. The Keowee River is 25.7 miles (41.4 km) long.[1]

The boundary between the Seneca River and the Keowee River has changed over time. In Revolutionary War period, the upper part of the Seneca River was often called the Keowee River.[2][3]

In current times, the section of the Keowee River between the Keowee Dam and its confluence with Twelvemile Creek is called the Seneca River on many maps, including the official county highway map.[4] Since this area is flooded by Lake Hartwell formed by damming the Seneca and Tugaloo rivers, it is natural to refer this section as the Seneca instead of its proper name.

The Keowee River was in the heart of the Cherokee Lower Towns. The principal town of the Lower Towns was called, like the river, Keowee. Other Cherokee towns on the Keowee River included Etastoe and Sugartown (Kulsetsiyi).

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed April 26, 2011
  2. Mooney, James (2008) [First published 1900]. Myths of the Cherokee. Forgotten Books. p. 270. ISBN 9781605068879.
  3. "Hopewell on the Keowee Church". Horse Trails. Clemson University. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  4. Oconee County General Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1971 ed.). South Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2009.



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