Pee Dee River

Pee Dee River

Geobox | River
name = Pee Dee River
category = River


image_size = 300
image_caption = Shad Fishing in FebruaryPee Dee River, Yauhannah, South Carolina
etymology = Pee Dee tribe
country = United States
country_

state = North Carolina
state1 = South Carolina
region_type = County
region =
district =
parent =
tributary_left =
tributary_right =
source = Confluence of Uwharrie River and Yadkin River
source_location =
source_region =
source_state = North Carolina
source_elevation_imperial =
source_elevation_note =
source_length_imperial =
source_lat_d = 35
source_lat_m = 22
source_lat_s = 51
source_lat_NS = N
source_long_d = 80
source_long_m = 3
source_long_s = 29
source_long_EW = W
source_coordinates_note = GNIS|1251573|Pee Dee River]
mouth = Winyah Bay
mouth_location =
mouth_district =
mouth_region =
mouth_state = South Carolina
mouth_country =
mouth_note =
mouth_lat_d = 34
mouth_lat_m = 43
mouth_lat_s = 16
mouth_lat_NS = N
mouth_long_d = 79
mouth_long_m = 52
mouth_long_s = 54
mouth_long_EW = W
mouth_coordinates_note =
mouth_elevation_imperial = 0
mouth_elevation_note =
length_imperial = 60
length_note =
watershed_imperial =
watershed_note =
discharge_location =
discharge_round =
discharge_imperial =
discharge_note =
discharge_min_imperial =
discharge_max_imperial =
discharge1_location =
discharge1_imperial =
discharge1_note =


map_size = 300
map_caption = Pee Dee River watershed.
commons =
The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in North Carolina and South Carolina. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course above the mouth of the Uwharrie River is known as the Yadkin River, and it is extensively dammed for flood control and hydroelectric power. The lower part of the river is named Pee Dee (in colonial times written Pedee) after the Native American Pee Dee tribe. The tribe or the river also give the name to the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, composed of the northeastern counties of the state.

The river is navigable up the fall line at Cheraw, South Carolina and was an important trade route from colonial time. The largest lumber company in the world existed at the turn of the 20th century near the river's mouth at Georgetown, South Carolina. The virgin pine forests of the Pee Dee region were cut over and the logs floated in rafts downriver to be sawn into lumber and exported to the northern USA and Europe.

The lower part of the river flood plain was extensively developed for rice culture in colonial time, as rice was a major export of the area from the port at Georgetown. Rice culture declined with the loss of slave labor after the Civil War, and increased competition. Two hurricanes at the beginning of the 20th century destroyed much of the canal work and effectively ended the remnants of rice culture.

Today the river is not extensively used for navigation. It is an important source of electric power and public water supplies, as well as recreational use. While the Pee Dee is free-flowing in South Carolina, upstream in North Carolina several dams have been constructed on it. The opening and closing of these dams causes dramatic swings in the depth of the river in South Carolina. The sharing of water between the two states has sometimes been a matter of controversy, particularly during period of drought. Some commercial fishing is done during the winter shad run, and for shrimp in the lower reaches. The river is excellent for recreational fishing and boating. There are numerous boat landings, yet most of the river is wild, with forests of tupelo, oak and gum along its shores. Herons and alligators can be seen along the way, and a lucky sighting of a bald eagle is possible.

The lower part of the river from Highway 378 to Winyah Bay has been designated a Scenic River. [http://www.dnr.sc.gov/water/envaff/river/desig_rivers.html]

Some tributaries are the Lumber, the Little Pee Dee, Lynches River, Black River and Waccamaw River. The river empties into Winyah Bay, and then into the Atlantic Ocean near Georgetown.

Snow's Island is a large island at the junction of the Pee Dee and Lynches rivers. This was headquarters for General Francis Marion during the American Revolution. It proved a safe haven for him and his ragtag militia troops, as the British were never able to find the camp. It has been identified as the center of an old meteor crater).

The Pee Dee River was the original river for Stephen Foster's song "Old Folks at Home" (commonly known by its first line, "Way down upon the Swanee River"). Why he changed it in his final version is a subject of much speculation.

ee also

*List of North Carolina rivers
*List of South Carolina rivers
*Yadkin River

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pee Dee River — Great Pee Dee River Einzugsgebiet des Pee Dee Rivers Daten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pee Dee River — River, North and South Carolina, U.S. Rising as the Yadkin River in the Blue Ridge in northwestern North Carolina, it flows southeast into Winyah Bay near Georgetown, S.C. It is 233 mi (375 km) long. The lower Pee Dee is navigable for 90 mi (145… …   Universalium

  • Pee Dee River — noun a river that flows through central North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina to the Atlantic Ocean • Syn: ↑Pee Dee • Instance Hypernyms: ↑river • Part Holonyms: ↑North Carolina, ↑Old North State, ↑Tar Heel …   Useful english dictionary

  • Little Pee Dee River — The Little Pee Dee River is a tributary of the Pee Dee River (which originates in the Appalachian Mountains where it is known as the Yadkin River). The Little Pee Dee technically arises near Laurinburg, North Carolina as Gum Swamp, which flows… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Pee Dee River (LSM(R)-517) — USS Pee Dee River (LSM(R) 517), an sclass|LSM(R) 501|landing ship medium (rocket)|1, originally designed as an LSM but redesignated 9 February 1945 as LSM(R)–517 , was laid down by Brown Shipbuilding Corporation, Houston, TX, 28 April 1945,… …   Wikipedia

  • Pee Dee (fleuve) — 35° 22′ 51″ N 80° 03′ 29″ W / 35.3808, 80.0581 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pee Dee (tribe) — Italic text The Pee Dee tribe (also spelled Pedee and Peedee ) are a nation of Native Americans of the southeast United States. The Pee Dee River and the Pee Dee region of South Carolina were named for the nation.HistoryThe history of the Pee Dee …   Wikipedia

  • Pee Dee (Volk) — Die Pee Dee (andere Schreibweisen: Pedee oder Peedee) sind ein Stamm amerikanischer Ureinwohner, die im Südosten der Vereinigten Staaten beheimatet sind. Sowohl der Pee Dee River als auch die Region Pee Dee in South Carolina sind nach dem Stamm… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pee Dee Area Council — The Pee Dee Area Council [http://www.pdac bsa.org] covers 11 counties in northeastern South Carolina: Darlington, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Florence, Dillon, Marion, Horry, Williamsburg, Lee, Sumter, and Clarendon.*Atakwa District *Chicora District …   Wikipedia

  • Pee Dee — The Pee Dee region of South Carolina is the northeastern corner of the state. It is the area of the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, named after the Pee Dee Native American tribe. Its center is Florence, however the Grand Strand, which… …   Wikipedia

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