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Tracing the New River’s Name by Kelley Trear |
The
New River, long in its history and in its length, has an equally long list
of theories on how it obtained its name..jpg)
The search for the New River’s name begins with early explorers who happened upon the New River and presumed that they had found the river that would lead them west to the other side of the New World. In 1651, Edward Bland sent a pamphlet to London, England describing the western territories of Virginia and North Carolina, naming them New Brittaine and New Virginia. Then when he came upon a river that was unmarked on existing maps, Bland applied the title of “New” to it. Another noted European to see the New River was probably Colonel Abraham Wood, who sought trade with the Indians in 1654. The river became known as Woods River till about 1754. However, another story, most commonly accepted due to famous last names, says that the New River received its name from Peter Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson’s father, around 1749. He was out surveying the North Carolina and Virginia border and came upon a “new” river. The official name change to New River seems to have occurred between 1740 and 1750. Although, the two names, Woods and New, were used interchangeably in records and on maps in other states until about 1770. Some historians have stretched the truth in how the New got its name by considering former names given to the river. Geologists, in the very early days, associated the New River with the prehistoric river Teays because it was the only remaining tributary. Native Indian tribes, like the Shawnee and Cherokee, called it Mondongachete and the “River of Death” because of its treacherous currents. French explorers referred to it as the Sault River; Virginia land robbers called it the Woods or Alleghany; and Virginia colonial officials called it the Great Kanawha for the Algonquin tribe. Some people choose to make educated guesses: In the late 1700s or early 1800s, surveyors were working their way across the new country. When they happened on the New River, they discovered that it wasn’t on any of their existing maps. So they charted it and labeled it as “a new river.” Congress was responsible for naming all rivers and decided, in their infinite wisdom, to drop the “a.” Some historians believe that its name was a translation of the Shawnee word Kanawha, meaning “New Water;” however, this theory assumes that the white settlers were well enough acquainted with the Shawnee language to translate their words. Also, settlers were not accustomed to naming a newly discovered river after a tribe they most hated. No one can really say for sure how the New River acquired its name given all these theories. But as long as it keeps flowing, there is a chance that someone will discover how this old river became “New.” |
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