Rivers
In west central Georgia where I grew up there was one river of consequence - the venerable Chattahoochee, birthed in the North Georgia mountains and immortalized by native son Alan Jackson in his song Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochee.
East Tennessee, where I’ve lived for more than 45 years, boasts several rivers which are to be reckoned with. Most familiar to me is the Holston River, in whose valley lies Kings Port on the Holston, as it was once known. Just below Kingsport the North and South Forks of the Holston converge and flow southwest, joining the French Broad near Knoxville and forming the mighty Tennessee River, which continues west through middle Tennessee to Nashville . In Colonial times, some settlers and traders opted to take this water route in flatboats all the way to Nashville rather than the long and arduous Old Stage route over land and through mountain gaps.
Back in East Tennessee, a couple of other rivers add their own ambience to the area. The Doe River in Carter County limited the growth of the town of Elizabethton until its famous Covered Bridge was built in the early 1900’s. The Nolichucky River in Unicoi County provides thrills to those hardy souls who love to ride the rapids as does the Ocoee River downstream in Southeast Tennessee. The Clinch River flowing down through our neighboring Southwest Virginia counties also attracts these water sport enthusiasts.
All in all, East Tennessee is fortunate, even in this dry year, in having plentiful water, at least to drink. Crops, hayfields and gardens are suffering, and water levels in lakes fed by the above rivers are far lower than usual. But no one need die from thirst. For which I’m very thankful.