Savannah River - History

History

The Savannah River was influential in the economic development of Georgia, and two major cities were founded on the river in the 18th century. Savannah was established in 1733 as a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean, and Augusta is positioned where the river meets the fall line. The two large cities on the Savannah served as Georgia's first two state capitals. In the nineteenth century, the sandy river bottom changed frequently, causing numerous steamboat accidents. Navigation improvements such as the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam constructed in 1937 were intended to facilitate commercial shipping as far as Augusta. The Savannah River became significant in the 1950s when development commenced on the Savannah River Plant for making nuclear-weapons materials.

During the American Civil War Lincoln had proclaimed a blockade around the Confederate states, forcing suppliers to use specific ports along the coast best suited for this purpose. The harbor at Savannah became one of the busiest ports for blockade runners bringing in supplies for the Confederacy.

Historical and variant names of the Savannah River, as listed by the USGS, include May River, Westobou River (for the Westo tribe), Kosalu River, Isundiga River and Girande River, among others.

Between 1946 and 1985, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built three major dams on the Savannah for hydroelectricity, flood control and navigation. The J. Strom Thurmond Dam (1954), the Hartwell Dam (1962) and the Richard B. Russell Dam (1985) and their reservoirs combine in order to form over 120 miles (190 km) of lakes.

The Westobou River was the former name of the Savannah River that was derived from the Westo (also known as Westoe) native American Indians. The Westo were thought to have originally came from the northeast as result of the Iroquiocs tribe that had forced many native American groups out of the northeast through advanced weapons acquired through trade. This migration in the late landed the Westo Indians in the present area of Augusta, Georgia in what was likely to be the 1660s.

The Westobou River was large part of the life of the Westo, it supplied food sources and trade routes. The Westo were strong enough to hold off the Spanish, and this was greatly needed by the Carolina Colony. When Carolinians desired to expand its trade to Charleston, they viewed the Westo tribe as an obstacle. In order to remove the tribe, they sent a group called the Goose Creek Men to arm the Savanna (also known as the Savannah) Indians, a Shawnee tribe, who defeated the Westo in the Westo War of 1680 giving the Westo a time period of about 20 years in the area of Augusta, Georgia. As of today, the name of the river remains named after the Savanna Indians, and is called the Savannah River.

Donnie Thompson researched and named a small subdivision "Westobou Crossing" which is located in North Augusta, South Carolina. The area of the subdivision is located marks the first natural bridge that crosses the Savannah River, thus promoting trade and allowing travel. Many native artifacts were found in the area and now belong to private collections.