Show POTOMAC RIvER IN HISTORY r I S 'S n s t 4 r- r t r- r x s a T C J p i- i v tJ Canoeing on the tho Potomac River Prepared by tho the National Geographic Society Washington D. D C. C HILE Washington has been W WHILE host to many thousands of ot visitors durIn during the celebration celebration celebration tion of ot the George Washington bIcentennIal bi bicentennial bicentennial bI- bI centennial the historic Potomac river river riv riv- er gateway to the National CapItal Capital Capital Capi CapI- tal from the sea also has enjoyed the spotlight I I I Interest in the Potomac Is on the march Instantly one realizes that It t Is the river of ot Washington of ot Washington the man the greatest figure of ot our natIonal history and of ot Washington the focus of ot our national national national na na- na- na administration and the city of ot our history In the making And our Interest Is accelerated as we realize that the old river presents presents pre pro seats other great names of ot celebrities celebrities celebrities ties who lived on the plantations along Its shores the Lords Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Balti Balti- more who planted the first settlement settlement settle settle- ment of ot Maryland near the rivers river's mouth t the e Lees the Carters arters the Hansons the Stones the the Masons the Mercers Mercers Mercers Mer Mer- cers and the There There seem to be several Poto- Poto macs There Is water fresh and there Is tidewater Potomac The former Is all nIl that water coming down from th the mountains and over the he falls above Washington city That river Is soon lost In the brine of ot tidewater Ude Potomac which extends ex ex- tends tenda from the point of ot mingling to the mouth of or the river at Chesapeake peake bay Here strong tides rise and fall sometimes three feet above the he wharves- wharves of ot Washington Here too the water Is 16 briny It Is so impregnated with the salt of ot the sea that even at the head of ot tidewater tidewater tide tide- water steamer captains dare not Introduce It into the boilers of their ships This briny reach Is really not a n river it Is an arm of ot the Chesapeake Then there is the surface Potomac Potomac Potomac Poto Poto- mac and a secret river hidden In Its depths The surface waters express express ex ox- press themselves in fn broad reaches between banks of ot engaging loveli lovell- ness They vary In width from one oneto oneto oneto to seven miles mUes The hidden river riverIs Is often only a few hundred feet wide and unseen It serpentines Its way back and forth from one shore to the other in a way that teases and often wrecks the Inexperienced mariner It Is called the channel Up it ocean-going ocean vessels of considerable considerable considerable con con- size come to the docks of ot Washington city How to See the River It Is in Tidewater Potomac that one finds the river of ot the greater Interest the Potomac of ot history of the landings of or the old plantations of ot the celebrities who have made it one of ot the most distinguished rIvers rivers riv rIv- ers in America Curiously the better way to see this river Is not to start where it appears to begin and so float down on Its currents to where It ends in merging with the bay but rather to start stait where It ends and be carrIed carried car car- ried ned up by Its tides and by that Interesting Interesting interesting In In- tide of ot Its history which entered here at Its mouth three hundred years ago The story of ot this trip up the broad reaches of ot the Tidewater Potomac Potomac Potomac Po Po- Po- Po tomac Is actually a composite of ot many trips by many kinds of ot land and water craft but here for brevIty's brevity's brevity's itys ity's sake reduced to Its simplest terms without the Inconvenience of ot delays whether of ot boat schedules or motor trails traUs without the disappoIntments disappointments disappointments of ot weather or of ot the many futile side trips which anyone anyone anyone any any- one must make In order to find out where are the points of ot genuine Interest Interest Interest In In- terest and how to reach them Approaching the mouth of ot the river xiv riv er ere one speculates on such questions ques ques- are ore who was the first white whiteman whiteman whiteman man who ever ever eve came Into it where did the river get Its name and where In It ItIs Is Is the dividing line Une between between be be- tween Maryland and Virginia The last question troubled the dwellers on both sides for more than years Then in 1877 a commission com corn mission mison of ot arbitration finally placed the waters of ot the river wholly withIn within within with with- in the boundary of ot Maryland The name Potomac Is Indian The first explorers found a n tribe of ot that name living on the rivers river's shores but one cannot be quite sure whether whelk whelk- er the tribe took Its name from the river or the river rI took Its name from the tribe It Is now generally accepted that the Potomac Is the Indian word for Traders hence the Potomac river means the River RI of ot th the Tracers Who First Entered It Who was vms the first white man to enter the river Is a question less easily answered At one time a I claim was set up based on a 11 runic mule Inscription said to have been found below the falls fans for an Icelandic Icelandic Ice Ice- handle widow buried burled here in 1051 Rather more credence has been given given given en to the claim that Spanish explorers explorers ex ex- known to have ha come coma into the tho Chesapeake between 1565 a and d 1570 sailed up the Potomac as far faras faras faras as Occoquan The contention is based largely on the appearance of ot tho the place named In the Spanish chronicles and its assumed identity with Occoquan There Is better evidence that an English e. e explorer may have been Inthe Inthe in inthe the river before 1585 for its existence existence existence exist exist- ence at least was known at that date as revealed by a map published published pub pub- In London in that year on which Tidewater Potomac though unnamed was sketched In with recognizable lines But how did the map maker get his sketch sketch sketch-at at first firsthand firsthand firsthand hand on a visit Isit to the river or at second hand from description from the Indians Sailing Salling into the mouth of ot the rIvel river riv rIv- nv- nv er el one is r reminded of ot the first white whiteman whiteman whiteman man definitely known to have sailed Into these waters On the left the south lip of the mouth of ot the Potomac Potomac Po Po- tomac tornac Is Smiths Smith's Point named for tor forthe forthe the original authenticated white pioneer here the gallant explorer Capt John Smith Founding of Maryland A few years after Smith In 1634 there came into the river two other other other oth oth- er ships the Ark and the Dove with Lord Baltimore's colonists to found Maryland on the north side of the Potomac Even now one can feel these pioneers' pioneers cautious apprehensIon apprehension hension In an unknown wilderness Inhabited by savages They did not at first trust themselves es to the mainland they sailed up the river for 31 miles mUes until they came to a small Island now called Blackstone island where an attacking enemy might at least be seen Here Lord Baltimore's brother Leonard Calvert left lett the Ark and andIn andIn andin In the Dove and another boat procured procured procured pro pro- cured In Virginia s sailed up Into tho narrower reaches where at PIscataway Piscataway Pisca- Pisca tawny Just opposite the hilly banks where later rose Mount Vernon he found the Indian emperor with whom hom ho he wished to discuss a site for his colony's capital Calvert found only Indians on the river Their occasional towns were indicated by the clearings In the forests where they raised their corn and tobacco In one such town dwelt those Potomac Indians who gave gaye their name to the river or perhaps per per- haps took It from the river It Is not known precisely what that Imperial party said to Calvert but obviously ob It was something so poisonous that the newcomer couldn't settle far enough from that Indian He returned to his ships and sailed them Into the last Inlet on the northern side of ot the river Just ten miles mUes above its month mouth This beautiful body of ot water he called St. St Mar Marys Mary's s river and there he be began to build his capital which he lie called caned St. St Marys City Within 35 years cars St. St Marys City was laid out with streets and a square and andIn andin In addition to Its frame and arid log structures It had more than 60 brick buildings which Included the statehouse the governors governor's mansion I churches public offices private dwellings and commercial build build- ings St. St Marys Mary's Has Disappeared Today not one of the buildings of ot old St. St Marys Mary's survives The vIsitor visitor visitor tor finds grain and tobacco fields a afew afew afew few green pastures and a graveyard graveyard graveyard grave grave- yard where the first Maryland lawmakers lawmakers law law- makers sat In the midst of ot the sprightly colonial life Ute of at their capital capital capital capi capi- tal city Where the plow has bas turned over the soil or where a well or cellar has been dug a n few bricks have havo come to the tile surface the only physical cal of ot the brick capital years ago Those from Maryland's lands first statehouse have been used In building little Trinity church on on ona a apart apart part of ot the site of ot the vanished city Westmoreland county Virginia on the Potomac has the distinction unrivaled aled by any other In America for It was the birthplace of three Presidents of the United States States- the first the fourth and the fifth fifth- George Washington James Madson Mad Madl- son Bon and James Monroe Here flere In their many ramifications and over a period of ot more than years lived the great creat Carter Lee and Washington families Here though few tew survive were some of tho the finest mansion of ot colonial America soles coles ol s for tor primitive types of ot shoes worn by natives of ot many 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