“C” is for Congaree River

“C” is for Congaree River.  At the fall line in Columbia the Broad and Saluda Rivers form the Congaree River. For little over a mile, the river rolls over rapids, shoals, and interspersed islands before it enters the coastal plain. As is typical of slowly moving mature streams, it meanders through the coastal plain, changing its course frequently. Its main tributaries are Gills Creek, Sandy Run, Cedar Creek, Toms Run, and Congaree Creek.  If the river flowed is a straight line, it would only be thirty miles long.  However, because of its sinuous course, the river flows southeasterly for about sixty miles before it joins with the Wateree River to form the Santee River. The Congaree River was named for the Siouan-speaking Congaree Indians who settle below the confluence of the Broad and Saluda Rivers after the Yamassee War.