The Coal River is a tributary of the Kanawha River in southern West Virginia. It is formed near the community of Alum Creek by the confluence of the Big and Little Coal Rivers, and flows generally northward through western Kanawha County, past the community of Tornado and into the Kanawha River at St. Albans. A tributary (or affluent or confluent) is a contributory stream, a river that does not reach the sea, but joins another major river (a parent river), to which it contributes its waters, swelling its discharge. ... The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 miles (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ... State nickname: Mountain State Other U.S. States Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Governor Joe Manchin (D) Official languages English Area 62,809 km² (41st)  - Land 62,436 km²  - Water 376 km² (0. ... Alum Creek is a census-designated place located in Lincoln County, West Virginia. ... A confluence is the merger or meeting of two or more objects (or subjects) that seem to inseparably bind their respective forces or attributes into a point of junction. ... Kanawha County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Tornado is an unincorporated census-designated place located in Kanawha County, West Virginia. ... St. ...

History

Originally named Walhondecepe by the Delaware Indians, Coal River was renamed in the 18th century by explorer John Peter Salley for the coal deposits along its banks. The Lenape or Lenni-Lenape (later named Delaware Indians by Europeans) were, in the 1600s, loosely organized bands of Native American people practicing small-scale agriculture to augment a largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region around the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by deep mining, coal mining (open-pit mining or strip mining). ...

Development of mining enterprises turned the Coal River into a navigable waterway in the 19th century, with a series of locks and dams supporting barge traffic using steam-powered sternwheelers. The river also became lined with a series of grist mills, producing flour, cornmeal and other staples. The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Canal locks in England. ... Scrivener Dam, Canberra Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ... Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ... Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ... Gristmill with water wheel, Skyline Drive, VA, 1938 Gristmill hopper, Skyline Drive, VA, 1938. ...

Completion of a railroad along the river in the early 20th century replaced the need for barge traffic, which had become increasingly difficult and costly because of recurring flood damage to the system of locks. This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Look up Flood on Wiktionary, the free dictionary A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ...

Big Coal River

The Big Coal River rises in Raleigh County as two streams, the Clear Fork and the Marsh Fork, which join near Whitesville. The river then flows generally northwest through Boone County, past the towns of Sylvester and Racine. Raleigh County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Whitesville is a town located in Boone County, West Virginia. ... Boone County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Sylvester is a town located in Boone County, West Virginia. ... Racine is Boone County, West Virginia, zip code 25165. ...

Little Coal River

The Little Coal River also rises as two streams, the Spruce Fork in Logan County and the Pond Fork in Boone County. They meet at Madison in Boone County and the river then flows generally northward, past the towns of Danville and Julian. Logan County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Madison is a city located in Boone County, West Virginia. ... Danville is a town located in Boone County, West Virginia. ...

External links

• Coal River Flood Remediation Project

• Maps: United States Geological Survey
  • Coal River
  • Big Coal River
  • Little Coal River

• Watershed: United States Environmental Protection Agency
  • Coal

See also

• List of West Virginia rivers