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Join the Swannanoa Valley Museum in
association with the Montreat College Outdoor Center on a canoe trip
down a quiet and scenic portion of the French Broad River on Saturday, June 11, 2011. You will
paddle and float your way down several miles of this scenic waterway,
passing through the grounds of the Biltmore Estate.Montreat's certified guides will teach you the basics of flat water paddling while your Museum guide will relate the long history of this stretch of river.
The French Broad River begins just west of the Eastern Continental Divide, and from there, it flows northwesterly through the Appalachian Mountains. The river follows a general northwesterly direction as it flows through Transylvania, Henderson, and Buncombe counties. In Buncombe County, the river flows through the city of Asheville, where it receives the water of the Swannanoa River. Downstream of Asheville, the river proceeds north through Madison County, where it flows through its county seat of Marshall. Next, the French Broad River flows into Tennessee. The group will meet at the Black Mountain Savings Bank at 8:30 am to carpool to Bent Creek where you will begin your paddle around 9:15 am. Bring your lunch and plenty of water, as the group will stop for a picnic lunch on the riverbank. Cost is $50 for members of the Museum and $65 for nonmembers. Registration is required. Only 12 spots are available to register early! Email [email protected] or call 828-669-9566 for more information or to register. (Image provided by the Swannanoa Valley Museum.)
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The French Broad River was named by white settlers centuries ago because it was one of the two broad rivers in western North Carolina. The one which flowed into land claimed by France at that time was named the "French Broad River", whereas the other, which stayed in land claimed by England � the Colony of North Carolina � was named the "English Broad River". (The latter was later renamed simply to the "Broad River"). The name of the French Broad River in French was the Agiqua River, but nobody seems to know what the Native Americans of this area � the Cherokee Indians � called these two rivers. However, the Cherokees did name the Tennessee River.