Alapaha River facts for kids

The Alapaha River at Statenville, Georgia, during a period of drought in 2000

The Alapaha River is a 202-mile-long (325 km) river in southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a tributary of the Suwannee River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.

History

The Hernando de Soto expedition narrative records mention a "Yupaha" village they encountered after they left Apalachee, "the sound of which is suggestive of the Alapaha, a tributary of the Suwanee." Another reference to a village of "Atapaha" "so closely resembles Alapaha that it is reasonable to suppose they are the same, and that the town was on the river of that name." John Reed Swanton's landmark Indian Tribes of North America places the Indian village of Alapaha near where the Alapaha River met the Suwanee, and also noted that an Indian village of "Arapaja" was 70 leagues from St. Augustine, Florida, probably on the Alapaha River.

In the 1840s a German travel writer, Friedrich Gerstäcker wrote a dime novel called Alapaha, or the Renegades of the Border, giving the name to a noble Cherokee "squaw." A translation of this novel was published in the 1870s as #67 in a series of American narratives published by Beadle.

During the American Civil War, the swamps along the Alapaha River in Berrien, Irwin, and Echols counties became a refuge for a number of gangs of Confederate deserters.

Course

The Alapaha River rises in southeastern Dooly County, Georgia, and flows generally southeastwardly through or along the boundaries of Crisp, Wilcox, Turner, Ben Hill, Irwin, Tift, Berrien, Atkinson, Lanier, Lowndes and Echols Counties in Georgia, and Hamilton County in Florida, where it flows into the Suwannee River 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Jasper. Along its course it passes the Georgia towns of Rebecca, Alapaha, Willacoochee, Lakeland, and Statenville.

Near Willacoochee, Georgia, the Alapaha collects the Willacoochee River. In Florida, it collects the Alapahoochee River and the short Little Alapaha River, which rises in Echols County, Georgia, and flows southwestward.

Intermittent river

The Alapaha River is an intermittent river for part of its course. During periods of low volume, the river disappears underground and becomes a subterranean river. At approximately 2.3 miles (3.7 km) downstream from Jennings, Florida the Dead River enters the Alapaha River. It is a usually dry river bed with a number of sinkholes, including the Dead River Sink. During periods of low water flow, the Alapaha River downstream from the confluence of the Dead River and the Alapaha River flows upstream into the Dead River.

The Dead River Sink

A few more miles downstream is a second sinkhole variously known as the Alapaha River Sink, Suck Hole, or the Devil's Den on the western bank of the river. At the latter point during the periods of low water flow, the Alapaha River disappears underground leaving a dry bank for much of the remainder of its course. The Alapaha River later reappears at the Alapaha River Rise, which is about a half mile upstream from the confluence of the Alapaha River and the Suwanee River (30°26′46″N 83°05′51″W / 30.446044°N 83.097483°W / 30.446044; -83.097483). During a period of low rainfall over 11 miles (18 km) of the riverbed can be dry as the river goes underground.

Image of the entire surface water flow of the Alapaha River near Jennings, Florida going into a sinkhole leading to the Floridan aquifer groundwater.

Variant names

The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Alapaha River" as the stream's name in 1891. According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known as:

Crossings

Crossing	Carries	Image	Location	ID number	Coordinates
Georgia
	Griffin Road				32°01′27″N 83°36′37″W / 32.0243°N 83.6103°W / 32.0243; -83.6103
Buzzard Bridge	Willford Crossing Road				32°01′27″N 83°36′37″W / 32.0243°N 83.6103°W / 32.0243; -83.6103
	County Line Road				32°01′11″N 83°36′37″W / 32.0198°N 83.6103°W / 32.0198; -83.6103
	Seville Road				32°00′32″N 83°36′06″W / 32.0089°N 83.6016°W / 32.0089; -83.6016
	Seville Road				32°00′32″N 83°36′06″W / 32.0089°N 83.6016°W / 32.0089; -83.6016
	Seville-Pleasantview Road				31°59′50″N 83°35′27″W / 31.9973°N 83.5908°W / 31.9973; -83.5908
	Old Cordele Road				31°59′07″N 83°34′40″W / 31.9853°N 83.5778°W / 31.9853; -83.5778
	Flowers Road				31°58′39″N 83°34′34″W / 31.9775°N 83.5761°W / 31.9775; -83.5761
	Watson Road				31°58′01″N 83°34′38″W / 31.9670°N 83.5771°W / 31.9670; -83.5771
	Dowley Road				31°56′52″N 83°33′37″W / 31.9478°N 83.5604°W / 31.9478; -83.5604
Rail bridge	CSX Transportation Line formerly known as Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway				31°56′52″N 83°33′37″W / 31.9478°N 83.5604°W / 31.9478; -83.5604
	US 280 SR 30		Pitts, Georgia to Seville, Georgia		31°55′52″N 83°33′10″W / 31.9312°N 83.5527°W / 31.9312; -83.5527
	Highway later replaced by SR 159				31°55′52″N 83°33′10″W / 31.9312°N 83.5527°W / 31.9312; -83.5527
	SR 159				31°55′49″N 83°33′07″W / 31.9303°N 83.5519°W / 31.9303; -83.5519
	Hawkinsville and Florida Southern Railway (Abandoned 1920s)				31°55′24″N 83°32′43″W / 31.9234°N 83.5453°W / 31.9234; -83.5453
	SR 112				31°51′31″N 83°28′47″W / 31.8587°N 83.4797°W / 31.8587; -83.4797
	Jay Calhoun Road				31°51′31″N 83°28′47″W / 31.8587°N 83.4797°W / 31.8587; -83.4797
	SR 90		Rebecca, Georgia		31°46′17″N 83°27′17″W / 31.7714°N 83.4547°W / 31.7714; -83.4547
Rail bridge	CSX Transportation Line formerly known as Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway				31°46′17″N 83°27′17″W / 31.7714°N 83.4547°W / 31.7714; -83.4547
	Hawkinsville and Florida Southern Railway (Abandoned since before the 1920s)				31°46′17″N 83°27′17″W / 31.7714°N 83.4547°W / 31.7714; -83.4547
	SR 107				31°41′24″N 83°27′41″W / 31.6899°N 83.4615°W / 31.6899; -83.4615
Walker Ford					31°41′24″N 83°27′41″W / 31.6899°N 83.4615°W / 31.6899; -83.4615
Flat Ford					31°40′53″N 83°27′44″W / 31.6814°N 83.4621°W / 31.6814; -83.4621
	Crystal Lake Road				31°40′38″N 83°27′37″W / 31.6772°N 83.4602°W / 31.6772; -83.4602
	SR 125 SR 132				31°31′58″N 83°23′56″W / 31.5327°N 83.3989°W / 31.5327; -83.3989
	Tifton and Northeastern Railroad (Line abandoned in the 1960s, defunct)				31°32′59″N 83°24′54″W / 31.5497°N 83.4151°W / 31.5497; -83.4151
Lennon Bridge	US 319 SR 35				31°31′58″N 83°23′56″W / 31.5327°N 83.3989°W / 31.5327; -83.3989
	5 Bridge Road				31°28′45″N 83°20′41″W / 31.4791°N 83.3447°W / 31.4791; -83.3447
McMillan Bridge	US 129 SR 11				31°25′49″N 83°14′44″W / 31.4303°N 83.2456°W / 31.4303; -83.2456
Sgt. James E. Jones Memorial Bridge	US 82 SR 50				31°22′17″N 83°10′17″W / 31.3714°N 83.1713°W / 31.3714; -83.1713
Rail bridge	CSX Transportation Line formally known as the Brunswick and Albany Railroad				31°22′17″N 83°10′17″W / 31.3714°N 83.1713°W / 31.3714; -83.1713
PVT. George W. Lee Memorial Bridge	SR 135				31°18′11″N 83°03′12″W / 31.302988°N 83.053354°W / 31.302988; -83.053354
	Norfolk Southern Railway Line formerly known as Ocilla, Pinebloom and Valdosta Railroad				31°03′14″N 83°02′23″W / 31.053811°N 83.039627°W / 31.053811; -83.039627
Mud Creek Bridge	SR 168 SR 64				31°09′25″N 83°02′22″W / 31.156844°N 83.039514°W / 31.156844; -83.039514
	Waycross and Western Railroad (Closed 1925, defunct)				31°03′14″N 83°02′23″W / 31.053811°N 83.039627°W / 31.053811; -83.039627
Knight's Bridge
Captain Henry Will Jones Bridge	US 129 SR 11		Lakeland, Georgia to Homerville, Georgia		31°02′46″N 83°02′36″W / 31.046217°N 83.043361°W / 31.046217; -83.043361
Carters Ferry/Bridge	(Defunct)		Lakeland, Georgia to Magnolia, Georgia.
Hotchkiss Bridge	Old State Road/Old River/Hotchiss Road (Built 1895, defunct)				30°56′11″N 83°02′26″W / 30.936513°N 83.040614°W / 30.936513; -83.040614
	US 84 SR 38		Naylor, Georgia to Stockton, Georgia		30°55′28″N 83°02′14″W / 30.924563°N 83.037216°W / 30.924563; -83.037216
Rail bridge	CSX Transportation Line formerly known as the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad (1856–79)				30°55′27″N 83°02′13″W / 30.924074°N 83.036841°W / 30.924074; -83.036841
Lee Bridge	(Defunct)				30°51′30″N 83°01′25″W / 30.858398°N 83.023588°W / 30.858398; -83.023588
Howells Ferry/Bridge	Howell Road (Old route, defunct)		Mayday, Georgia		30°49′43″N 83°01′07″W / 30.828749°N 83.018640°W / 30.828749; -83.018640
	Howell Road		Mayday, Georgia		30°49′41″N 83°01′07″W / 30.828193°N 83.018549°W / 30.828193; -83.018549
Rail bridge	Norfolk Southern Railway Line formerly known as the Atlantic, Valdosta and Western Railway		Mayday, Georgia		30°49′37″N 83°01′06″W / 30.826888°N 83.018458°W / 30.826888; -83.018458
Formally the location of Troublesome Ford	SR 94		Statenville, Georgia		30°42′14″N 83°01′58″W / 30.703908°N 83.032683°W / 30.703908; -83.032683
Florida
	SR 150		Jennings, Florida to Jasper, Florida		30°35′54″N 83°04′24″W / 30.598471°N 83.073230°W / 30.598471; -83.073230
Rail bridge	Norfolk Southern Railway Line formerly known as Georgia Southern and Florida Railway				30°35′53″N 83°04′24″W / 30.598135°N 83.073226°W / 30.598135; -83.073226
	NW 14th Terrace (Defunct)				30°35′37″N 83°03′55″W / 30.593586°N 83.065301°W / 30.593586; -83.065301
	US 41		Jennings, Florida to Jasper, Florida		30°31′44″N 83°02′18″W / 30.528814°N 83.038319°W / 30.528814; -83.038319
	Interstate 75				30°29′57″N 83°02′27″W / 30.499170°N 83.040930°W / 30.499170; -83.040930
	(Defunct)				30°27′12″N 83°05′22″W / 30.453340°N 83.089351°W / 30.453340; -83.089351
	SW County Road 751		Alapaha River Rise		30°26′55″N 83°05′49″W / 30.448605°N 83.096923°W / 30.448605; -83.096923