Matanzas River facts for kids
The Matanzas River is a saltwater river in Florida, USA. It flows through parts of St. Johns and Flagler counties. This narrow river is a special type of waterway called an estuary. An estuary is where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean. The Matanzas River is protected from the big waves of the Atlantic Ocean by Anastasia Island.
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Where is the Matanzas River?
The Matanzas River is about 23 miles (37 kilometers) long. It starts near the St. Augustine Inlet and stretches south. It goes past the Matanzas Inlet, which is about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) south of Anastasia Island's tip. This river is also an important part of the Intracoastal Waterway, a system of canals and natural waterways along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States.
History of the Matanzas River
For a long time, the Matanzas River was the main way to get into the historic city of St. Augustine. St. Augustine is known as America's oldest port city. Near the city, people often call this part of the river the Matanzas Harbor.
The southern part of the Matanzas River was like a "backdoor" to St. Augustine. Controlling this river was very important for the early Spanish settlers. In the 1700s, Spanish engineers and workers built Fort Matanzas. This fort was built to guard the river entrance from the Matanzas Inlet, which is about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) south of St. Augustine.
Wildlife and Nature
The Matanzas River is home to a huge tidal marsh habitat. Tidal marshes are wetlands that are flooded and drained by the tides. Many efforts have been made to protect this important natural area.
Some of the protected areas include:
- The Matanzas marsh
- Faver-Dykes State Park
- Princess Place preservation area
- Pellicer Place preservation area
- Pellicer Creek Aquatic Preserve
- The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve
- The Moses Creek conservation area
These protected places help save the river's ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community of living things and their environment. The Matanzas River ecosystem includes:
- Salt marshes
- Mangrove tidal wetlands
- Oyster bars
- Estuarine lagoons (shallow bodies of water)
- Upland habitats (higher ground)
- Marine environments (ocean-like areas)
However, the Matanzas River also faces some challenges. Pollution is a problem, mostly because of the growth of cities and towns in St. Augustine and on Anastasia Island.
Bridges Over the River
Two main bridges cross the Matanzas River. They connect St. Augustine with Anastasia Island:
- The Bridge of Lions
- The Mickler-O'Connell Bridge
How the River Got Its Name
The Matanzas River got its name from a sad historical event. In 1565, a group of French people called Huguenots were shipwrecked. They were led by Jean Ribault and had come from Fort Caroline. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés of Spain led Spanish forces who found them. These French Huguenots were killed near where the Matanzas Inlet is today.
Menéndez had been told to kill all Protestants he found in the New World. The word "Matanzas" means "killings" or "slaughters" in Spanish. This makes Matanzas the tenth-oldest European place-name that is still used in the United States.
