Three Sisters (District of Columbia) facts for kids
The Three Sisters Islets
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Potomac River, Washington, D.C. |
| Total islands | 3 |
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United States
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| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
The Three Sisters are three small, rocky islands in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.. You can find them just west of the Key Bridge. These islands were a famous landmark long ago, during colonial times. They are also sometimes called the Three Sisters Islands or Three Sisters Island.
People have suggested building bridges across the Potomac River at the Three Sisters many times. The most recent idea was in the 1960s. This plan, called the Three Sisters Bridge proposal, led to ten years of protests. In the end, the bridge was never built.
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Discover the Three Sisters Islands
The Three Sisters are part of a special geological area called the Fall Line. This line separates the softer, sandy land near the coast from the older, harder bedrock found further inland. The Three Sisters themselves are made of this hard bedrock, specifically granite.
About 300,000 years ago, the Atlantic Ocean was much higher. At that time, the lower part of the Potomac River was underwater. The ocean's edge actually reached as far as the Three Sisters islands!
River Depths and Sandbars
The Potomac River near Washington, D.C., is usually about 10 to 20 feet deep. However, right near the Three Sisters, there's a very deep channel. This channel is typically about 80 feet (24 m) deep. But it can become as shallow as 30 feet (9.1 m) during low tide or when there hasn't been much rain.
The rocky islands also create sand bars. These sandbars are often visible when the tide is low. No grass grows on these sandbars because they get completely covered by water at high tide. Their size changes depending on floods, spring runoff, and dry periods.
Georgetown, a town that existed before Washington, D.C., was the furthest point inland that large ships could reliably reach from the Atlantic Ocean. This is why Georgetown became an important port. The C&O Canal was later built to help boats travel even further inland, past the difficult areas like Little and Great Falls.
Legends and History of the Islands
Many interesting stories and old legends are connected to the Three Sisters. Boaters often tell a tale about three nuns who supposedly drowned there, giving the rocks their name. This spot is also known as the deepest part of the river.
Ancient Legends
One of the oldest stories comes from the Algonquian Native Americans. It tells of three sisters who tried to cross the river to free their brothers. Their brothers had been captured by another tribe. The sisters drowned while crossing and were then turned into the rocky islands.
Another legend says that a local Native American chief marooned his three daughters on the islands. He did this because they refused to marry the men he had chosen for them. This legend claims the sisters cursed the spot. They said that if they couldn't cross the Potomac there, no one else could either. People say a strange moaning or bell-like sound comes from the river when the curse is about to claim another life.
Early European Sightings
The first European to see the Three Sisters was Captain John Smith. He sailed up the Potomac River in 1607 and saw them. The islands became an important landmark during colonial times. They even appeared on Pierre L'Enfant's first map of the Washington, D.C., area.
The Three Sisters Bridge Idea
The idea of building a bridge across the Potomac River, using the Three Sisters for support, first came from Pierre L'Enfant in 1789. Another bridge was suggested in 1826. However, this plan failed because people who supported the Chain Bridge (which was a toll bridge at the time) opposed it.
A bridge was planned again in 1857. But arguments over its exact location lasted for years. The start of the American Civil War then caused the plan to be canceled.
In 1929, a road called the Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway was renamed the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Congress allowed it to be extended to the Great Falls of the Potomac. The idea for this large parkway came from Representative Louis C. Cramton. He suggested building a bigger system of roads and parks. A bridge across the Potomac at or near the Great Falls was also part of the final plan.
In 1957, Senator Clifford P. Case introduced a law. It would require Washington, D.C., to build a bridge at the Three Sisters. This bridge would connect D.C. and Virginia.
The 1960s Bridge Controversy
In 1961, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation proposed building a six-lane bridge. It would link the Virginia and D.C. parts of the George Washington Memorial Parkway at the Three Sisters. This bridge was meant to carry Interstate 266. This was part of a planned system of highways for the inner parts of D.C., called the Inner Loop. Building this bridge would also require money from Congress for another road, the Potomac River Freeway.
Over the next 11 years, there were many lawsuits and protests against the bridge. People even tried to occupy the Three Sisters islands.
In 1966, Representative William Huston Natcher was a powerful politician. He threatened to stop funding for the Washington Metro (the city's subway system) if the bridge wasn't built. Natcher strongly supported building highways. He used his position to push for public projects. A long and difficult political fight lasted for eight years. Natcher repeatedly removed money for the Metro from the federal budget.
District of Columbia and United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) officials would agree to build the bridge. This would cause the Metro money to be put back. But then, reasons for not building the bridge would be found again. Finally, in December 1971, Representative Robert Giaimo led a successful effort in the House of Representatives. They restored the Metro funding, even though Natcher strongly disagreed. Without the threat of losing Metro money, D.C. and USDOT officials quietly removed the bridge from their plans. The Washington Post newspaper declared the bridge project officially dead in May 1977.
The Three Sisters in Books
The Three Sisters islands are an important part of the story in Breena Clarke's popular novel River, Cross My Heart. This book is set in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in 1925. A made-up legend about the islands (that three nuns drowned there) is mentioned in River, Cross My Heart. This same false legend also appears in David Baldacci's novel The Camel Club.
The islands also show up in Carolivia Herron's 1992 novel Thereafter, Johnnie. They are also featured in Margaret Truman's 1995 murder-mystery novel Murder on the Potomac.
