New River (Kanawha River tributary)

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The New River is a river that flows through the U.S. states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia before joining with the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River at the town of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. Part of the Ohio River watershed, it is about 360 miles (580 km) long. It is named a National Wild and Scenic River for its surrounding mountain majesty. Geologically, it is one of the oldest rivers on Earth. The origins of the name are unclear. Possibilities include being a new river that was not on the Fry-Jefferson map of Virginia, an Indian name meaning "new waters", or the surname of an early settler. It was once called Wood's River for Colonel Abraham Wood, an English explorer from Virginia, who explored the river in the mid-17th century. Despite its name, the New River is one of the five oldest rivers in the world geologically. Nonetheless, a claim that the river is the second oldest in the world is disputed by the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey and the...

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