The Power of the Savannah River

The Power of the Savannah River. Flooding and Engineering. , By the time the first Europeans settled in the North Augusta area in the early 1700s, it was clear that the Savannah River was both their livelihood and their connection to the outside world. They fished the river, as their Native American neighbors did, and traveled its waterways to reach hunting grounds and upriver trading communities. All the while, they never lost sight of how powerful the river was in their lives. , As their descendants prospered and built larger communities, they began to settle farther upriver. Large trading vessels could not navigate upstream past the shoals. To overcome this obstacle, the Augusta Canal was built in 1845. Commerce between South Carolina and Georgia depended upon being able to cross the river. Initially, settlers on the South Carolina side had to paddle, row, or sail across the river. Several ferries were established to haul goods, people, and animals. The first permanent bridge across the river was built in 1814, near what is now Fifth Street in Augusta. , Beginning in the 1800s, land cleared to plant cotton created a great deal of soil erosion, which kept rainwater from being absorbed and swelled the rivers. Massive floods began to occur regularly, and residents had to build levees to protect the towns. Major floods from the 1880s through the 1930s led to the construction of taller, sturdier bridges. The North Augusta industrial district moved to higher ground, where it remains today. Eventually the Savannah River was dammed, taming its destructive force.