Cape Fear River

Cape Fear River. . The Cape Fear River was named for the cape where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Miles of treacherous shoals and shifting sandbars made early mariners afraid of sailing near the Cape of Fear. In 1662, William Hilton became the first European to extensively explore the river. He called it the Charles River in honor of English King Charles II. Some Native Americans called the river Saponi and it was also known briefly at the Rio Jordan and Clarendon River., By the early part of the Eighteenth Century it was commonly known as the Cape Fear River when permanent European settlement occurred and the river became a key transportation route for pioneers traveling into the North Carolina backcountry. Located between the mouth of the river and the interior settlements, Wilmington became the region's chief port. A large tributary, the Northeast Branch of the Cape Fear River, joins the Cape Fear at Point Peter, just north of the city., Formed in central North Carolina at the convergence of the Deep and Haw Rivers, the Cape Fear is the only one of the state's rivers to empry directly into the Atlantic Ocean. With a 9,000 square mile basin the Cape Fear River system is the largest in North Carolina. Over one quarter of the state's 100 counties include streams that flow into the basin. Dozens of North Carolina municipalities are within its boundaries. It provides about one-third of the state's population with freshwater, transportation, recreation, natural habitats and abundant wildlife., (captions) , Cape Fear River Photo Courtesy of City of Wilmington , Cape Fear River Basin Illustration Courtesy of City of Wilmington , Beverly Tetterton, Historical Researcher, Project Consultant