Lansing in Fayette County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)

New River

An Eastern Oddity

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 4, 2012

1. New River Marker

Inscription. Nine hundred feet below, New River flows north. North? Odd in the American east where rivers don’t flow north. Oddities seem common at New River.

The river’s name and age are both unusual. No one knows the name’s origin: some say explorers found a river “new” to them---ironic because the New is very old. How old? Again, no one knows. Local legend claims only the Nile is older. Geologists know that the New is one of North America’s oldest rivers, even older than the ancient Appalachian mountains through which it flows.

New River’s shape and form present another oddity. The New has incised meanders, great bends that cut deeply into the earth—unusual in eastern North America where meandering rivers are normally broad and flat. Here, New River slices through ten million years of rock layers.

(Inscription beside the map on the right)
New River as it flows through New River Gorge National River. Notice the many bends and meanders, a trait unusual for a deep-canyon river in eastern North America.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.

Location. 38° 4.197′ N, 81° 4.561′ W. Marker is in Lansing, West Virginia, in Fayette County. It is on Visitor Center Road. The marker is on the grounds of the Canyon Rim Visitor center New River Gorge National River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lansing WV 25862, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the New River Gorge

and in Greater Charleston Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Deceptive Forest (here, next to this marker); Smoke, Coke, Coal, and Kaymoor (a few steps from this marker); New River Gorge Scenic Drives (a few steps from this marker); Industrial Past of the New River Gorge (a

New River Gorge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 4, 2012

2. New River Gorge

few steps from this marker); Trail to Bridge Overlook (within shouting distance of this marker); The Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to New River Gorge National River (within shouting distance of this marker); New River Gorge Bridge (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lansing.

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 4, 2012

3. New River Gorge

Sign at the entrance to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center New River Gorge National River image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 4, 2012

4. Sign at the entrance to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center New River Gorge National River

Credits. This page was last revised on June 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 442 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 26, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.