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Miami River (Florida)
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Miami River (Florida)
The Miami River is a river in the U.S. state of Florida that drains out of the Everglades and runs through the city of Miami, including the downtown area. The 5.5-mi-long (8.9 km) river flows from the terminus of the Miami Canal at Miami International Airport to Biscayne Bay. It was originally a natural river inhabited at its mouth by the Tequesta Native Americans, but it was dredged and is now polluted throughout its route through Miami-Dade County. The mouth of the river is home to the Port of Miami and many other businesses, whose pressure to maintain it has helped to improve the river's condition.
Although the name is widely believed to derive from a Native American word that means "sweet water", the earliest mention of the name comes from Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a captive of Native Americans in southern Florida for 17 years, when he referred to what is now Lake Okeechobee as the "Lake of Mayaimi, which is called Mayaimi because it is very large". The Mayaimi people were named after the lake around which they lived. Spanish records include the cacique of "Maimi" in a group of 280 Florida Native Americans who arrived in Cuba in 1710. Reports on a Spanish mission to the Biscayne Bay area in 1743 mention "Maymies" or "Maimíes" living nearby. The river has also been known as the Garband River, Rio Ratones, Fresh Water River, Sweetwater River, and Lemon River. It has been known as the Miami River since the Second Seminole War of 1835–42.
In its original natural state, the river started at rapids formed by water from the Everglades flowing over a rocky ledge four miles (6.4 km) from its mouth. Frederick H. Gerdes of the United States Coast Survey reported in 1849 that "[f]rom the upper falls to near its entrance into Key Biscayne Bay… water in the Glades was 6 feet 2.5 inches (1.892 m) above low tide." The rapids were removed when the Miami Canal was dredged in an attempt to drain the wetland.
The river divided into a North Fork and a South Fork about three miles (4.8 km) above its mouth. Each fork extended only one mile (1.6 km) to rapids marking the edge of the Everglades. The North Fork had a greater flow and higher drop over its rapids. A tributary was 1-1/2 miles (2.4 km) above the mouth of the river on the north side, called Wagner Creek, which was about 2 mi (3.2 km) long. The Miami River was also fed by several springs, including some in the bed of the river. The river's flow was variable, and in times of drought, the river did not flow.
The earliest known inhabitants of the area around the Miami River were the Tequestas. Their major town at the time of first European contact was on the north bank of the river near the mouth. Before the intensive development of Miami in the 20th century, mounds built by the Tequesta were located along the river. Spanish missions were briefly established beside the river in 1567–70 and in 1743, but the area was abandoned when Spain turned Florida over to Britain in 1765.
The area around the Miami River attracted settlers throughout the 19th century, with the major exception of the years of the Seminole Wars, but those years had little effect on the river. The United States Army attempted to dig a channel through the sandbar at the mouth of the river in 1856, but stopped when the army decided that Fort Dallas would not be made permanent.
Modification of the river began in earnest with the arrival of the Florida East Coast Railway in Miami in 1896. Much dredging and filling occurred along the river. The rapids at the head of the South Fork were removed in 1908. From 1909 to 1912, the Miami Canal was dug, bypassing the rapids at the head of the North Fork. The canal was dammed off from the river for most of the construction period. When the canal was opened to the river in March 1912, large amounts of Everglades muck and finely ground stone from the dredging were washed down the river, silting it. As a result, the lower river had to be dredged three times in two years.
Dredging of the river and of the canals connecting to the river continued into the 1930s. Deepening the Miami River (and other streams and canals draining into Biscayne Bay), as well as the drainage of the Everglades, which was a major purpose of the dredging, led to saltwater intrusion in the area, ultimately forcing the abandonment of drinking-water wells on several occasions. By the 1940s, dams were being installed on the canals leading into the Miami River to prevent salt water from traveling inland.
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Miami River (Florida)
The Miami River is a river in the U.S. state of Florida that drains out of the Everglades and runs through the city of Miami, including the downtown area. The 5.5-mi-long (8.9 km) river flows from the terminus of the Miami Canal at Miami International Airport to Biscayne Bay. It was originally a natural river inhabited at its mouth by the Tequesta Native Americans, but it was dredged and is now polluted throughout its route through Miami-Dade County. The mouth of the river is home to the Port of Miami and many other businesses, whose pressure to maintain it has helped to improve the river's condition.
Although the name is widely believed to derive from a Native American word that means "sweet water", the earliest mention of the name comes from Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a captive of Native Americans in southern Florida for 17 years, when he referred to what is now Lake Okeechobee as the "Lake of Mayaimi, which is called Mayaimi because it is very large". The Mayaimi people were named after the lake around which they lived. Spanish records include the cacique of "Maimi" in a group of 280 Florida Native Americans who arrived in Cuba in 1710. Reports on a Spanish mission to the Biscayne Bay area in 1743 mention "Maymies" or "Maimíes" living nearby. The river has also been known as the Garband River, Rio Ratones, Fresh Water River, Sweetwater River, and Lemon River. It has been known as the Miami River since the Second Seminole War of 1835–42.
In its original natural state, the river started at rapids formed by water from the Everglades flowing over a rocky ledge four miles (6.4 km) from its mouth. Frederick H. Gerdes of the United States Coast Survey reported in 1849 that "[f]rom the upper falls to near its entrance into Key Biscayne Bay… water in the Glades was 6 feet 2.5 inches (1.892 m) above low tide." The rapids were removed when the Miami Canal was dredged in an attempt to drain the wetland.
The river divided into a North Fork and a South Fork about three miles (4.8 km) above its mouth. Each fork extended only one mile (1.6 km) to rapids marking the edge of the Everglades. The North Fork had a greater flow and higher drop over its rapids. A tributary was 1-1/2 miles (2.4 km) above the mouth of the river on the north side, called Wagner Creek, which was about 2 mi (3.2 km) long. The Miami River was also fed by several springs, including some in the bed of the river. The river's flow was variable, and in times of drought, the river did not flow.
The earliest known inhabitants of the area around the Miami River were the Tequestas. Their major town at the time of first European contact was on the north bank of the river near the mouth. Before the intensive development of Miami in the 20th century, mounds built by the Tequesta were located along the river. Spanish missions were briefly established beside the river in 1567–70 and in 1743, but the area was abandoned when Spain turned Florida over to Britain in 1765.
The area around the Miami River attracted settlers throughout the 19th century, with the major exception of the years of the Seminole Wars, but those years had little effect on the river. The United States Army attempted to dig a channel through the sandbar at the mouth of the river in 1856, but stopped when the army decided that Fort Dallas would not be made permanent.
Modification of the river began in earnest with the arrival of the Florida East Coast Railway in Miami in 1896. Much dredging and filling occurred along the river. The rapids at the head of the South Fork were removed in 1908. From 1909 to 1912, the Miami Canal was dug, bypassing the rapids at the head of the North Fork. The canal was dammed off from the river for most of the construction period. When the canal was opened to the river in March 1912, large amounts of Everglades muck and finely ground stone from the dredging were washed down the river, silting it. As a result, the lower river had to be dredged three times in two years.
Dredging of the river and of the canals connecting to the river continued into the 1930s. Deepening the Miami River (and other streams and canals draining into Biscayne Bay), as well as the drainage of the Everglades, which was a major purpose of the dredging, led to saltwater intrusion in the area, ultimately forcing the abandonment of drinking-water wells on several occasions. By the 1940s, dams were being installed on the canals leading into the Miami River to prevent salt water from traveling inland.
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