Great Egg Harbor River
Encyclopedia
The Great Egg Harbor River is a 55 miles (88.5 km) river in southern New Jersey
in the United States
. It is one of the major rivers that traverse the largely pristine Pinelands, draining 308 square miles (797.7 km²) of wetlands into the Atlantic Ocean
at Great Egg Harbor
, from which it takes its name.
Great Egg Harbor (and thus the river) got its name from Dutch
explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey
. In 1614, Mey came upon the inlet to the Great Egg Harbor River. The meadows were so covered with shorebird and waterfowl eggs that he called it "Eyren Haven" (Egg Harbor).
near Berlin
and flows generally southeast, to the south of the Atlantic City Expressway
, entering Great Egg Harbor approximately 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Atlantic City
. The lower 10 miles (16.1 km) of the river provide a navigable estuary
as far as Mays Landing
. The Tuckahoe River
enters Great Egg Harbor just to the south of the mouth of the river.
Before the arrival of Europe
ans to the area in the 18th century, it was inhabited by Lenape
. During the American Revolutionary War
, its estuary sheltered privateer
s. The presence of "bog iron
" along the river provided material for cannonballs
and led to the construction of blast furnace
s, as well as glass
and brick
factories, until the middle of the 19th century.
In 1992, the United States Congress
designated 129 miles (207.6 km) of the river and its tributaries as the Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River, as part of the National Wild and Scenic River
system. It is the longest canoe
ing river within the Pinelands. It can be paddled for 47 miles (75.6 km) from New Brooklyn, near Route 536, all the way to Beesley's Point. The river is noted for its tea
-colored "cedar water", the product of the iron
and tannin content of the fallen cedar
leaves along much of its length. It provides abundant habitat for waterfowl
in the region. The fish populations include striped bass
and alewife herring
.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is one of the major rivers that traverse the largely pristine Pinelands, draining 308 square miles (797.7 km²) of wetlands into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
at Great Egg Harbor
Great Egg Harbor Bay
Great Egg Harbor Bay is a major bay located on the southern New Jersey coast, specifically in Atlantic and Cape May counties. The Great Egg Harbor River empties into the bay....
, from which it takes its name.
Great Egg Harbor (and thus the river) got its name from Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey
Cornelius Jacobsen Mey
Cornelis Jacobszoon May , was a Dutch explorer, captain and fur trader, and namesake of Cape May, Cape May County, and the city of Cape May, New Jersey, so named first in 1620.-Family:...
. In 1614, Mey came upon the inlet to the Great Egg Harbor River. The meadows were so covered with shorebird and waterfowl eggs that he called it "Eyren Haven" (Egg Harbor).
Description
It rises in the suburbs southeast of CamdenCamden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
near Berlin
Berlin, New Jersey
Berlin is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,588.Berlin was incorporated as a borough on March 29, 1927, from portions of Berlin Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 26,...
and flows generally southeast, to the south of the Atlantic City Expressway
Atlantic City Expressway
The Atlantic City Expressway is a , controlled-access toll road in New Jersey, managed and operated by the South Jersey Transportation Authority...
, entering Great Egg Harbor approximately 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
. The lower 10 miles (16.1 km) of the river provide a navigable estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
as far as Mays Landing
Mays Landing, New Jersey
Mays Landing is a census-designated place located within Hamilton Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 2,321. It is the county seat of Atlantic County...
. The Tuckahoe River
Tuckahoe River (New Jersey)
The Tuckahoe River is a blackwater river in southern New Jersey in the United States. The river drains an area of the southern Pinelands and empties into the Atlantic Ocean...
enters Great Egg Harbor just to the south of the mouth of the river.
Before the arrival of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans to the area in the 18th century, it was inhabited by Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, its estuary sheltered privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s. The presence of "bog iron
Bog iron
Bog iron refers to impure iron deposits that develop in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in the solutions. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite...
" along the river provided material for cannonballs
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
and led to the construction of blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s, as well as glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
and brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
factories, until the middle of the 19th century.
In 1992, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
designated 129 miles (207.6 km) of the river and its tributaries as the Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River, as part of the National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...
system. It is the longest canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ing river within the Pinelands. It can be paddled for 47 miles (75.6 km) from New Brooklyn, near Route 536, all the way to Beesley's Point. The river is noted for its tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
-colored "cedar water", the product of the iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and tannin content of the fallen cedar
Thuja
Thuja is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae . There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia...
leaves along much of its length. It provides abundant habitat for waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
in the region. The fish populations include striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
and alewife herring
Alewife
The alewife is a species of herring. There are anadromous and landlocked forms. The landlocked form is also called a sawbelly or mooneye...
.
Tributaries
- English CreekEnglish CreekEnglish Creek is a tributary of the Great Egg Harbor River in southeast New Jersey in the United States.-References:*Gertler, Edward. Garden State , Seneca Press, 2002. ISBN 0-9605908-8-9...
- Hospitality BranchHospitality BranchThe Hospitality Branch is a tributary of the Great Egg Harbor River in southeastern New Jersey in the United States.The Hospitality Branch starts several miles east of Glassboro and joins the Great Egg Harbor River at Penny Pot.-References:...
- South RiverSouth River (Great Egg Harbor River)The South River is a tributary of the Great Egg Harbor River in southeast New Jersey in the United States.It rises in Richland, New Jersey and joins the Great Egg Harbor River approximately downstream of Mays Landing...
- Stephen CreekStephen CreekStephen Creek is an tributary of the Great Egg Harbor River in southeast New Jersey in the United States.-References:*Gertler, Edward. Garden State , Seneca Press, 2002. ISBN 0-9605908-8-9...