This great photo of the steamboat Naiad was
made in the late 1800s. It was built in 1884 at
Columbus, Georgia by Charlie Blaine and weighed
173 tons. It used Apalachicola, Florida as its home
port. George L. Lapham was Captain during the
maiden voyage on September 20, 1884. The boat
is reputed to have made more trips on
Chattahoochee-Apalachicola in her 20 years than
any other boat. It burned at Blountstown, Florida in
1905.
CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER. Pronounced locally, "Chatty-hoochee." This great river is about 560 miles in length, and originates in tributaries of Habersham, Towns, and Union counties. It was
believed named for an early Indian town of CHAT-TO-HO-CHE which was located on the Chattahoo-chee River near today's town of Franklin. The name probably meant "Corn Rock," "Pounded Rock,"
"Meal Rock," or "Flour Rock," from Uchee, "corn" and Hochee, "pounded (or beaten)." It has also been said to be derived from the Indian words Chatta,
"Sparkling," "Flowered," or "Marked," and Ochee, "Rocks." Benjamin Hawkins spelled it CHATTAHOCHEE. The French wrote it SCHATTAOUCHI and CHACTAS-OU-GUY. Other variations from old maps included: CATAHOOCHE, CHATT-AHUCES, CHATAHOUCHY, CHATTA UCHEE and CHATTY HOOCHIE. The Yuchi Indians called
this river the TIAH.
Dec.1, 1888
While 12,000 people were looking on recently, Prof. Vandegrift went up in a balloon at Exposition Park. While in mid air his balloon burst, and he fell into the Chattahoochee River. He was completely enmeshed in the balloon ropes, and drowned in spite of efforts to save him.
Chattahoochee River just North of Atlanta
Baptism - Chattahoochee River 193? - Atlanta Ga.
Morgan Falls is located 12 miles
north of Atlanta on the
Chattahoochee River, and is site
of the present Morgan Falls
Dam. This was once called
Bull Sluice. The present name is
for Mrs. S. Morgan Smith, the
mother of C. Elmer Smith. Mr.
Smith helped establish the
Atlanta Water and Electric Co.,
a predecessor of Ga. Power.
Morgan Falls Dam
Army Rangers crossing the
Chattahoochee River after a jump.
Morgan Falls Dam 1900
Conspicuous prehistoric fish weirs (traps) that were originally constructed by Cherokee and Creek Indians out of cobble, and later maintained by white settlers, reveal this area's rich human and natural history.
Typically, rivers meander and change course over time. However, the Chattahoochee River is one of the oldest and most stable river channels within the United States, since it's essentially "locked" in place, flowing along the Brevard Fault Zone.
Jones Bridge spanned the Chattahoochee River from 1904-1922 falling into disrepair in the 1930's. Half of the bridge was "stolen" in 1940, neighbors didn't know the workers cutting the bridge were not authorized to do so until it was too late.
The word Chattachoochee means painted rock in the Cherokee language. The Cherokee made their homes along the Chattahoochee river for thousands of years until they were forced out in the early 19th century.
The Chattahoochee River is a stocked trout stream with 23 species of game fish.
On Aug. 15, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the legislation that set aside a 48 mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River with a series of parklands to preserve a part of the river valley for future generations. This 19,000 acres of parklands is managed by the National Park Service.
There is over 240 bird species along the Chattahoochee River.
Over most of it’s length, the flow of the Chattahoochee is now controlled by hydroelectric plants releasing water for production of hydropower.
The Chattahoochee River Basin is inhabited by about 24 species of freshwater aquatic turtles, about 37 species of salamanders and sirens, about 30 species of frogs and toads, and the American alligator.
