Richmond Times-Dispatch article: Following the path of Capt. John Smith
May 28, 2010
If the question was put to the average Virginian, "Which river do you most associate with Capt. John Smith?," chances are he or she would say the James.
There's good reason for that. Smith joined Christopher Newport on a trip up the James to what is now Richmond shortly after landing at Jamestown. He later explored it and traded with the Powhatan Indians along its banks. But an argument could be made that the commonly held view is too narrow, that the Chickahominy, in fact, boasts the more significant connection to that most famous proto-Virginian.
"I think you could argue it's the most historic and culturally rich section of the John Smith Trail," said Bill Street, executive director of the James River Association, of the Chick.
That narrowness in how we view Smith and the James historically is similar to our present-day relationship with the river itself.
When we think of the James, we usually think of only the river proper. We kayak it or fish it and rarely discuss those experiences in a larger context. "How about that catfish I caught under the Nickel Bridge?" we might say. "What was it like navigating Pipeline Rapid?"
Yet, we all know from basic geography and science that those experiences are influenced by, and in many ways contingent upon, what's happening in the rivers that feed the James. Pollution in the Maury, Tye or Rivanna impacts smallmouth health at Pony Pasture. Drought or storms in the west change the water level in downtown Richmond. The James is the sum of its parts.
Street and the JRA aim to enhance our understanding of both the James and Smith with the Chickahominy Water Trail Festival, which takes place tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Chickahominy Riverfront Park and continues at the River's Rest Marina and Rockahock Campground.
"We want to get people out there to enjoy the river and learn about the history and the culture and what the river used to be like and what it's like today," Street said.
The festival includes 20-mile and 10-mile boat races up the Chickahominy to Rockahock, paddling lessons, boat tours and displays of Native American crafts. A classic rock band will entertain festival goers at the finish line.
The impetus behind the festival is the JRA's partnering with the National Park Service to launch the Chickahominy section of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. A map detailing Smith's exploits on the river, similar to one on his James River adventures, is now available for purchase or to be downloaded on the website.
What will amateur history buffs find of note on the map? How about the geography to go with the history of Smith's capture by Powhatan Indians, the capture that led to the likely-embellished story of Smith being saved by Pocahontas? That all took place on and near the Chickahominy, not the James.
Street said the self-guided tours now made much easier by the release of the map and corresponding website are enhanced by "how intact a lot of the marshes and swamps are along the Chick. You feel like you're back 400 years."
The water trail runs the roughly 20 miles from the mouth of the Chickahominy to Walker's Dam near Rockahock Campground. There are plans to extend it farther up the river in the future.
Events such as the festival are part of larger efforts, which Virginia has been at the forefront of, to popularize (and monetize) Smith's voyages throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. From the Susquehanna River at the Bay's northern end to the Eastern Shore, Smith and his men explored and mapped an incredible amount between 1607 and 1609. So far in Virginia, the James, Rappahannock, York and now Chickahominy have maps to guide the interested along Smith's path.
"We want to build it up to be a destination to where people want to come out and do portions of the John Smith Trail the way they do portions of the Appalachian Trail or water trails up in Maine," Street said.
He added that since you can't separate the historic experience a visitor might have from the natural one, "It's also a great way to introduce people to the river and help them connect to it."
Whether you're a history lover or a lover of natural beauty, the Chickahominy Water Trail Festival offers a chance to connect to a river underappreciated in both regards.
Contact Andy Thompson at (804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com.
