Happy New Year, South Carolina!
.As the sun sets on 2012, we hope this beautiful sunrise beaming across the Coosawhatchie River will fill you with optimism and hope for the upcoming new year.
— Coosawhatchie River © Lamar Nix of Seabrook —
Named for the
Coosa Indians who once inhabited its banks, the Coosawhatchie River (pronounced KOO-suh-HATCH-ee) is a tidal river which originates near the towns of
Allendale and
Fairfax. It flows southeast until it joins the Broad River and eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Coosa tribe was a subtribe of the
Cusabo, which loosely translates as
Coosawatchie River people. Unfortunately, the Cusabo and its subtribes are now extinct. During the late 1600s and early 1700s, they suffered attacks by both colonists and the fierce
Yuchi tribe. The enslavement of Indians was also officially sanctioned during this time, and many Cusabo were sold to plantations in the West Indies. By 1750 the Cusabo no longer existed as a distinct tribe, and it is commonly believed that its members merged with the
Catawbas or the Creek of Georgia.
Altogether, the Coosawhatchie River flows through four
South Carolina counties: Allendale, Hampton, Jasper, and Beaufort. The areas surrounding the river were home to several
Civil War and
American Revolution battles, including the Battle of Coosawhatchie in 1779.
Many thanks to
Lamar Nix for sharing this photo he took during a low tide sunrise in 2010.
