Kanawha River

The Kanawha River (pronounced ka-NAW-ah or kuh-NAW and earlier, kuh-NOIE) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 miles long, in West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.

What do you know about the Kanawha River?  Explore the Quick US Geography Rivers and Streams Quiz.  "Check Your Answers" at the end of the page.

1. It is formed at the town of Gauley Bridge in northwestern Fayette County, approximately 35 miles SE of Charleston, by the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers. What is the elevation at he confluence?

• 653 feet
• 663 feet
• 673 feet

2. What is the river that flows into the Kanawha River in Charleston, West Virginia?

• Elk River
• Moose River
• Bear River

3. Where does the Coal River flow into the Kanawha River?

• Morgantown
• St. David
• St. Albans

4. At Poca the Pocatalico River flows into the Kanawha River. The Pocatalico River begins in Roane County. The is the community close to the starting point?

• Spencer
• Gandeeville
• Looneyville

5. The river valley contains significant deposits of coal and natural gas. In colonial times, the wildly fluctuating level of the river prevented its use for transportation.

• True or False?

6. The river is now navigable to an unincorporated community about 20 miles upriver from Charleston. What is the name of the community?

• Deepwater
• Rising Tide
• Cabin Creek

7. According to the Geographic Names Information System, what is NOT a name the Kanawha River has been known as?

• Great Kenhaway River
• Big Connawas River
• Cabin Creek River

8. What is the name of the Lock and Dam on the Kanawha River 31 miles upriver from the mouth at Point Pleasant.

• Winfield
• Jerry's
• Poco

9. Glen Ferris is an unincorporated village on the western bank of the Kanawha River in Fayette County, West Virginia. What does the town look over?

• Kanawha Falls
• Mannington Falls
• Jerome Falls

10. At the mouth of Kanawha River, it flows into the Ohio River. The elevation with the Ohio River is 538 feet. What is the town where the Kanawha River flows into the Ohio River?

• Parkersburg
• Huntingdon
• Point Pleasant

Kanawha River Answers

1. 653 feet
2. Elk River
3. St. Albans
4. Looneyville
5. True
6. Deepwater
7. Cabin Creek River
8. Winfield
9. Kanawha Falls
10. Point Pleasant

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