Historical Rapids in the United States
39 historical rapids across the United States. Rapids that were drowned by a dam or altered, kept for the record. All rapids.
Browse by state 39
- Alabama 8
- Arizona 104
- Arkansas 3
- California 6
- Colorado 7
- Connecticut 4
- District of Columbia 1
- Florida 1
- Georgia 13
- Idaho 94
- Illinois 2
- Indiana 5
- Kentucky 4
- Maine 108
- Maryland 8
- Massachusetts 3
- Michigan 15
- Minnesota 21
- Missouri 13
- Montana 31
- Nebraska 3
- Nevada 8
- New Hampshire 22
- New Mexico 18
- New York 28
- North Carolina 30
- Ohio 2
- Oregon 160
- Pennsylvania 3
- South Carolina 36
- Tennessee 52
- Texas 4
- Utah 54
- Vermont 11
- Virginia 10
- Washington 43
- West Virginia 23
- Wisconsin 122
- Wyoming 2
What is a historical rapid?
Historical rapids are ones that no longer exist in their recorded form. Most were drowned when a dam raised the river behind it; others were blasted or dredged to open a channel for boats, or buried by a landslide. The name lives on in maps, place names and river lore, so the survey keeps the record and so does this catalogue, with the position where the rapid once ran. There are 39 listed. These pages are for history and for finding the spot: the map shows the location on today's reservoir or channel, and reviews from people who know the river's story are welcome.