Hi Catherine Leinbach & history buffs The mighty Yadkin River begins in the mountains of NC close to Boone, NC. For the most part it travels due east from there down a fairly wide valley, through Watauga & Wilkes & Yadkin Counties. It then turns south between Davidson & Davie Counties. The first few counties are mountainous thus traveling through valleys. As it turns south, the lay of the land evens out. At the southern end of Davie county, the N.Yadkin & the S. Yadkin run together. Davie county is in the crux of this "Y". I have a photo online that you can see this "Y" www.dantana.com/RootsofRowan.html From this junction to High Rock Lake is about 3 miles downstream & dam about 12 miles. Rowan County on your right and Davidson County on your left. Both of these areas were part of the "old Rowan". The area that this river and High Rock Lake begins is the famous Trading Ford area. By the time the river enters the lake it is not much called Yadkin River but High Rock Lake. At the Trading Ford river crossing which is now about 300 yards wide, the river is at its most 2 to 4 feet deep. I have for 35 years duck hunted this area of the river and during the winter have had to get out of my hunting boat and in 3 to 6 inches of water had to push my boat for 100 yards. This shallow crossing is why the indians camped on both sides of the river and done their trading. I am sure that 90% of all traffic that entered Rowan County from the north and northwest crossed this river at Trading Ford. It is said that at the height of the indian occupation of this area, you could see 10,000 campfires. Grasp this statement: within 3 to 5 miles of this point is old german settlements in eastern Rowan, upper and lower Davidson counties. If you had kinfolk in this area in 1700 & 1800s they knew where Trading Ford was. From the influence of the river to High Rock Lake starting at the I-85 highway river bridge to the dam at Lake Tillery, the Yadkin River is not really a river but a series of man made lakes and dams. As stated in an earlier email but with some errors, the series of lakes is: 1) High Rock Lake 2) Tuckertown Lake 3) Badin Lake Narrows Dam 4) Falls Lake 5) Lake Tillery and then the dam that holds back Lake Tillery. The flow of water we knew as Yadkin River then is called the PeeDee River. Just down river from here is the last lake on the Yadkin River/PeeDee River Basin is the Blewett Falls Lake. A few miles below this dam is the SC state line. By the way, there is a mountain lake upstream of High Rock called the Wilksboro Resevoir /W. Kerr Scott Dam. The correct term and location of the Yadkin River Valley should really stop at the influence to the High Rock Lake. At that point the correct term is Yadkin River Basin. The basin covers 7,213 square miles.(total drainage area) It drains part or all of the following counties: Watauga, Caldwell, Alexander, Surry, Iredell, Yadkin, Stokes, Forsyth, Davie, Davidson, Guilford, Randolph, Rowan, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Stanly, Montgomery, Union, Anson and Richmond counties, North Carolina. The river basin directly west is the Catawba River basin. The Yadkin River Basin is bordered on the east by the Roanoke River, Neuse River, Cape Fear River, and the Lumber River basins. Dan Michael Patterson Rowan County Information Website www.DanTana.com www.RowanCounty.com Spencer, NC