The "Oldest River" As An Appalachian Popular Region

Appalachia's New River was labeled "the second oldest river in the world" during the 1970s as part of a campaign to save the river from being dammed. Despite the absence of geomorphic evidence, the promotion of the superlative age of the river was so successful that the mythical label...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of geography (Houston) Vol. 104; no. 2; pp. 59 - 64
Main Authors Mayfield, Michael W., Morgan, John T.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Indiana Taylor & Francis Group 01.03.2005
National Council for Geographic Education
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Appalachia
Colloquial language
Earth Science
Ecotourism
Educational activities
Geographic Regions
Geography
Geography Instruction
Geomorphology
Image enhancement
Internet
Internet resources
New River
oldest river
Physical Geography
Plate Tectonics
popular region
Research Projects
Rivers
Topography
Tourism
Vernacular
New River
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Summary:Appalachia's New River was labeled "the second oldest river in the world" during the 1970s as part of a campaign to save the river from being dammed. Despite the absence of geomorphic evidence, the promotion of the superlative age of the river was so successful that the mythical label became reality in the minds of the region's populace. The "oldest river" thus became a popular or vernacular region, defined as one perceived to exist by its inhabitants. Sources of evidence for the current existence of the oldest river as a popular region include Internet references, which typically use the positive place image of the ancient stream to enhance the value of the river valley's attributes. Geography educators and students at all levels will benefit from class research projects aimed at identifying and understanding popular regions found near their educational institutions.
ISSN:0022-1341
1752-6868
DOI:10.1080/00221340508978617