Georgia Conservancy co-hosts our educational kayak outing on the Chattahoochee River,  just south of Atlanta.

Those familiar with Atlanta’s major tributaries — Peachtree, Proctor and Utoy Creeks — will enjoy seeing where these waters go – into the Chattahoochee which becomes a large, classic southern River as it leaves Atlanta and flows into the lower Piedmont. In this section, the Chattahoochee opens up to a large, gentler stream, but still with a few shoals, flowing past rural farms and forests. It’s not uncommon to see osprey and bald eagle as we get closer to our takeout destination at Chattahoochee Bend State Park. 

Though barely noticed today, this section of the Chattahoochee hosts some of the most meaningful historic sites in our area. We’ll put in near the place where the 19^th century South’s most talented architect and bridge builder, Horace King, built a covered bridge over the Chattahoochee River on the old Carrolton Road. Unusual for his time, King was a successful and wealthy African American businessman, who traveled freely throughout the South, keeping homes in both Alabama and Georgia before the Civil War. (See more info about Horace King below.)

From Moore’s Bridge, we’ll paddle a beautiful 3-4 hour section of the Chattahoochee River, taking a stop at the historic site where Lower Creek Chief William McIntosh built an estate called Acorn Bluff, the place where he was later killed for signing over Creek lands to the Americans.

We’ll take out at the Chattahoochee Bend State Park, where camping is an option for those who may wish to stay overnight. Where we’ll be paddling, the Chattahoochee is a calm river with several small riffles. It’s an easy section for beginners, and being a little south of the city the river is cleaner and the banks are predominantly natural.

Limit 24 • Cost: $115  includes kayak rental, shuttle, historical program, lunch, snacks and riverside reception – to register (RSVP) click HERE  • Details and directions sent to registered participants.  

A donation of $15 or more helps sustain our programs.

More about Horace King: 

Though born into slavery with tri-racial heritage, Horace King’s exceptional talent as an architect, builder and project manager was soon recognized and he essentially went into business with his owner as a partner, and was emancipated in the 1840’s. Among the numerous bridges he built in Georgia and Alabama were the great bridge over the Chattahoochee at Columbus, that opened up the “old southwest” for settlement, and the Moore’s bridge, also crossing the Chattahoochee, on the vital road to Carrollton. In his time, Horace King was the most talented bridge-builder in the South, often using the Town Lattice Truss design. He was financially successful, keeping homes in Girard, Alabama and in Georgia near Moore’s Bridge, even supporting his former owner’s children after their father’s untimely death. King’s first wife and children collected tolls for use of Moore’s Bridge, and farmed nearby until the bridge was burned by Union troops just before General Sherman’s advance on Atlanta. For more of Horace King’s story see: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1245

More about William McIntosh: 

William McIntosh, Jr. was the son of Capt. William McIntosh from Scotland, and Senoya, a high ranking woman of the Creek Wind Clan. One of his first cousins was Georgia’s Governor Troup. McIntosh became one of the most influential figures in Georgia in the early 1800’s, working easily in both Creek and American society. He sided with the Americans against the more traditional Creeks and was arguably responsible for Andrew Jackson’s military success and subsequent rise to political power. Controversially, McIntosh benefitted personally from Creek land sessions to the Americans (including the land that would become Atlanta), and he was killed at his estate, Acorn Bluff, overlooking the Chattahoochee River, for signing over Creek lands without the permission of other chiefs. For more of William McIntosh’s story see:  http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/william-mcintosh-ca-1778-1825