A (Virtual) Ride Down James River

Entering Downtown

On river left, after passing under Lee Bridge, steps constructed by the James River Outdoor Coalition in 2001-2 can be seen These provide additional boating access.

On "river left", a short distance downstream from the Lee Bridge, the red brick building is the remains of Tredegar Ironworks. It now serves as the site for the Civil War Visitors Center operated by the National Park Service. Tredegar Ironworks was a major producer of ordnance and other metal products before, during, and after the Civil War. Particularly in the 1800s, this section of the river was a bustling manufacturing center, relying largely on water power from the canals. The white building up the hill is the Ethyl Corporation headquarters.

Built in 1901, the elevated CSX Viaduct (formerly Chesapeake & Ohio) runs along the river from the Lee Bridge through downtown.

Just upstream of the restored canal and underneath the Viaduct is Tredegar Street access, a place to put in or take out boats. At this site in summer young boys frequently are swinging from a rope tied to the rail trestle and dropping into the water. This rope is regularly cut down by officials, and just as regularly put back up by the boys who use it.

Visible on river left, just downstream from Tredegar is the beginning of the restored canals and Canal Walk. Brown's Island Dam a.k.a.VEPCO Levee was built to divert water to the Haxall Canal and served VEPCO’s 12^th Street hydropower station. It now features a walkway partway over the river allowing pedestrians a view of the rapids.

Here above, Brown's Island Dam, we have another choice of route.

The most common route at normal and low water levels is by way of Pipeline Rapids. There used to be a sign hanging under the superstructure of Brown's Island Dam marked “Channel”indicating this route. It was removed (by pranksters?) and replaced by asign reading "Ashland Corporate Limits." Almost immediately after passing through the channel marker, we confront a 3-4 foot drop over the remnants of the Manchester Canal Dam which zigzags across the river and diverts water to the south bank into the Manchester Canal . The dam has several breaks, some made by nature and some by dynamite to enable fish passage. This first drop, sometimes called Fish Ladder Rapid, is tricky because of large rocks at the bottom which must be avoided.