Little Rivers ( #AtoZChallenge )

There are rivers that are little and there are rivers named Little River.  Little or big, all rivers play an important role in the watersheds they encompass...

 

Little Rivers

Little River in Great Smoky Mountains  (Townsend)

         There are over 20 rivers that I could find listed for the United States with the name Little River as well as scores of rivers with "Little" used as an adjective in the names--quite a few more than rivers with "Big" as a name or adjective.  Maybe it's something to do with the nature of a smaller river as opposed to a larger one.  After all, a name like Mississippi sounds a lot better than just plain old "Big River" (which is what some have called the Mississippi). 

          One of the rivers near me looks little in size as in regard to waterflow, but very wide in respect to the concrete covered river channel--in other words it looks more like a highway than a river.  I'd say most if not all who are reading this have seen the Los Angeles River in movies.  From the giant ants seeking refuge in the river drains in Them! (1954) to teenagers racing cars in Grease (1978) to the car chase in Terminator 2 (1991) and many more, the Los Angeles River has been a frequent setting for all sorts of action scenes in films.  But one driving over this waterway might never guess that it is a river in these areas where it has been paved over.

         In West Virginia one can find the somewhat little Lost River.  This unique 31 mile river is actually part of the  Cacapon River in the Appalachian Mountains.  The portion that is "lost" eventually disappears underground and remerges downstream as the Cacapon,  The Lost River gets its name from the fact that it is what is called a "losing stream" which is a waterway that loses water as it flows downstream.  Most rivers are "gaining streams" because they get bigger.  Where does the water go when it's losing?   It seeps into the water table or disappears into the ground.  

        One of my favorite rivers is the scenic 60 mile Little River in Tennessee.  This river starts in the Great Smoky Mountains and ends up in the Fort Loudon Lake near Rockford.  The Little River in the national park and through the towns of Townsend and Walland is a much used recreation area for those who want to swim, float, or fish.  Back in the early seventies my friend Vernon and I floated down the Little River from Walland to Rockford.  It was a wonderfully relaxing few hours that I wouldn't mind doing again one day.  Maybe someday...

         Do you have a favorite "Little River"?   Which films have you seen that featured a scene set in the Los Angeles River basin?   What is your favorite song by The Little River Band?  

Since I've been reminiscing, here's one you might remember...