The Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) will host a canoe/kayak paddle on the Oostanaula River, Saturday, May 31. The paddle trip is best-described as a paddle through time.

During the 13-mile trip, paddlers will see a centuries old Native American fish weir, rock structures built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers more than 100 years ago and visit Chieftain’s Museum, the historic home of Cherokee leader Major John Ridge.

The trip will take participants from Ga. 140 in Armuchee to Ridge Ferry Park in Rome. The trip will take approximately six hours. Shuttles will be provided and boat rentals are available. Pre-registration is required. The trip is free to CRBI members. Non-members can pay membership dues online at www.coosa.org.

“This section is unique in that you have structures in and along the river that span more than a 500 years of history—from the fish weirs build by ancestors of the Cherokee Indians to the ferry built by Major John Ridge to Corps of Engineers’ navigational dams,” said Joe Cook, CRBI Executive Director & Riverkeeper.

Though fish weirs are most closely associated with the Etowah River, there are several on the Oostanaula, including one just three miles upstream from Rome. These V-shaped rock dams were built by Native Americans to capture fish. The navigational dams date back to the 1870s when the Corps was attempting to improve transportation on the river so that barges and boats could easily move between Calhoun and Rome.

The trip will culminate with a visit to Chieftain’s Museum and the cut in the river banks where John Ridge once operated a ferry across the river.

The trip is suitable for novice paddlers. To register and secure a boat rental, contact Joe Cook at 706-232-2724 or via e-mail at jcook@coosa.org. Details about the trip are also available at www.coosa.org.