Congaree National Park
Located in South Carolina near the state capital of Columbia, Congaree National Park preserves the largest remaining tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States. A bottomland hardwood forest is a deciduous forested wetland that grows along low-lying river floodplains and streams, primarily in the southeastern and south-central United States. The forest is composed of a variety of tree species adapted to wet soils such as oak, gum, bald cypress, hickory, and green ash. Many of the trees in this type of forest feature fluted trunks (widened at the base) or cypress knees (aerial roots) that help them breathe and survive in seasonally flooded conditions. Historically, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley was almost completely covered by these forests. Beginning with federal legislation like the Swamp Land Act of 1849, large portions were drained and cleared for agriculture or urban development. As a result, over 80% of original bottomland hardwood forests have been altered or cleared.
Humans have inhabited the area for over 10,000 years, starting as nomadic groups following large mammals which they hunted. Over time, groups formed villages and grew corn, beans, and squash, eventually organizing into larger societies. The park and river are named after the Congaree tribe, whose population fell sharply in the 17th and 18th centuries due to European diseases and warfare. In 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto was the first European to have contact with the indigenous people. By the mid-1700s, settlers began arriving in the “Congarees” (the land between the Congaree and Wateree rivers) to farm the rich soils with crops like rice and indigo. The dense, swampy floodplain served as a crucial sanctuary for enslaved people seeking freedom (known as maroons) and feature historical cattle mounds built by enslaved Africans.Following the Civil War, Chicago lumber tycoon Francis Beidler purchased 15,000 acres in the region where he planned to log the massive old-growth cypress trees. Logging slowed and largely stopped by 1917. During the prohibition years, the remote and inaccessible swamp of Congaree made it popular with operators of illegal stills making moonshine. By the late-1960s, there was renewed interest in logging the region. A group of conservationists led by Harry Hampton formed the Congaree Swamp National Preserve Association to lobby for federal protection which came in 1976 with the creation of Congaree Swamp National Monument. In 2003, the park was redesignated as Congaree National Park becoming the 57th national park.
Today, Congaree National Park is one of the few national parks in the deep South. Most visitors to Congaree come for just the day as there is not much infrastructure such as lodging and food service within the park. Hiking and paddling are the two most popular activities in the park. The single park road terminates at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center which also serves as a trailhead for most of the hiking trails including the 2.4-mile boardwalk loop. The boardwalk is elevated over the floodplain and gives visitors a bird’s-eye view of an undisturbed bottomland hardwood forest. Along the loop there are twenty interpretive stations that discuss the ecosystem, history, and culture of the forest.
