York River

confluence of Pamunkey and Mataponi rivers, forming the headwaters of the York River at West Point (as depicted in French army map from the 1781 Yorktown Campaign
Source: Library of Congress, Carte detaillée de West Point sur la rivière d'York au confluent des Rivières de Pamunkey et Matapony

York River watershed (together with other small coastal basins)
Source: York River and Small Coastal Basins Roundtable

in colonial times, the Pamunkey River was navigable to Hanovertown ("Pages" Warehouse), but siltation of river channel triggered establishment of Newcastle in 1758¹
Source: Library of Congress, A map of the most inhabited part of Virginia produced by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson in 1751

References

1. Malcolm H. Harris, "The Port Towns of the Pamunkey," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Oct., 1943), pp. 511-512, http://www.jstor.org/pss/1923198 (last checked August 9, 2011)

Links

• Colonial Williamsburg - A River Worth Fighting For
• VA-HIST Listserver discussions on navigability of the Pamunkey/Chickahominy
• December, 2002
• July, 2011
• Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources
• Chesapeake Bay Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Tributary Strategy for the York River and Lower York Coastal Basins - March 2005
• York River and Small Coastal Basins Roundtable