Catawba River

… rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains in SW McDowell County near the Buncombe-McDowell county line. It flows NE through McDowell and E through Burke County; forms successively the Caldwell-Catawba, Alexander-Catawba, Iredell-Catawba, Iredell-Lincoln, Mecklenburg-Lincoln, and Mecklenburg-Gaston county lines. It enters South Carolina W of Charlotte and flows S to join Big Wateree Creek in Wateree Pond to form the Wateree River about 20 mi. above Camden. From its headwaters to the South Carolina line, it flows approx. 150 mi. Catawba was an Indian word that may have meant "people of the river banks" or "people of the river [Catawba] with broken banks." For some of the named fords across the river, see also Beattie's, Cowan's, Island, Sherrills, Tools, and Tuckasege.