• Source: Black River, Jamaica

Black River is the capital of St. Elizabeth Parish, in southwestern Jamaica. It developed as a port around the mouth of the river of the same name. Today, the city is a centre of environmental tourism and a gateway to the Treasure Beach resort area. Treasure Beach and Crane Beach are to the south-east, with Luana Beach to the west. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was a thriving sugar port with a market for African slaves.
Growing prosperity in the sugar and lumber trade led to the construction of several warehouses. Some have been adapted as restaurants or as bases for eco-tours of the river.




History



Black River is one of the oldest European towns in the island of Jamaica, being shown on John Sellers' 1685 map. It was designed by the Leyden brothers of England, three wealthy men who were substantial land proprietors in the area.
In 1773, Black River replaced Lacovia, 19 miles to the north-east, as the capital of St. Elizabeth. Soon after it became the main commercial, economic and transshipment centre of the parish. By the early 1900s, it was second only to Kingston in economic importance on the island.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Black River was a busy seaport for the lucrative logwood trade and for exports of rum, pimento and cattle skins from the nearby Holland, Vineyard, and Fullerswood plantations.
Into the early 19th century, slaves from Africa and other Caribbean islands were landed here and sold at auction at Farquharson Wharf (originally Town Wharf). This wharf still stands. In 2007, the United Kingdom celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act 1807, which ended the African slave trade in its colonies.
A monument was installed at Black River in 2007 to memorialize the slaves killed in the Zong massacre of 1781. More than 132 slaves were thrown overboard at sea from the Zong. They were sacrificed by the crew purportedly to save the remainder and the crew because of a shortage of water on board. The Zong finally landed at Black River. Its owners later sued for insurance claims for the slaves who had been killed, and the case was litigated in 1783 in Britain. The court rejected the owners' claim, as it was shown that the crew had made navigation errors that kept the ship at sea and threatened its supplies. Abolitionists publicized it, and the case became a catalyst for continuing efforts to abolish slavery. Britain abolished slavery in its empire in 1833.
As a major sea port, Black River became a commercial center on the south coast of Jamaica. Due to its wealth, in 1893 this was the first town in Jamaica to be lit by electricity. Ten years later, in 1903, it was the first city on the island to have automobiles. A telephone system was installed 10 years after the instrument was invented.




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Aerial view.
• Source: Black River (Jamaica)

The Black River is one of the longest rivers in Jamaica. At a length of 53.4 km (33.2 mi), it was believed to be the longest until it was discovered that the Rio Minho was 92.8 km long. Its name refers to the darkness of the riverbed caused by thick layers of decomposing vegetation.
Over 100 species of birds have been recorded in the Black River morass. A 17,769 ha area of the river basin, encompassing much of the Upper and Lower Morass, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of many Jamaican bird species.




Geography






= Sources

=
The river's source is the Cockpit Country where it runs underground before emerging north of Siloah on the southern fringe Cockpits (18.1895534°N 77.6833069°W / 18.1895534; -77.6833069). Immediately after its emergence, the river meanders gently through the cane fields of the Appleton Estate. It receives a boost from the One Eye River, which is a continuation of the larger Hectors River which forms the Trelawny-Manchester border. Approaching Maggotty, its speed increases and occasional rapids occur. Passing through Maggotty, the river runs alongside the road and goes down several small waterfalls and the Black River Gorge, located in the Apple Valley Park.




= Upper Morass

=
Running past Newton, the river flows into the Upper Morass being joined by the Smith River and other smaller tributaries, where thick rushes flourish. In the Elim area, a fish farm cultivates the ‘Jesus fish’, a variety of African perch, so called because of its reputation as a prolific breeder. The Jacana is also known locally as the ‘Jesus bird,’ as it gives the impression of walking on water when it wades among the floating leaves of aquatic plants.
Lacovia and Middle Quarters are located between the Upper Morass and the Lower Morass. Middle Quarters is famous for its crayfish, known locally as ‘hot pepper shrimps.’ The traps used by the fishermen are similar to those of the Niger River in Africa; knowledge of their making was brought to the island by slaves over 300 years ago.




= Lower Morass

=
The Lower Morass consists of shallow estuaries, marshland and mangrove swamps, providing a rich ecological environment for a broad range of fish, birds and other creatures including lobsters, mangrove snappers, snook and mullet. Here the river is joined by the YS river making the Lower Morass the largest (14,085 acres) swamp environment in the Caribbean.
American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) inhabit the swamps, but the population has declined, due mainly to loss of habitat as heavy draining for agricultural or tourist destroys their nesting places. Birds found here include egrets, herons and ospreys. The mangrove trees of the Lower Morass are sometimes spectacular with aerial roots sent out like spiders' legs, sometimes dropping 40 ft (12 m) into the river.




= Mouth

=
The river reaches the sea (18.021624°N 77.846949°W / 18.021624; -77.846949) on the eastern edge of the town of the same name.




Commercial use


Formerly, logwood tree trunks were floated down the Black River to the port to be shipped to England for making dyes. Now, motor boats take tourists on excursions from Black River town into the lower reaches.




References

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