A Year on The River, Part 1

Lake Wateree Throughout the Seasons

Story by Tom Poland
Paintings by Harold Branham

Places remain where the past hangs tough and old habits die difficult deaths. Can a river and lake be one and the same? Yes.

Entering South Carolina the Catawba becomes the Wateree and the Wateree becomes Lake Wateree for a while, but Harold Branham calls the lake “The River,” even though a dam straddled this big two-named river way back in 1919.

Lake Wateree, aka “The River,” holds a special place in Harold’s heart. Over the last seven years, he painted Lake Wateree throughout the seasons. Brush strokes captured her moods until he had what he refers to as “A Year on The River.” Harold’s coverage includes a full moon over the lake, a lonely fisherman on a bridge, an egret foraging against a backdrop of boulders, a windy winter day on a white-capping lake, a snow-covered dock, burnt-orange cypress mirroring autumnal waters, and other seasonal portraits of one of South Carolina’s oldest manmade lakes.

The past hangs in there and old timers hang onto the past. “My first recollection of Wateree,” said Harold, “was it’s being known as ‘The River,’ and a lot of old timers still call it to this very day.”

Harold remembers when folks first got permission to use The River for recreational purposes. “They’d cut trails through heavily wooded areas off dirt roads to the waterfront and after a light rain or heavy dew they’d float down river.”

He itched to join them. Harold bought a small aluminum boat and a used tent sporting a few holes. So outfitted, he’d encamp at campgrounds or the state park and fish. “Like most fishermen, I had my secret spot where a fish or two were a guarantee.”
Harold’s “River” has seen a lot of changes over the years. “Million-dollar homes replaced tin shacks. Docks the size of shopping centers sprang up mooring boats big enough to take you to the Caribbean islands.”