Before the novel and the film Deliverance appeared in the early 1970s, any outsiders one met along the Chattooga River were likely serious canoeists or anglers. In later years, untold numbers and kinds of people have felt the draw of the river’s torrents, which pour down the Appalachians along the Georgia-South Carolina border. Because of Deliverance the Chattooga looms enigmatically in our shared imagination, as iconic as Twain’s Mississippi—or maybe Conrad’s Congo. This is John Lane’s search for the real Chattooga—for the truths that reside somewhere in the river’s rapids, along its shores, or in its travelers’ hearts. Lane balances the dark, indifferent mythical river of Deliverance against the Chattooga known to locals and to the outdoors enthusiasts who first mastered its treacherous vortices and hydraulics. Starting at its headwaters, Lane leads us down the river and through its complex history to its current status as a National Wild and Scenic River. Along the way he stops for talks with conservation activists, seventh-generation residents, locals who played parts in the movie, day visitors, and others. Lane weaves into each encounter an abundance of details drawn from his perceptive readings and viewings of Deliverance and his wide-ranging knowledge of the Chattooga watershed. At the end of his run, Lane leaves us still fully possessed by the Chattooga’s mystery, yet better informed about its place in his world and ours.

In 1974 the Chattooga River became the first river East of the Mississippi to be included in the National Wild and Scenic River System. It was included because it was a clean, free-flowing mountain stream located in a relatively undeveloped mountain environment. Forming part of the Georgia-South Carolina Border, the Chattooga is the only free-flowing portion of the Savannah River System. This book gives a comprehensive overview of the river including the topography, physiography and geology, weather and climate, human history, plant life, wildlife, and recreation opportunities.

Chattooga County is located in northwest Georgia and was named for the river that flows through it, a word derived from the Cherokee who once inhabited the area. The county was created by the Georgia Legislature in 1838. In less than a decade, one of the county's first textile mills started production and remains a major employer. Chattooga County voted against secession from the Union but endured General Sherman and thousands of his Union troops and, later, the Reconstruction years following the Civil War. Its numerous hills and wide valleys made the county a natural resource for farmers, from cotton fields to peach orchards. Its agricultural roots and rural heritage are still evident. Several professional ballplayers, a world-renowned folk artist, and a nationally known defense attorney have all called Chattooga County home.

The Chattooga River has run through the American consciousness since the movie "Deliverance" thrust it into the national spotlight. But this National Wild and Scenic River is much more than the make-believe set of a suburbanite nightmare. People travel from all over the country to run its rapids, cast into its current for trout and hike the miles of trails that meander through thousands of acres of woods in the Chattooga watershed. One of the last free-flowing rivers in the Southeast, the river muscles fifty-seven miles through a southern deciduous forest with one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the country and is home to many species of rare wildflowers. Join author Laura Ann Garren as she describes the history and wonder of the real Chattooga River.