Dolphins in the Lafayette River behind NIT. When the Jamestown colonists first explored what is now Norfolk, they called the first waterway they encountered a river. The Elizabeth River. But they called the first tributary, which branched off to the east, a creek. Tanners Creek. These days, we think of a creek as something small. A waterway you can step or wade across. Not so to the English. They considered a creek as something larger than a “cove” but smaller than a “river.” What was Tanners Creek extends for miles inland through Norfolk, and for most of its length you cannot wade across. In the 1700s, Tanners Creek cut through a rural area between downtown Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay. In 1892, the City of Norfolk purchased 114 acres of land along Tanners Creek for a park and named it after the Marquis de Lafayette, who was so instrumental in the American Revolution. Rumor has it that federal money for dredging rivers (not creeks) became available in the early 1900s. The “creek” was renamed the Lafayette River for money. Dredge money. Today, we have the Lafayette River and Lafayette Park, home to the Virginia Zoo. The best place to get a glimpse of the river’s past is at Talbot Hall. Started in 1797 by Solomon Talbot, it was completed in 1803. The bricks were made on site. The windows are blown glass, complete with wrinkles and bubbles. On the interior is the seal of the United States, an eagle with 17 stars, which saved the house from being torched by Union soldiers in 1862. The soldiers figured anyone with such a decoration in their home had to be loyal to the United States. The Talbot family later donated the home to the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Unable to afford the upkeep, the church has listed the property for sale, which has generated a controversy. One group wants to buy the land, divide it into lots, and surround Talbot Hall with new homes. This plan includes preserving the old house but cuts it off from the river. Another group believes the house will not be “saved” unless the clear view to the river is maintained. They accept the need to sell and develop some of the property in order to save the house, but they are calling for a smaller development with no new homes between Talbot Hall and the Lafayette. Stay tuned. The area is accessible at the end of Talbott Hall Street, off Granby, in Norfolk. A great spot for fishing. Samuel Goldblatt, an early residential homeowner on the Lafayette, was living in Norfolk during Prohibition. Before he died, he pointed out a cove in the Larchmont neighborhood that was the offload site for smuggled booze in the 1920s. This was undeveloped country at that time, and the booze could be snuck into downtown Norfolk along Quarantine Road. This road was named around 1855, as it was the route used to transport yellow fever victims out of the city, to be laid to rest in what is now a waterfront residential neighborhood. You can get a glimpse into the future at the mouth of the river. Norfolk International Terminal (NIT) occupies 648 acres where the Lafayette joins the Elizabeth. According to the Port of Virginia, NIT has some of the largest and most efficient cranes in the world. These cranes stretch 245 feet over the water and will be able to unload future megaships which will be 27 containers wide. Now, around 40,000 vehicles cross the Lafayette along Hampton Boulevard each week, according to the Virginia Department of Highways. These commuters are traveling between the Navy Base, NIT, and the rest of the tidewater area. While the traffic zooms overhead, the river itself is amazingly uncrowded. With no public marinas and only one private yacht club on its banks, boat traffic is light even in the peak of summer. It is a great place to fish, as it is amazingly full of wildlife. Birds are abundant. Night herons nest in the residential neighborhoods and are common throughout the warm months. Ospreys occupy every cove. Wildfowl, from canvasbacks to loons, take shelter in the river in season. Otters are on the upswing. One otter couple tunneled from the water into the crawl space of a waterfront home. The exterminator, who was called after the owner smelled fish, found the den complete with pups. The owner kindly waited until the pups moved on before sealing off the entrance. Chris Moore, senior scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Norfolk, describes the Lafayette as a “hidden gem.” “Because the Lafayette is associated with the more polluted Elizabeth River, it tends to get overlooked. And the condition of the Lafayette is steadily improving,” he says. Marjorie Mayfield Jackson, executive director of the Elizabeth River Project, also noted how much the Lafayette is improving. “So many partners, large and small, have been working hard together for years now to turn around the health of the Lafayette,” she says. “Algal blooms are still a problem each summer. We are working on that, teaching people they can have beautiful lawns without chemical fertilizers that can run off into the river.” According to Aaron Applegate in a recent Virginian-Pilot article, old but healthy wild oyster reefs have been discovered in the Lafayette. Ten reefs, between three and 17 acres, have been found. They are estimated at 400 or more years old! The largest concentration of live oysters is between the Hampton Boulevard Bridge and Talbott Hall. Now we know what the Talbott family had for dinner. With live oysters the size of a man’s hand, these reefs are a clear indicator that the Lafayette is alive. There are three public access areas to the Lafayette, but the best by far is the Haven Creek ramp. Recently renovated by the city of Norfolk, it is located at the corner of Llewellyn and Delaware Avenues. There is a beautiful two-acre site with a new ramp and floating docks, protected from wind and currents. Stop by with your boat or kayak, and explore this unique, urban, but uncrowded waterway. by Kendall Osborne