Shenandoah was a beautiful Indian princess. She was the daughter of the Chief of the Algonquin tribe. This story starts up dure'n her 16th Winter. The snow had come early and the tribe was wander'n toward the southwest in search of food and good hunt'n grounds.

Bout that time, there was a group of French explorers float'n down the great Missouri. They were make'n maps and catalogues of the wildlife.

Well Sir, somehow these two groups cozied up to each other and one of the French sailors cozied up, even closer, to the fetch'n princess.

The story goes that the chief didn't cotton to lose'n his daughter - specially to a white man. He put his foot down and forbade her to see him ever again. And he sent the sailor to the bottom of the river - just to make sure.

Heartsore , and crazed with anger and grief, Shenandoah lit out in the middle of the night.
She fairly flew cross the mountains toward the rise'n sun.
She ran so fast that she carved the valley that now bears her name. She tore through the oldest of the Great Appalachian Mountains and ran like the wind along the ancient traces.

During that fierce night, the Chief of the Algonquin sent word, under the wing of the white hawk, to the warrior of moving water, the Mighty Potomac.

      The angry chief's message charged Potomac with the order to capture Shenandoah and return her to her tribe.
Potomac received the hawk where the great water meets the sand. Without hesitation, he ran away from the sun and toward the roll'n hills.

As dawn sparked 'cross the land, Potomac met Shenandoah at the calm headwaters of Opecquon Creek.
      There, as Potomac wiped the tears from Shenandoah's lovely face, they felt a great love grow between em.
In desperation, they vowed - use'n all their power - to leave this world together; for they knew their love was but two stars crossed in path.

Above the gentle stream Opecquon, stand'n stalwart gainst heavens unknown, brave Potomac and sweet Shenandoah shared one kiss before they fell, as one, and filled the twin rivers which meet in an eternal embrace at the foot of the Blue Ridge.

©Naomi Marshall 2017

That's the version I like the best cause I made it up myself  :)

The song, Shenandoah, is the love song that the French sailor sings to his beloved from the bottom of the Missouri River.

If you lean out beyond the cliffs, that keep the Eastern Panhandle from drift'n toward the Chesapeake, you can see the two lovers waltz in deep water.

note: all art was gleaned from material offered as public domain.