Okay ..let's look at some pictures.
Folks, please allow me to introduce what I believe, based on descriptions, is the island that I just nominated Catalano Island. Let's look at it, how it's situated, and how on earth anything would have gotten to it that was traveling *ahem* UP the creek?!?
Descriptions say .50 mi from 'shore' and I assume that because Jonathan put in his boat at White Bank, that's the reference they're using with which to measure the distance. They said the island is about 20'x24'. What I read on the map is a little larger, about 30'x36' but needless to say, changes in water levels could make those measurements off slightly. Jonathan said it was difficult to navigate to and you couldn't see Kelly from the shore. It has also been reported that it is in the 'middle' of the creek. So here's the one I found that fits all of that. The exposed portion, above the water level in this pic, should in fact be about 20'x24'. Oh, sorry, DUH, it's the lil bitty one, almost center screen.
Let me back off and show you where this is....that's 95 running parallel at the top of your screen.
Here's that .50 but if you simply go straight on, instead of navigating your way to this island, there are no more small ones to consider and you're left at the tip of the larger island directly in the center of the creek.
95 on the right, island (or rock really) on the left
See the pitiful red circle I drew on the map? That's our "rock."
Now let's look at something new I just discovered about that 95 overpass....Swift Creek runs under it in TWO places, not just one.
Here they are. I showed you the larger one in post 472 I believe, but there's a smaller area where it goes under 95 right here...it's flipped so north is south. See our rock? If not, follow the #1 back to the left, along the water.
FWIW, there IS access available to this area other than by boat. There's a well worn pathway leading behind Linens of The Week that dumps out due north of the location found. There is access from Pine Forest Drive, behind the DOT building. There is a series of paths behind Dumlop Farms on Ellerslie Ave, and there is private, community access from Swift Bluff Drive in the Millside Subdivision, also off of Pine Forest Drive.
And what do you make of this? It's awfully close, don't you think, or am I just being the eternal skeptic? This structure is 700 feet away from our rock, if this is the right island...and it's isolated....odd.....
That's all I got for now.....except that I found this (okay I lied, my Dad found it).......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appomattox_River
*snipped
The Appomattox River rises in the Piedmont of northeastern Appomattox County, approximately 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the town of Appomattox. It flows generally southeast through the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest to Farmville. From Farmville it flows in a large arc northeast then southeast across the coastal plain, passing southwest of Richmond and passing through the Lake Chesdin reservoir. It flows through Petersburg, its head of navigation, through the Tri-cities area, then joins the James River from the west at City Point in Hopewell.
There ya go......east
so bear with me on this...