Captain John Smith's
Voyages of Exploration
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network
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#7 Patuxent Sunset
The Patuxent River, August 1608

This view of the setting sun could be seen from the banks of the Patuxent River just upriver from Opanient. The settlement of Opanient was situated on a point of land that allowed excellent viewing of the river five miles up and down the river. This was the most downriver of the villages plotted by Smith, and would have rapidly sent news up river of the arrival of the ship barge in the river. The beauty of the sunsets across the wide waters of the lower river are often breath taking, then and now for the people who live in and visit Calvert County, the Patuxent shoreline and the entire Chesapeake region.

This scene is the view looking up the Patuxent from Openient. Explore the ever changing environments, cultures and history of this area of the Chesapeake Bay by visiting these nearby Gateways: