The unique and rare natural resources of the Keowee area were observed and noted as early as 1788, when French botanist Andre Michaux discovered a rare wildflower with pink-white blossoms at the confluence of the Toxaway and Whitewater rivers (now under Lake Jocassee - a beautiful lake nearby where our boats can be taken to explore). This rare wildflower, the Oconee Bell, is native to only a few counties in the Blue Ridge area.