Saint Paul River

The Saint Paul River is a western African river. Its origins can be found in southeastern Guinea. Its higher reaches in Guinea are known as the Diani River or Niandi River, and they constitute part of the Guinea-Liberia border. This river is considered one of the longest rivers in Liberia.

The Saint Paul River then enters Liberia around 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Gbarnga and flows southwestward across the country. It drains into the Atlantic Ocean on Bushrod Island, dividing Monrovia from its suburb Brewerville, at Cape Mesurado in Monrovia. The river was named after Portuguese navigators who first saw it on St. Paul's feast day in the 15th century. The river was vital in the slave trade since it was here that Robert Bostock constructed his business.

Many early African-American emigrants to Liberia in the 19th century migrated up to the neighboring St. Paul River, where they discovered land suited for cultivation, because the soil surrounding Monrovia, Liberia was poor and the coastal areas were covered in dense forest. They built up little colonies there. Along the river, American Lutheran missionaries established the Muhlenberg Mission Station, where they taught youngsters different academic subjects, technical/agricultural skills (particularly coffee farming), and catechism.

Length: 450 km