Solo River was part of a massive river system that once existed in
Sundaland. This drainage of the river system consisted of a major river in present-day
Sumatra and
Borneo, such as the Asahan River,
Musi River and
Kapuas River. The river system disappeared when Sundaland was submerged after
sea level rise following the last Ice Age. The river played an important part in Javanese history. Its
drainage basin is an important agricultural area, dominated by
rice farming. The river transported fertile volcanic soil downstream, replenishing the soil. It also provided a link between Javanese port cities on the northern coast and the rice-growing hinterlands, with shallow vessels transporting rice to the ports to be sold. This rice is Java's main commodity that was traded as part of the
Spice trade. Following the acquisition of much of Java by the Dutch colonial government, various
cash crops were introduced to be planted across the river basin, such as
coffee,
sugar, and
cotton. (see
Cultivation System). By the last years of the 19th century, river sedimentation in its original delta in Madura Strait started to disrupt vessel traffic in the port of Surabaya. The Dutch colonial government decided to divert the river flow away from the shipping lane into
the Java Sea. They built a canal in the river's delta in the 1890s which still alters the river to this day. In 1891, Dutch paleoanthropologist
Eugène Dubois discovered remains (a part of a
skull and human-like
femur bone and
tooth) he described as "a species in between humans and apes". These were the first specimens of early
hominid remains to be found outside of Africa or Europe. == Course ==