Becks Run
Encyclopedia
Becks Run is a tributary
of the Monongahela River
. As an urban stream
, it is heavily polluted, receiving combined sewer outflow from Carrick (Pittsburgh)
and Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania
. There is a waterfall
on a tributary, just downstream from a slate dump, near the intersection of Wagner Avenue and Mountain Avenue. There were coal mines along the stream, including Becks Run #2 , owned by the estate of James H. Hays
, served by an incline
and the H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad
. Other mines were operated by Jones & Laughlin, and the Birmingham Coal Company
.
It is the namesake of the Pittsburgh and Beck's Run Railroad
(1877-1880), which ran from the Smithfield Street Bridge
to the Jones and Laughlin Iron Works
, and was absorbed by the P&LE Railroad.
A former town, located where Becks Run enters the Monongahela, was also named Becks Run.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
. As an urban stream
Urban stream
An urban stream is a formerly natural waterway that flows through a heavily populated area. Urban streams are often significantly polluted, due to urban runoff and combined sewer outflows....
, it is heavily polluted, receiving combined sewer outflow from Carrick (Pittsburgh)
Carrick (Pittsburgh)
Carrick is a south neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is served by two zip codes, 15210 and 15227, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 4 with a part in District 3.Located between the suburbs of the South Hills and...
and Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania
Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania
Mount Oliver is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a largely residential area situated atop a crest about west of the Monongahela River. The borough is surrounded entirely by the city of Pittsburgh....
. There is a waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
on a tributary, just downstream from a slate dump, near the intersection of Wagner Avenue and Mountain Avenue. There were coal mines along the stream, including Becks Run #2 , owned by the estate of James H. Hays
James H. Hays (coal operator)
James Harden Hays was a pioneer of bituminous coal mining in Western Pennsylvania. His first mine was opened in 1828, at the mouth of Street's Run, where it empties into the Monongahela River. He died on March 30, 1876, at his home near Beck's Run....
, served by an incline
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
and the H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad
H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad
The H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad operated to carry coal from the Hays family mines along Becks Run and Streets Run in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Both branches included an incline, and both are visible in the engravings below, one just south of Six Mile...
. Other mines were operated by Jones & Laughlin, and the Birmingham Coal Company
Birmingham Coal Company
The Birmingham Coal Company was a coal mining company in the Pittsburgh Coalfield area. It operated mines along Becks Run, as well as other mines south of the Monongahela River, such as the Bausman Mine and the American Mine. It is named for Birmingham, Pennsylvania, a town which was later...
.
It is the namesake of the Pittsburgh and Beck's Run Railroad
Pittsburgh and Beck's Run Railroad
The Pittsburgh and Beck's Run Railroad was a short line railroad in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, running from the Smithfield Street Bridge to the Jones and Laughlin Iron Works....
(1877-1880), which ran from the Smithfield Street Bridge
Smithfield Street Bridge
The Smithfield Street Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge crossing the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.The bridge was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the engineer who later designed the Hell Gate Bridge. The bridge was built between 1881–83, opening for traffic on March 19, 1883....
to the Jones and Laughlin Iron Works
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
The earliest foundations of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company were the American Iron Company, founded in 1851 by Bernard Lauth, and B. F. Jones founded in 1852a few miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth's interest was bought in 1854 by James H. Laughlin...
, and was absorbed by the P&LE Railroad.
A former town, located where Becks Run enters the Monongahela, was also named Becks Run.
Illustrations
- 1877 engraving of the mouth of Becks Run http://www.davidrumsey.com/detail?id=1-1-3483-370050&name=H.B.+Hays+&+Bro.+...+Works+at+Becks+Run+...+Pittsburgh,+Pa.
See also
- List of rivers of Pennsylvania
- Becks Run RoadBecks Run Road (Pittsburgh)Becks Run Road is a street in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It connects Brownsville Road in the Carrick neighborhood of Pittsburgh with East Carson Street on the South Side. It is part of the Blue Belt road system...