Little Kanawha River
Encyclopedia
The Little Kanawha River is a tributary
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 Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

, 169 mi (269 km) long, in western West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Via the Ohio, it is part of the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, draining an area of 2,320 mi² (6,009 km²) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau
Allegheny Plateau
The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...

. It served as an important commercial water route in the early history of West Virginia, particularly in the logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...

 and petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 industries.

Course

The Little Kanawha rises in southern Upshur County
Upshur County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 23,404 people, 8,972 households, and 6,352 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile . There were 10,751 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile...

, approximately 20 mi (32 km) south of Buckhannon
Buckhannon, West Virginia
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,725 at the 2000 census. Buckhannon is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival,...

. It follows a meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...

ing course generally west-northwestwardly, through Lewis
Lewis County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,919 people, 6,946 households, and 4,806 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 7,944 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...

, Braxton, Gilmer
Gilmer County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,160 people, 2,768 households, and 1,862 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 3,621 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...

, Calhoun
Calhoun County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,582 people, 3,071 households, and 2,201 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 3,848 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...

, Wirt
Wirt County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,873 people, 2,284 households, and 1,699 families residing in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile . There were 3,266 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...

 and Wood
Wood County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 87,986 people, 36,275 households, and 24,884 families residing in the county. The population density was 240 people per square mile . There were 39,785 housing units at an average density of 108 per square mile...

 Counties, past the communities of Burnsville
Burnsville, West Virginia
Burnsville is a town in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Little Kanawha River and Saltlick Creek. The population was 481 at the 2000 census...

, Stouts Mills
Stouts Mills, West Virginia
Stouts Mills is an unincorporated community in Gilmer County, West Virginia, United States. Stouts Mills is located on West Virginia Route 5 southeast of Sand Fork....

, Sand Fork
Sand Fork, West Virginia
Sand Fork is a town in Gilmer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 176 at the 2000 census. It is located along the Little Kanawha River, at the mouth of the Sand Fork....

, Glenville
Glenville, West Virginia
Glenville is a town in and the county seat of Gilmer County, West Virginia, United States, along the Little Kanawha River. The population was 1,544 at the 2000 census. It is the home of Glenville State College.-History:...

, Grantsville
Grantsville, West Virginia
Grantsville is a town in Calhoun County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 565 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Calhoun County. The town was established along the Little Kanawha River in 1865 and named for Ulysses S. Grant...

, Bigbend
Bigbend, West Virginia
Bigbend is an unincorporated community in Calhoun County, West Virginia, United States. It lies along West Virginia Route 5 northwest of the town of Grantsville, the county seat of Calhoun County, along the Little Kanawha River. Its elevation is 682 feet...

, Creston
Creston, West Virginia
Creston is an unincorporated community in southeastern Wirt County, West Virginia, United States. It lies at the confluence of the Little Kanawha River and the West Fork Little Kanawha River on West Virginia Route 5, southeast of the town of Elizabeth, the county seat of Wirt County. Its...

, Burning Springs
Burning Springs, West Virginia
Burning Springs is an unincorporated town in Wirt County, West Virginia, USA. It takes its name from the natural gas which bubbled up through the spring and would burn when lit....

, Palestine, Elizabeth
Elizabeth, West Virginia
Elizabeth is a town in Wirt County, West Virginia along the Little Kanawha River. The population was 994 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wirt County. The townsite of Elizabeth was settled by William Beauchamp in 1796, and was known as "Beauchamp's Mills" until 1817, when it was named...

, and Newark
Newark, West Virginia
Newark is an unincorporated community in Wirt County, West Virginia, United States. Its elevation is 643 feet ....

, to its mouth at the Ohio River in Parkersburg
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...

.

About 3 mi (5 km) upstream of Burnsville, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 causes the river to form Burnsville Lake
Burnsville Lake
Burnsville Lake is both a recreational and flood control reservoir on Little Kanawha River located southeast of Burnsville in Braxton County, West Virginia. Burnsville Lake was authorized by the U.S. Congress in the Flood Control Act of 1938....

, which was completed in 1976 at a cost of $56.2 million.

Tributaries

Along its course the Little Kanawha River collects the Right Fork Little Kanawha River
Right Fork Little Kanawha River
The Right Fork Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region.The Right Fork Little Kanawha...

 on the boundary of Lewis and Braxton counties; Saltlick Creek
Saltlick Creek (Little Kanawha River)
Saltlick Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny...

 in Braxton County; Sand Fork
Sand Fork (Little Kanawha River)
The Sand Fork is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny...

, Cedar Creek
Cedar Creek (West Virginia)
Cedar Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny...

 and Leading Creek
Leading Creek (Little Kanawha River)
Leading Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny...

 in Gilmer County; Steer Creek
Steer Creek (West Virginia)
Steer Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...

 in Calhoun County; the West Fork Little Kanawha River
West Fork Little Kanawha River
The West Fork Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in west-central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region on the unglaciated portion...

, Spring Creek
Spring Creek (Little Kanawha River)
Spring Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...

, Reedy Creek
Reedy Creek (West Virginia)
Reedy Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...

, and the Hughes River
Hughes River (West Virginia)
The Hughes River is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River...

 (its largest tributary) in Wirt County; and Walker Creek
Walker Creek (West Virginia)
Walker Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.Walker Creek’s...

, Tygart Creek
Tygart Creek
Tygart Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.Tygart Creek flows...

, and Worthington Creek
Worthington Creek
Worthington Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in the city of Parkersburg and its vicinity.Worthington Creek flows...

 in Wood County.

Additionally, a minor tributary near Grantsville is known as the Bull River; despite being named a "river," it is no larger than dozens of other small streams that flow into the Little Kanawha.

Variant names

According to the Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...

, the Little Kanawha River has also been known as:
  • Fishing Creek
  • Little Canawha River
  • Little Canhawa River
  • Little Conaway River
  • Little Cunnaway River
  • Little Kanahaway River
  • Little Kanahwa River
  • Little Kanahway River
  • Little Kanawah River
  • Little Kanhaway River
  • Little Kanhawey River
  • Little Kawahwa River
  • Little Kenawah
  • Little Kenhawa
  • Little Kenhaway
  • Little Kennaway River
  • Nau-mis-sip-pia
  • Newmissipi
  • O-mom-go-how-ce-pe
  • O-nim-go-how

  • See also

    • Kanawha River
      Kanawha River
      The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...

    • List of rivers of West Virginia
    • Burnsville Bridge
      Burnsville Bridge
      Burnsville Bridge is a historic Pratt-Through Truss bridge located at Burnsville, Braxton County, West Virginia. It was built in 1893, by the Variety Iron Works Company or Cleveland, Ohio and crosses the Little Kanawha River. It consists of two Truss spans and one girder span. The three spans are...

    • Duck Run Cable Suspension Bridge
      Duck Run Cable Suspension Bridge
      Duck Run Cable Suspension Bridge, also known as Trubada Swinging Bridge, is a historic cable suspension bridge bridge that spans the Little Kanawha River at Trubada, Gilmer County, West Virginia. The bridge was built in 1922. The bridge is 351 feet, 7 inches, with a main span of 209 feet,...

    • Glenville Truss Bridge
      Glenville Truss Bridge
      Glenville Truss Bridge is a historic Pratt Through Truss bridge that spans the Little Kanawha River at Glenville, Gilmer County, West Virginia. The bridge was built in 1885. The bridge is 240 feet, 6 inches, long and the main through truss span is 147 feet. It was designed and/or built by...

    • Stouts Mill Bridge
      Stouts Mill Bridge
      The Stouts Mill Bridge is a historic camel-back through truss bridge that brings Duskcamp Rd. over Little Kanawha River in Stouts Mill, Gilmer County, West Virginia. The bridge was built in 1897. It was designed and/or built by the Canton Bridge Company....


    External links

    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
    x
    OK