Martins Creek (Delaware River)
Encyclopedia
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 Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
in eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
East Fork
The East Fork rises to the south of Kittatinny Mountain in Upper Mount Bethel TownshipUpper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania
Upper Mount Bethel Township is a township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upper Mount Bethel Township is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt....
, Northampton County
Northampton County, Pennsylvania
As of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the census of...
. It is impounded to form Minsi Lake, the center of a county park. The largest white perch
White perch
The white perch, Morone americana, is not a true perch but is, rather, a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America.The name "white perch" is sometimes erroneously applied to the white crappie....
caught in the state was caught here in 1991. Below the lake, it flows through a swamp and meets the West Fork just below North Bangor.
West Fork
The West Fork rises in Hamilton TownshipHamilton Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania
Hamilton Township is a township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,235 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
, Monroe County
Monroe County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile...
, where Blue Mountain
Blue Mountain (Pennsylvania)
Blue Mountain is a ridge that forms the eastern edge of the Appalachian mountain range in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It cuts across the eastern half of the state from New Jersey to Maryland, providing a distinct boundary between a number of Pennsylvania's geographical and cultural regions...
and Kittatinny Mountain ridges are joined. Flowing northeast, and then swinging east around the end of Blue Mountain, it joins the East Fork just below North Bangor.
Main stream
From the junction of the two forks, the main stream flows south through RosetoRoseto, Pennsylvania
Roseto is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Roseto is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt.The population of Roseto was 1,653 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
and Bangor
Bangor, Pennsylvania
Bangor is a borough located in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, west of New York City, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt. It had a population of 5,273 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, an area heavily marked with slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarries. A former DL&W
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
rail line, now Norfolk Southern, follows it south from Bangor. It passes through Flicksville and meets Greenwalk Creek just below Martins Creek Jct., where an abandoned DL&W line once diverged and ran northwest to Pen Argyl
Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania
Pen Argyl is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, north of Easton, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt.-Population:In 1900, 2,784 people lived in Pen Argyl, and in 1910, 3,967 people lived here...
. The creek valley now becomes wide but steep, and increasingly narrow and twisty as it flows further south and meets Little Martins Creek. At the town of Martins Creek
Martins Creek, Pennsylvania
Martins Creek is an unincorporated town in Lower Mt. Bethel Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, located along Martins Creek. The zip code is 18063. Its population was 1,200 as of the 1990 Census.-See also:...
, the DL&W line connects to the former PRR
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
Martins Creek Branch (now also Norfolk Southern), and PA Route 611 crosses the creek and runs along it before continuing south along the Delaware River. The creek passes the former Alpha Portland Cement plant, the major industry in the town, and empties into the Delaware River.