Tenmile Creek 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 West Fork River

West Fork River

The West Fork River is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, 103 miles long, in north-central West Virginia in the United States...

, 26.4 miles (42.5 km) long, in north-central 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 West Fork, Monongahela

Monongahela River

The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...

 and Ohio

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...

 Rivers, 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 126 square miles (326.3 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...

.

Tenmile Creek and its watershed are located entirely in western and northern Harrison County

Harrison County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 68,652 people, 27,867 households, and 19,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 165 people per square mile . There were 31,112 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile...

. It rises in the southwestern part of the county, approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) west of West Milford

West Milford, West Virginia

West Milford is a town in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 651 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Milford is located at , along the West Fork River....

, and flows northwardly and northeastwardly to the town of Lumberport

Lumberport, West Virginia

Lumberport is a town in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 937 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lumberport is located at , at the confluence of Tenmile Creek and the West Fork River....

, where it joins the West Fork River from the southwest. Its tributaries include Salem Fork, which drains the city of Salem

Salem, West Virginia

Salem is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,006 at the 2000 census. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 50 and West Virginia Route 23; the North Bend Rail Trail passes through the city...

; and Little Tenmile Creek, 13 miles (20.9 km) long, which flows southeastwardly through northwestern Harrison County.

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 81% of Tenmile Creek's watershed is forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

ed, mostly deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

. Approximately 13% is used for pasture and agriculture, and less than 1% is urban.

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...

, Tenmile Creek has also been known historically as Coal Bank Creek.