Little Kanawha River
Course
The Little Kanawha rises in southern Upshur County, approximately 20 mi (32 km) south of Buckhannon. It follows a meandering course generally west-northwestwardly, through Lewis, Braxton, Gilmer, Calhoun, Wirt and Wood Counties, past the communities of Burnsville, Stouts Mills, Sand Fork, Glenville, Grantsville, Bigbend, Creston, Burning Springs, Palestine, Elizabeth, and Newark, to its mouth at the Ohio River in Parkersburg.
About 3 mi (5 km) upstream of Burnsville, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam causes the river to form Burnsville Lake, 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 on the boundary of Lewis and Braxton counties; Saltlick Creek, England Run and Oil Creek in Braxton County; Sand Fork, Cedar Creek and Leading Creek in Gilmer County; Steer Creek in Calhoun County; the West Fork Little Kanawha River, Spring Creek, Reedy Creek, and the Hughes River (its largest tributary) in Wirt County; and Walker Creek, Tygart Creek, Slate Creek and Worthington Creek 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.
Name
The Little Kanawha River was named for its smaller size relative to the nearby Kanawha River.
According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Little Kanawha River has also been known as:
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Recreation
Fishing
Multiple West Virginia stage record fish were caught along the Little Kanawha River.
See also
- Kanawha River
- List of rivers of West Virginia
- Burnsville Bridge
- Duck Run Cable Suspension Bridge
- Glenville Truss Bridge
- Stouts Mill Bridge
References
- ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Report: Little Kanawha River". watersgeo.epa.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-07-03. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
- ^ Gilchrist-Stalnaker, Joy Gregoire. 2006. "Little Kanawha River." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
- ^ Willis, Todd C. (ed.) 1987. "Length of rivers and watershed areas in West Virginia." West Virginia Blue Book. Vol. 71.
- ^ "Little Kanawha once was vital transportation link," Parkersburg News & Sentinel website
- ^ DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
- ^ Burnsville Lake website, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- ^ Hohmann, George. "Lock offered combination for growth." Charleston Daily Mail. 15 June 1999. Archived 8 February 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 377.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Kanawha River
- ^ "West Virginia Fishing Records". West Virginia DNR. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "West Virginia Fishing Records". Land Big Fish. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Kirk, Sam (January 10, 2024). "West Virginia DNR creates 5 new state fishing record categories". WBOY. Retrieved August 25, 2024.