Twelvepole Creek
Twelvepole Creek near its mouth in Ceredo, flowing beneath Interstate 64
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountyWayne
Physical characteristics
SourceEast Fork Twelvepole Creek
 • locationDingess Mountain, Mingo County, West Virginia
 • coordinates37°53′02″N 82°07′15″W / 37.88389°N 82.12083°W / 37.88389; -82.12083
 • elevation1,277 ft (389 m)[1]
2nd sourceWest Fork Twelvepole Creek
 • locationDingess Mountain, Mingo County, West Virginia
 • coordinates37°51′33″N 82°06′48″W / 37.85917°N 82.11333°W / 37.85917; -82.11333
 • elevation1,676 ft (511 m)[2]
Source confluence 
 • locationWayne, West Virginia
 • coordinates38°12′41″N 82°26′44″W / 38.21139°N 82.44556°W / 38.21139; -82.44556
 • elevation594 ft (181 m)
MouthOhio River[3]
 • location
Ceredo, West Virginia
 • coordinates
38°24′04″N 82°31′51″W / 38.40111°N 82.53083°W / 38.40111; -82.53083
 • elevation
515 ft (157 m)
Discharge 
 • locationEast Fork near m, [4]
 • average8.3 cu ft/s (0.24 m3/s)[4]
 • minimum0.13 cu ft/s (0.0037 m3/s)(1989)
 • maximum99 cu ft/s (2.8 m3/s)(1980)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightBeech Fork

Twelvepole Creek is a 32.2-mile-long (51.8 km)[5] river located in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Mississippi River watershed, by way of the Ohio River. It is alternately known as Twelve Pole Creek.[6]

Course

Twelvepole Creek rises in northern Mingo County before flowing north through Wayne County. The headwaters of the East Fork of the Twelvepole are dammed to form East Lynn Lake. The East Fork of the river then flows north through East Lynn, Wayne, and Lavalette. The West Fork of the Twelvepole flows north through Dunlow, West Virginia and joins the East Fork at the town of Wayne. The river then flows north again before draining into the Ohio River just east of Ceredo.

Origin of name

Twelvepole Creek received its name from early explorer. The group supposedly included a young George Washington[citation needed]. Traveling the Ohio River, they measured the mouth of the creek where it joined the Ohio in terms of poles, also known as rods. Being approximately 198 feet (12 poles) wide at its mouth, the creek was named Twelvepole Creek.[7]

Recreation

East Lynn Lake and Beech Fork Lake (formed from one of Twelvepole Creek's tributaries) provide popular destinations for boating, fishing, swimming, and camping.

See also

References

  1. ^ "East Fork Twelvepole Creek Source". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  2. ^ "West Fork Twelvepole Creek Source". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  3. ^ "Twelvepole Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  4. ^ a b "USGS 03206600 East Fork Twelvepole Creek Near Dunlow, West Virginia". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  5. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 26, 2011
  6. ^ "House Concurrent Resolution No. 23". West Virginia Legislature. February 14, 2002. Archived from the original on September 3, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  7. ^ 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. pp. 637–638.
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