Big Sandy River (Ohio River tributary)
Big Sandy River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Kentucky, West Virginia |
Counties | Lawrence KY, Wayne WV, Boyd KY |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Tug Fork |
• location | Big Stone Ridge, McDowell County, WV |
• coordinates | 37°16′38″N 81°26′06″W / 37.27722°N 81.43500°W[1] |
• elevation | 2,604 ft (794 m)[2] |
2nd source | Levisa Fork |
• location | Gap of Sandy, Buchanan County, VA |
• coordinates | 37°09′06″N 81°54′04″W / 37.15167°N 81.90111°W |
• elevation | 2,657 ft (810 m)[3] |
Source confluence | |
• location | Louisa, KY |
• coordinates | 38°07′05″N 82°36′06″W / 38.11806°N 82.60167°W |
• elevation | 545 ft (166 m) |
Mouth | Ohio River[4] |
• location | Catlettsburg, KY |
• coordinates | 38°24′58″N 82°35′45″W / 38.41611°N 82.59583°W |
• elevation | 525 ft (160 m) |
Length | 29 mi (47 km) |
Basin size | 4,280 sq mi (11,100 km2)[5] |
Discharge | |
• location | mouth |
• average | 5,006.74 cu ft/s (141.775 m3/s) (estimate)[6] |
The Big Sandy River, called Sandy Creek as early as 1756, is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 29 miles (47 km) long,[7] in western West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky in the United States. The river forms part of the boundary between the two states along its entire course. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.
It is formed between
The river is
The name of the river, originally called Sandy Creek by 1756, comes from the presence of extensive sand bars. The Native American names for the river included Tatteroa, Chatteroi, and Chatterwha.[8] The name "Big Sandy" was in use no later than February, 1789.[9]
George Washington surveyed land at the mouth of the river between 1768 and 1772.[10]
First Americans
Some Native American groups have links to the area and region, such as the Shawnee, Cherokee, Tutelo, Issa, and others.
Sandy Creek Expedition
In 1756, as part of the French and Indian War, the Sandy Creek Expedition occurred in the valley.
Early Anglo settlement
The tombstone of David White, an early settler along the river in Kentucky, marks his passing in 1817 with the note that he lived many years near the Mouth of the Big Sandy.[11]
Civil War
Several notable personalities relating to the Civil War hailed from the Big Sandy Valley. Likewise, the valley hosted important war-time events.
Hatfield-McCoy Feud
The Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River is the site of the
Martin County sludge spill
On October 11, 2000, the
The spill was 30 times larger than the
Popular culture
Two well-known fiddle tunes take their name from the Big Sandy River: "Sandy River Belle" and the "Big Sandy River". Loretta Lynn's "Van Lear Rose" and Dwight Yoakam's "Bury Me" also mention the river.
See also
- List of Kentucky rivers
- List of West Virginia rivers
- Little Sandy River
- Port of Huntington Tri-State
References
- ^ "Tug Fork". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2004-04-24.
- ^
"Tug Fork Source". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^
"Levisa Fork Source". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-07-18.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Big Sandy River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1979-09-20. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- ^ "Tributaries". www.orsanco.org.
- ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Report: [Big Sandy River]". watersgeo.epa.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-07-03. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed June 13, 2011
- ISBN 0-8061-3598-0.
- ^ Ely, William (1887). The Big Sandy Valley: A History of the People and Country from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time (Google eBook). Central Methodist. p. 11.
- ^ "The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885–1929, April 19, 1888, Image 3". Big Sandy News (Louisa, KY). 19 April 1888. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ [thebookplace.org/genealogy/databases/], Retrieved 2013-7-19
- ^ [news.google.com/newspapers?id=cboeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-M8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6918,1660633&dq=martin+county+sludge+spill&hl=en Spartanburg Herald-Journal], Retrieved 2011-01-29.