West Branch Susquehanna River
West Branch Susquehanna River | |
---|---|
Cambria County | |
• coordinates | 40°35′55″N 78°43′23″W / 40.59871°N 78.72311°W |
Mouth | Susquehanna River |
• location | Northumberland, Northumberland County |
• coordinates | 40°52′55″N 76°47′51″W / 40.88194°N 76.79750°W[1] |
• elevation | 423 ft (129 m) |
Length | 243 mi (391 km), West-east |
Basin size | 6,847 sq mi (17,730 km2)[2] |
Discharge | |
• location | Lewisburg[2] |
• average | 11,229 cu ft/s (318.0 m3/s)[2] |
• maximum | 287,000 cu ft/s (8,100 m3/s)[3] |
Basin features | |
Bald Eagle Creek, White Deer Hole Creek |
The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the extension of the main branch,[4] with the shorter West Branch being its principal tributary.
The West Branch, which is 243 miles (391 km) long,[5] is entirely within the state of Pennsylvania, draining a large mountainous area within the Allegheny Plateau in the western part of the state. Along most of its course it meanders past mountain ridges and through water gaps, forming a large zigzag arc through central Pennsylvania around the north end of the Allegheny Mountains. In colonial times, the river valley provided an important route to the Ohio River valley. In the 19th century, its lower valley became a significant industrial heartland of Pennsylvania. In the 20th century, the upper reaches of the West Branch turned a yellow/orange color due to sulfurous drainage from nearby and abandoned deep bituminous coal mines.[citation needed]
Course
The West Branch rises on the west side of the Alleghenies in northwestern Cambria County, just outside the borough of Carrolltown. It flows generally north, crossing the eastern corner of Indiana County at Cherry Tree, then into southern Clearfield County. Near Mahaffey it turns generally northeast and flows past Curwensville and Clearfield. In northern Clinton County it turns to the southeast to Lock Haven. At Lock Haven, it turns east, flowing through the West Branch Susquehanna Valley along the foot of Bald Eagle Mountain ridge past Williamsport, the largest city on the river, then turns south at the end of the ridge. From there it winds around Muncy, emerging from a water gap between Montour Ridge and Shamokin Mountain and joining the north (main) branch of the Susquehanna from the northwest approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Sunbury.
Tributaries
From its upper reaches to its lower reaches, it receives:
- Chest Creek from the south at Mahaffey
- Anderson Creek from the west in Curwensville
- Clearfield Creek from the south 2 miles (3 km) east of Clearfield
- Karthaus
- Sinnemahoning Creek from the northwest at Keating
- Fish Dam Run from the south 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Renovo, Pennsylvania
- Bald Eagle Creek from the southwest at Lock Haven
- Pine Creek and Larrys Creek from the north near Jersey Shore
- Lycoming Creek from the north at Williamsport
- Loyalsock Creek from the northeast at Montoursville
- Muncy Creek from the northeast at Muncy
- White Deer Hole Creek from the south at Allenwood.
- White Deer Creek from the west at White Deer next to the Watsontown River Bridge.
- Buffalo Creek from the west at Lewisburg.
- Chillisquaque Creek from the northeast at West Chillisquaque Township 5.01 miles (8.06 km) upriver of its mouth.[6]
History
Up through the early 19th century the river provided the principal
lands to the west as specified by treaty.The lands along the West Branch were vital hunting grounds and agricultural lands for
Early inhabitants
The first recorded inhabitants of the West Branch Susquehanna River valley were the
Colonial settlement
The
In the American Revolutionary War, settlements throughout the Susquehanna valley were attacked by Loyalists and Native Americans allied with the British. After the Wyoming Valley battle and massacre in the summer of 1778 (near what is now Wilkes-Barre) and smaller local attacks, the "Big Runaway" occurred throughout the West Branch Susquehanna valley. Settlers fled feared and actual attacks by the British and their allies. Homes and fields were abandoned, with livestock driven along and a few possessions floated on rafts on the river east to Muncy, then further south to Sunbury. The abandoned property was burnt by the attackers. Some settlers soon returned, only to flee again in the summer of 1779 in the "Little Runaway". The Sullivan Expedition helped stabilize the area and encouraged resettlement, which continued after the war.[9] In 1790, Timothy Matlack, Samuel Maclay and John Adlum were commissioned by the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to survey the headwaters of the Susquehanna and explore a route for a passageway to connect the West Branch with the waters of the Allegheny River.[10]
The
Log boom
The
A boom is a chain or line of connected floating timbers extended across a river, lake, or harbor, so as to obstruct passage or catch floating objects.[13] The Susquehanna Boom extended 7 miles (11 km) upstream[14] from Duboistown to the village of Linden in Woodward Township. The boom was constructed by creating a series of man-made islands known as "cribs". These cribs built of local mountain stone and sunken timber were stretched diagonally across the river, beginning on the south side near Duboistown and ending on the north side near Linden. The boom was made of 352 separate cribs that were 22 feet (7 m) high.[14] The boom was opened and closed at the upper end by a device known as a "sheer boom". It was 1,000 feet (300 m) long and was controlled with a hand-powered windlass. The sheer boom gathered the logs into the main boom that was capable of holding up to 300 million board feet (700,000 m3) of logs. The lower end of the boom was where the logs were sorted. The mills in Williamsport, South Williamsport, and Duboistown each had their own distinctive brand burnt into the logs. The men working at the end of the boom would sort the logs according to their corresponding brand and float them into the correct holding pond along the bank of the river.
During the height of the lumber industry in Lycoming County, 1861–1891, the various mills produced 5.5 billion board feet (13 million m3) of lumber. Williamsport became one of the most prosperous cities in Pennsylvania and in the United States. Men like James H. Perkins, Peter Herdic, and Mahlon Fisher became millionaires while many of the men who actually worked in the river struggled to survive on the wages paid to them by the lumber barons.[15]
See also
- Shamokin Creek, next tributary of the Susquehanna River going downriver
- Lithia Springs Creek, next tributary of the Susquehanna River going upriver
- List of rivers of Pennsylvania
- List of dams and reservoirs of the Susquehanna River
- List of crossings of the Susquehanna River
References
- ^ "West Branch Susquehanna River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b c "USGS Gage #1553500 on the West Branch Susquehanna River at Lewisburg (Avg)". National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- ^ "USGS Gage #1553500 on the West Branch Susquehanna River at Lewisburg (Peak)". National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Susquehanna River
- ^ "U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data". viewer.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Gazetter of Streams" (PDF). September 2005.
- ^ "LOWER WEST BRANCH SUSQUEHANNA RIVER CONSERVATION PLAN" (PDF). dcnr.state.pa.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2005. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ "Siskuwihane". Lenape Talking Dictionary. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- )
- ^ Storey, Henry Wilson. History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1907.
- ^ Buckalew, John M. (1896). Report of the Commission to Locate the Site of the Frontier Forts in Pennsylvania: The Frontier Forts Within the North and West Branches of the Susquehanna River (Volume One ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Clarence M. Bush: State Printer of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ Hunsinger Jr., Lou. "James H. Perkins: Father of the Susquehanna Boom". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ^ "boom". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
- ^ a b "The Hiawatha – A Story of Lore, Lumberjacks & Local History". Williamsport Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
- OCRtypos).