Misplaced Pages

#196803

33-689: Shavers Fork, via the Cheat, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River , draining an area of 214 sq mi (550 km). It flows for much of its length through the Monongahela National Forest , and drains mostly rural and forested areas. 97% of the river's basin is forested, and two-thirds of it is public land. Shavers Fork rises in north-central Pocahontas County at Thorny Flat , highest peak of Cheat Mountain (4,848 ft; 1,478 m) and

66-740: A 4-H facility since the 1920s. A walking trail parallels the river for 1.2 miles (2 km) in Veteran's Park in Clarksburg. For much of its length between Clarksburg and Fairmont, the West Fork is paralleled by a pair of rail trails on the route of a mid-19th century line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . The Harrison County Trail extends northward from Clarksburg, and the West Fork River Trail connects Shinnston to Fairmont. A long-term closure of

99-454: A series of locks and dams that makes it navigable. The Unami word Monongahela means "falling banks", in reference to the geological instability of the river's banks. Moravian missionary David Zeisberger (1721–1808) gave this account of the naming: "In the Indian tongue the name of this river was Mechmenawungihilla (alternatively spelled Menawngihella ), which signifies a high bank, which

132-483: Is 95 feet (29 m) tall and forms a 2,650-acre (1,070  ha ) lake, with a larger capacity during periods of flood. Land along the lake is leased as a wildlife management area and Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park . Between the years of 1905 and 1931, four small dams were constructed by the Clarksburg Water Board on a sixteen-mile (26 km) stretch of the river upstream (south) of Clarksburg, for

165-793: Is a few miles upstream of Bemis. Shavers Fork ultimately joins the Black Fork at Parsons to form the Cheat at an elevation of 1,621 ft (494 m). The creek was named after the local Shaver family. According to the Geographic Names Information System , Shavers Fork has also been known historically as: Multiple West Virginia stage record fish were caught along the Shavers Fork. Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( / m ə ˌ n ɒ ŋ ɡ ə ˈ h iː l ə / mə- NONG -gə- HEE -lə , /- ˈ h eɪ -/ -⁠ HAY - ), sometimes referred to locally as

198-433: Is ever washed out and therefore collapses." The Lenape Language Project renders the word as Mënaonkihëla (pronounced [mənaoŋɡihəla] ), translated "where banks cave in or erode", from the verbs mënaonkihële "the dirt caves off" (such as the bank of a river or creek, or in a landslide) and mënaonke (pronounced [mənaoŋɡe] ), "it has a loose bank" (where one might fall in). Monongalia County and

231-598: Is formed by the confluence of the West Fork River and its "east fork"—the Tygart Valley River —at Fairmont in north central West Virginia. From there it flows northeasterly to cross the Pennsylvania border just west of north Cheat Lake on its Cheat River tributary. Then it flows northerly across southwestern Pennsylvania, taking a bit of a detour northeast 10 miles south of Pittsburgh to approach Pittsburgh from

264-503: Is formed near the community of Rock Cave in southwestern Upshur County by the confluence of small headwaters tributaries known as Straight Fork and Whites Camp Fork. From this confluence the West Fork River flows north through Lewis , Harrison and Marion counties, through the communities of Weston , West Milford , Clarksburg , Lumberport , Shinnston , Enterprise , Worthington , and Monongah to Fairmont , where it joins

297-620: Is locally popular for fishing , and is stocked with muskellunge by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Other fish species in the river include carp ; channel and flathead catfish ; golden and rainbow trout ; largemouth , smallmouth , and spotted bass ; sauger ; and walleye . Jackson's Mill was established along the river north of Weston around the year 1800 by Edward Jackson; his grandson and future confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson lived there during much of his youth. The site has been operated as

330-570: Is navigable its entire length with a series of locks and dams that maintain a minimum depth of 9 feet (2.7 m) to accommodate coal-laden barges. All dams are operated by the Pittsburgh District Army Corps of Engineers. In 2006, the navigation system, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , had nine dam-locks along 128.7 miles (207.1 km) of waterway. The locks overcame a change in elevation of about 147 feet (44.8 m). The locks and dam at Elizabeth will be removed by

363-586: Is of a very rugged plateau type which allows streams to gather sufficient water volume before they fall off the plateau and create challenging rapids. Some of the best known specific stream locations for this include: The Monongahela River valley was the site of a famous battle that was one of the first in the French and Indian War —the Braddock Expedition (May–July 1755). It resulted in a sharp defeat for two thousand British and Colonial forces against those of

SECTION 10

#1732855860197

396-810: The Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock , the first steel works in the area, the Duquesne Works and the Jones and Laughlin steel works on the South Side of Pittsburgh. Only the Edgar Thomson works remain producing steel along the river. Despite the closure of many of the mills in the 1980s and 90s, the Monogahela is still an important waterway for industry. The Mon Valley Works of U.S. Steel operates three plants, including

429-550: The French and their Native American allies. In 1817, the Pennsylvania legislature authorized the Monongahela Navigation Company to build 16 dams with bypass locks to create a river transportation system between Pittsburgh and the area that would later become West Virginia . Originally planned to run as far south as the Cheat River , the system was extended to Fairmont, and bituminous coal from West Virginia

462-609: The Saint Lawrence River watershed. One (or more) extensive ice sheet advance dammed the old north-flowing drainage and created a vast lake—known as Lake Monongahela —stretching from an unknown point north of present-day Beaver, Pennsylvania for ~200 miles (320 km) south to Weston, West Virginia . A river-lake with many narrow bays, its maximum water surface rose to 1,100 feet (340 m) above sea level. Over 200 feet (61 m) deep in places, its southwestward overflow gradually incised old drainage divides and contributed to

495-579: The Tygart Valley River from the west to form the Monongahela River. (The Tygart is thus the "East Fork" of the Monongahela.) Among other tributaries, it collects Stonecoal Creek in Weston; Hackers Creek in southern Harrison County; Elk Creek in Clarksburg; and Simpson Creek and Tenmile Creek in northern Harrison County. The West Fork has a low gradient and is slow-moving throughout its course. It

528-604: The Edgar Thomson plant for basic steel marking, the Irvin plant for steel finishing, and the Clairton plant for coke production. Coal barges are a common sight on the river, and the railways which line either side are heavily used by freight. Other industries include power generation, chemicals, and recycling. Three ships in the United States Navy have been named Monongahela after the river. In October 1930, severe drought caused

561-643: The Mon ( / m ɒ n / ), is a 130-mile-long (210 km) river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania . The river flows from the confluence of its west and east forks in north-central West Virginia northeasterly into southwestern Pennsylvania, then northerly to Pittsburgh and its confluence with the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River . The river includes

594-755: The Ohio River. It falls 280 feet from its forks to its mouth, a stretch made navigable by locks. The mean depth is about 20 ft. In southwestern Pennsylvania, the Monongahela is met by two major tributaries : the Cheat River , which joins at Point Marion , and the Youghiogheny River , which joins at McKeesport . Major tributaries include: Becks Run , Big Sandy Creek , Buffalo Creek , Cheat River , Crooked Run , Deckers Creek , Dunkard Creek , Lick Run , Middle Fork River , Paw Paw Creek , Peters Creek , Streets Run , Turtle Creek , Tygart Valley River , West Fork River , Youghiogheny River . The river

627-569: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Work will commence in 2024. Afterwards 30 miles of the river between Charleroi and Braddock will be free flowing. According to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory for 2010, the Monongahela ranked as the 17th most polluted river in the nation. The primary polluters were Pennsylvania iron and steel mills. The upper drainage area of the river basin is renowned for its water sports/hobbies of whitewater kayaking (and in some cases whitewater rafting ) opportunities. The land here

660-529: The United States, the government of Virginia attempted to maintain commercial navigability on the river, chartering a company for that purpose in 1793 and requiring that dams for milling operations provide a chute for boats to pass downstream. Construction of a system of locks , dams, and chutes was begun by the Monongahela Navigation Company in 1817; the project was abandoned following damage by floods in 1824. Three miles (4.8 km) south of Weston,

693-492: The bomber has not been found. West Fork River The West Fork River is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River , 103 miles (166 km) long, in north-central West Virginia , United States. Via the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River , draining an area of 881 square miles (2,284 km²) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau . The river

SECTION 20

#1732855860197

726-473: The connection between the two trails is anticipated, due to the presence of hazardous waste at an industrial site near the community of Spelter in northern Harrison County. The West Fork River is not navigable by commercial barge traffic; it is classified by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as "recreationally navigable" for canoes and similar craft. During the early history of

759-551: The dam-lock combinations were increased in size and reduced in number. Briefly linked to the Monongahela Navigation was the Youghiogheny Navigation, a slack water system of 18.5 miles (29.8 km) between McKeesport and West Newton . It had two dam-locks overcoming a change in elevation of about 27 feet (8.2 m). Opening in 1850, it was destroyed by a flood in 1865. During the 19th century and well into

792-582: The geological development of the present-day upper Ohio River Valley . Via the Ohio River, the river is part of the Mississippi watershed which drains to the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic Ocean. The river's length is 130 miles, its drainage basin is 7,340 sq.mi. and the average 30-year discharge at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, is 9,109 cfs. It falls 3,831 ft. in elevation from its highest source to its mouth on

825-459: The provision of local drinking water. While the dams in later years have come to be regarded as good fishing areas, the Water Board is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on plans to remove them. In 2016 removal of three of the dams was completed in an effort led by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the removed dams being: West Milford, Two Lick, and Highland Dams. Removal of the dams

858-476: The river flow to drop below 10 cu ft/s (280 L/s), and in some places, it was possible to walk across the river bottom. The river was the site of a famous airplane crash that has become the subject of urban legends and conspiracy theories . Early on the morning of January 31, 1956, a B-25 bomber en route from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to Olmsted Air Force Base in Pennsylvania crashed into

891-496: The river is dammed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to form Stonewall Jackson Lake . The project was authorized by the federal Flood Control Act of 1966 for flood control, improvement of water quality and water supply , improvement of habitat for fish and wildlife, hydropower , and recreation. Construction of the dam was delayed by the opposition of local residents and began in the mid-1980s at an ultimate cost of $ 208 million; it became fully operational in 1988. The dam

924-519: The river near the Glenwood Bridge in Homestead, Pennsylvania . The six crewmen survived the initial crash, but two of them succumbed in the cold water and drowned. Despite the relatively shallow water, the aircraft was never recovered and became known as the "ghost bomber". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a graphical representation of the flight path and flight details in 1999. As of 2018,

957-440: The site of Snowshoe Mountain ski resort. Its headwaters flow through the ghost town of Spruce . The river then flows generally north-northeastwardly through Randolph and Tucker Counties, where its valley is the trough between Cheat Mountain (to the west) and Shavers Mountain (to the east). Settlements along its course include Cheat Bridge, Bemis , Bowden, and Porterwood. The "High Falls of Cheat" (15 feet [4.6 m] high)

990-634: The southeast and its confluence with the Allegheny River to form the Forks of the Ohio at "The Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh . Prior to early Pleistocene regional glaciation, more than 780,000 years ago, the ancestral Monongahela River (a.k.a. the Pittsburgh River) flowed northward from present-day north-central West Virginia, across western Pennsylvania and northwestern Ohio, and into

1023-457: The town of Monongah , both in West Virginia, are named for the river, as is the city of Monongahela in Pennsylvania. (The name "Monongalia" is either a Latinized adaptation of "Monongahela" or simply a variant spelling.) The USGS name for the river is the Monongahela River; there have been numerous alternate names, alternate spellings and misspellings in historical texts. The Monongahela

Shavers Fork - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-541: The twentieth, the Monongahela was heavily used by industry , and several U.S. Steel plants, including the Homestead Works, site of the Homestead Strike of 1892, were built along its banks. Following the killing of several workers in the course of the strike, anarchist Emma Goldman wrote: "Words had lost their meaning in the face of the innocent blood spilled on the banks of the Monongahela." Other mills included

1089-594: Was the chief product transported downstream. After a canal tunnel through Grant's Hill in Pittsburgh was completed in 1832, boats could travel between the Monongahela River and the Western Division Canal of Pennsylvania's principal east–west canal and railroad system, the Main Line of Public Works . In 1897, the federal government took possession of the Monongahela Navigation through condemnation proceedings. Later,

#196803