Clarion River
The Clarion River is a 177 km long left tributary of the Allegheny River in the western US state of Pennsylvania . It flows through the Clarion River Valley in Counties Elk , Jefferson , Forest and Clarion .
The catchment area of the river, designated as the National Wild and Scenic River , is around 3,243 square kilometers.
course
The Clarion River is formed by the confluence of the West Branch Clarion River and East Branch Clarion River at 493 m in the Borough of Johnsonburg in Elk County. It flows initially briefly to the south, then to the southwest through the Ridgway Township , where it follows on the left bank of US Highway 219 to the Borough and County Seat Ridgway . Here it takes the Elk Creek flowing in from the left and flows through the southwestern part of the Ridgway Township, now followed by the Pennsylvania State Route 949, which runs on the left bank . The Clarion River now forms the largest part of the southern border of the Allegheny National Forest , while the State Game Lands Number 44 and State Game Lands Number 54 are in sections on the left bank .
The river reaches the Spring Creek Township and takes Little Toby Creek from the left and south at the same time . Shortly thereafter, the small settlement of Portland Mills follows , after which the State Route branches off to the south. At Arroyo , just down the river, the Clarion River is spanned by a bridge on the Arroyo-Portland Road . A little later the Irwin Run joins from the right , at the mouth of which there is a canoe entry point. The river now briefly follows Pennsylvania State Route 3044 on the right bank to the Hallton settlement . Here the Clarion River at the William Tell Bridge takes on the Spring Creek from the right. It now follows the asphalted River Road and shortly afterwards the river is spanned by a small bridge of Hallton Mundeef Road at the confluence of the Maxwell Run .
Shortly thereafter, it forms the border between Countys Elk in the north and Jefferson in the south and between Millstone Township and Heath Township . It meets again briefly on the Pennsylvania State Route 949 and then takes the Millstone Creek from the right before it meets the Clear Creek State Park and now no longer forms the southern border of the Allegheny National Forest. At the same time he leaves Elk County and now forms the border between Forest and Jefferson Counties. It is now bordered by Barnett Township in Forest County and Barnett Township in Jefferson County. After flowing through Clear Creek State Park, he reaches the Unincorporated Community Clarington , which is on the right bank of the river.
Directly after Clarington it flows through the Cook Forest State Park before it passes the Unincorporated Community Cooksburg and crosses the border to Clarion County. Here it forms the border between Farmington Township in the north and Millcreek Township in the south. In Cooksburg it is crossed by Pennsylvania State Route 36 ( Colonel Drake Highway ) and after Cooksburg the State Game Lands Number 283 is usually only on the left bank . This is followed by the Hemlock Island river island and a bridge on Pennsylvania State Route 1001 . It leaves the Farmington Township and forms the border between the Highland Township and the Millcreek Township, or with the Clarion Township after the confluence of Mill Creek from the left. State Game Lands Number 74 extends here on the left bank.
The Clarion River passes the Borough and County Seat Clarion and takes the Toby Creek coming from State Game Lands Number 72 from the right , before it is dammed by the Piney Dam to the Piney Reservoir . It is bridged by US Highway 322 and then by Interstate 80 in quick succession . It now briefly forms the border between the Paint Township on the right bank and the Monroe Township on the left bank, then that between the Beaver Township and the Piney Township and the Licking Township . After a bridge on the Pennsylvania State Route 2007 , Piney Creek joins from the left and Deer Creek immediately afterwards from the right . After crossing Pennsylvania State Route 3007 shortly afterwards, it flows through the Licking Township and passes the Callensburg borough .
Licking Creek flows into Callensburg from the left and Pennsylvania State Route 58 spans the river, which is the last bridge before the confluence. It now forms the border between the Licking Township, or Richland Township on the right bank, and the Perry Township on the left bank. It passes St. Petersburg , which is a little north of the river, before it flows into the Allegheny River at Clarion Island at 259 m a little upstream from Parker from the left and east.
history
The river has had its current name since 1817, when the surveyor Daniel Stanard (also Stannard) camped on the river while surveying a new state route. One night the lapping of the water reminded him of a Clairon playing in the distance , whereupon his assistant David Lawson suggested that the river be named after it. Before 1817 the river was called Tobeco , which is a modification of the Indian word Tuppeek-hanne , which means river that flows from a large spring. The French explorers named the river Rivière au Fiel . Other names were Tobys Creek, probably derived from the Lenni Lenape word Topi-hanne , and Stump Creek, which could be traced back to the tree-stump-strewn hills on the lower reaches, which were cleared in the 19th century by the lively logging industry.
The Clarion River has been dammed from the Piney Dam to the approximately 10 km long Piney Reservoir since May 23, 1924 . Before that, timber and other goods were transported to Pittsburgh on the river .
Since October 19, 1996, a 83.2 km long stretch of river has been designated as a National Wild and Scenic River . This begins 1.1 km below Ridgway and ends at the confluence of an unnamed stream around 1 km below the Blyson Run mouth.
The river is named for the landing ship USS Clarion River the LSM-1 / LSM (R) class .
Name variants
According to the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System , the Clarion River was known by several other names:
- Great Toby's Creek
- Stump Creek
- Toby's Creek
Individual evidence
- ^ East Branch Clarion River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ a b Clarion River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ^ Lycoming College Pennsylvania Gazetter of Streams (PDF)
- ^ Clarion River near Piney Pennsylvania Water Science Center, United States Geological Survey
- ^ A b Charles E. Williams: Along the Allegheny River: The Northern Watershed . Arcadia Publishing, 2006, pp. 128 ( Clarion River on p. 74 in Google Book Search).
- ^ A b Marcia Bonta: More Outbound Journeys in Pennsylvania: A Guide to Natural Places for Individual and Group Outings . Pennsylvania State University Press, 2006, pp. 187 ( Clarion River on p. 150 in the Google book search).
- ^ Clarion County Historical Society, Walking Among Our Ancestors: Book One: Ashland Township , Mechling Bookbindery (2003) ISBN 0-9744657-3-9
- ↑ Piney Dam on Piney Township
- ^ Clarion River on the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System website