Tag: Elk Creek
Elk Creek is a tributary of the West Fork River, 29 miles (47 km) long, in north-central West Virginia in the United States. Via the West Fork, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 121 square miles (310 km) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. The stream is believed to have been named by an 18th century trapper and hunter named John Simpson, who encountered herds of elk along the stream.
Elk Creek rises approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Philippi in western Barbour County and flows generally west-northwestwardly into Harrison County, where it passes through the communities of Stonewood and Nutter Fort; it flows into the West Fork River in the city of Clarksburg.
According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 70% of Elk Creek’s watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 22% is used for pasture and agriculture, and approximately 3% is urban.
