Bluestone River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bluestone River | |
| River | |
 Bluestone River in Pipestem Resort State Park
|
|
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| States |  Virginia,  West Virginia |
| Counties | Tazewell VA, Mercer WV, Summers WV |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Little Bluestone River |
| - right | Blacklick Creek |
| Source | East River Mountain |
| - location | Tazewell County, Virginia |
| - elevation | 3,589 ft (1,094 m) [1] |
| - coordinates | [2] |
| Mouth | New River in Bluestone Lake |
| - location | Summers County, West Virginia |
| - elevation | 1,424 ft (434 m) [2] |
| - coordinates | [2] |
| Length | 77 mi (124 km) [3] |
| Discharge | for Pipestem, West Virginia |
| - average | 741 cu ft/s (21 m³/s) [4] |
| - max | 7,760 cu ft/s (220 m³/s) (1987) |
| - min | 148 cu ft/s (4 m³/s) (1963) |
The Bluestone River is a tributary of the New River, 77 mi (124 km) long, in southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia in the United States.[3] Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. An 11 mi (18 km) portion of its lower course is designated as the Bluestone National Scenic River.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Course
The Bluestone rises on East River Mountain in Tazewell County, Virginia and flows generally northeastwardly through Mercer and Summers Counties in West Virginia, passing the towns of Bluefield in Virginia and Bramwell and Montcalm in West Virginia.[6][7] It joins the New River about 4 mi (6.4 km) south of Hinton as part of Bluestone Lake[3], which is formed by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam on the New. The Bluestone's National Scenic River segment is located mostly in Summers County, as is Pipestem Resort State Park, which lies along a gorge formed by the river.[7][8]
[edit] Little Bluestone River
The Little Bluestone River[9] is a minor tributary of the Bluestone in Summers County, fewer than 10 mi (15 km) in length from its formation by the confluence of two streams, White Oak Branch and Jumping Branch.[7]
[edit] Variant names
According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Bluestone River has also been known as:[10]
- Big Bluestone River
- Blue Stone Creek
- Blue Stone River
- Bluestone Creek
- Mec-ce-ne-ke-ke-ce-pe-we
- Mec-cen-ne-ke-ke
- Mo-mom-ga-sen-eka-ce-pe
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Bluestone River Source. Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
- ^ a b c Bluestone River. Geographic Names Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2004-04-24.
- ^ a b c Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
- ^ USGS 03179000 BLUESTONE RIVER NEAR PIPESTEM, WV. National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
- ^ Bluestone National Scenic River website
- ^ DeLorme (2005). Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-326-5
- ^ a b c DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-246-3
- ^ Pipestem Resort State Park website
- ^ USGS GNIS: Little Bluestone River
- ^ USGS GNIS: Bluestone River
