Simpson Creek

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Coordinates: 39°20′58″N 80°19′08″W / 39.34944°N 80.31889°W / 39.34944; -80.31889
Simpson Creek
Simpson Creek in Bridgeport in 2006
Country United States
State West Virginia
Source
 - location northwestern Barbour County
 - elevation 1,522 ft (464 m) [1]
 - coordinates 39°11′51″N 80°06′10″W / 39.19750°N 80.10278°W / 39.19750; -80.10278 [2]
Mouth West Fork River
 - location northeastern Harrison County
 - elevation 902 ft (275 m) [2]
 - coordinates 39°20′58″N 80°19′08″W / 39.34944°N 80.31889°W / 39.34944; -80.31889 [2]
Length 28 mi (45 km)
Basin 73 sq mi (189 km2)
Simpson Creek and its watershed

Simpson Creek is a tributary of the West Fork River, 28 miles (45 km) long,[3] 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 73 square miles (190 km2)[4] on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. The stream is believed to have been named by an 18th-century hunter and trapper named John Simpson, who called it "Simpson's Creek."[5]

Simpson Creek rises approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Philippi in northwestern Barbour County and flows generally northwestwardly through southeastern Taylor County and northeastern Harrison County, passing through the communities of Flemington and Bridgeport; it flows into the West Fork River approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of Shinnston.[6]

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 69% of Simpson Creek's watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 26% is used for pasture and agriculture, and approximately 3% is urban.[4]

The water quality of Simpson Creek has been impacted by runoff from mining operations in the region, but conditions have slowly improved in some areas; a section of the creek in Bridgeport was stocked with rainbow trout in 2006.[7]

Variant spellings

According to the Geographic Names Information System, Simpson Creek has also been known historically as:[2]

  • Simpson's Creek
  • Simpsons Creek
  • Simpsons Crick
  • Simsons Creek
  • Simsons Crick

See also

References

  1. ↑ Google Earth elevation for GNIS source coordinates. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Simpson Creek (Feature ID #1546817)". Retrieved 2007-02-12. 
  3. ↑ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results: Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2008, West Virginia, West Fork Watershed". Archived from the original on 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2011-10-13. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. "Watershed Atlas Project.". pp. West Fork River. Archived from the original on 2006-05-07. Retrieved 2007-02-26. 
  5. ↑ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, West Virginia: The Place Name Press. p. 579. 
  6. ↑ DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. pp. 25, 36. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
  7. ↑ West Virginia University Extension Service. "Fish Tales Newsletter, Vol.4 No.2, Summer 2006: Simpson Creek Comes Full Circle.". Retrieved 2010-07-03. 
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