Shavers Fork

Shavers Fork
River
Shavers Fork at Stuart Recreation Area in the Monongahela National Forest
Country United States
State West Virginia
Counties Tucker, Randolph, Pocahontas
Source Thorny Flat, Cheat Mountain
 - location Pocahontas County, West Virginia
 - elevation 4,553 ft (1,388 m) [1]
 - coordinates 38°23′44″N 79°59′02″W / 38.39556°N 79.98389°W [2]
Mouth Cheat River [2]
 - location Parsons, West Virginia
 - elevation 1,621 ft (494 m)
 - coordinates 39°06′39″N 79°40′43″W / 39.11083°N 79.67861°WCoordinates: 39°06′39″N 79°40′43″W / 39.11083°N 79.67861°W
Length 89 mi (143 km) [3]
Basin 214 sq mi (554 km2) [3]
Discharge for Bowden, West Virginia
 - average 445 cu ft/s (13 m3/s) [4]
 - max 27,600 cu ft/s (782 m3/s) (2010)
 - min 99 cu ft/s (3 m3/s) (1976)
colspan="2" style=""text-align: left"" | Discharge elsewhere (average)
 - Cheat Bridge, WV 188 cu ft/s (5 m3/s) [5]
Map of the Monongahela River basin, with Shavers Fork highlighted.

Shavers Fork of the Cheat River is situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is 88.5 mi (142.5 km) long[3] and forms the Cheat at its confluence with Black Fork at Parsons.[6] Its upper reaches are the highest river in the eastern United States.[7]

Geography

Shavers Fork, via the Cheat, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 214 mi² (554 km²).[3] 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.[3]

Shavers Fork rises in north-central Pocahontas County at Thorny Flat, highest peak of Cheat Mountain (4,848 ft/1,478 m) and 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. It ultimately joins the Black Fork at Parsons to form the Cheat at an elevation of 1621 ft (494 m).[3][2][6]

Variant names and spellings

Shavers Fork in downtown Parsons

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

See also

References

  1. "Shavers Fork Source". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Shavers Fork". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2004-04-24.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Godfrey, Tanya. 2006. "Shavers Fork." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
  4. "USGS 03068800 SHAVERS FORK BELOW BOWDEN, WV". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  5. "USGS 03067510 SHAVERS FORK NR CHEAT BRIDGE, WV". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  6. 6.0 6.1 DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
  7. Bender, Steve (2002) “Cheat River: West Virginia” Southern Living, Southern Progress Corporation, Spring 2002.

External links