Lackawanna River

Lackawanna River

The Lackawanna River as seen from Coxton Road Bridge, looking towards the Lackawanna-Susquehanna confluence.

Map of northeastern Pennsylvania, with county borders indictated and the Lackawanna and Lackawaxen watersheds highlighted in yellow.

The watersheds of the Lackawanna and Lackawaxen Rivers.
Other name(s) Gachanai,[1] Hazirok[1] L'chau-hanne,[2] Lackawannok,[3] Lechau-hanné,[4] Lechau-hannek,[2] Lechauwah-hannek.[2]
Etymology Lenape word Lechauwa-hannek meaning "the river that forks"[2]
Basin
Main source East Branch:[5]
Bone Pond,[6] Dunn Pond,[7] Independent Lake,[8] Lake Lorain[9]

West Branch:[5]
Fiddle Lake,[10] Lewis Lake,[11] Lake Lowe[12]
Source elevation 522 ft (159 m)[13]
East Branch: 1572 ft (479 m)[14]
West Branch: 1575 ft (480 m)[15]
River mouth Susquehanna River (North Branch)[16]
41°20′28″N 75°47′35″W / 41.3412°N 75.7931°W / 41.3412; -75.7931Coordinates: 41°20′28″N 75°47′35″W / 41.3412°N 75.7931°W / 41.3412; -75.7931
Mouth elevation 539 ft (164 m)
Basin area 350 sq mi (910 km2)
Size [5]
Country United States
Cities Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, and Wayne Counties in Pennsylvania[5]
Physiognomy
Length 62 mi (100 km)
Length [5]
Tributaries

The Lackawanna River is a 40.8-mile-long (65.7 km)[19] tributary of the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. It flows through a region of the northern Pocono Mountains that was once a center of anthracite coal mining in the United States. It starts in north Wayne County, Pennsylvania and ends in east Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in Duryea, Pennsylvania. The lower reaches of the river flow through the urban areas of Scranton, which grew around its banks in the 19th century as an industrial center. Its name comes from a Lenni Lenape word meaning "stream that forks".[20]

The river rises in two branches, the West and East branches, along the boundary between Susquehanna and Wayne counties. The branches, each about 12 miles (19 km) long, flow south, closely parallel to each other, and join at the Stillwater Lake reservoir. The combined river flows southwest past Forest City, Carbondale, Mayfield, Jermyn, Archbald, Jessup, Blakely, Olyphant, Dickson City, Throop, Scranton, Taylor, Moosic, Old Forge, and Duryea. It joins the Susquehanna River at the northern boundary of Pittston about 8 miles (13 km) west-southwest of Scranton.

By the mid-20th century, the river was severely polluted from mine drainages in its watershed. The decline of industry in the region, as well as federal, state, and private efforts, have improved the water quality. Still, the Lackawanna River is the largest point source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.[21]

The upper reaches of the river are a popular destination for fly fishing of trout. It was designated as an American Heritage River in 1997.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Craft, David (1891). History of Scranton, Penn: With Full Outline of the Natural Advantages, Accounts of the Indian Tribes, Early Settlements, Connecticut's Claim to the Wyoming Valley, the Trenton Decree, Down to the Present Time. Dayton: United Brethren Publishing House. p. 34. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Craft. p. 18.
  3. ↑ Mahr, August C. (November 1959). "Practical Reasons for Algonkian Indian Stream and Place Names" (PDF). Ohio Journal of Science (Ohio Academy of Science) 59 (6): 368. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Trumbull, J. Hammond (1870). The Composition of Indian Geographical Names, Illustrated from the Algonkin Languages. Hartford: Press of Case, Lockwood & Brainard. p. 12. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 McGurl, Bernard (2002). Arthur Popp, ed. The Lackawanna River Guide (PDF) (Report). Daniel Townsend, PhD, Len Gorney, Dominic Totaro, Jack McDonough, Pamela Lomax, Deilsie Heath Kulesa (2 ed.). The Lackawanna River Corridor Association. p. 1. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Bone Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Dunn Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Independent Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Lake Lorain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "Fiddle Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "Lewis Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Lowe Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "Lackawanna River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "East Branch Lackawanna River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "West Branch Lackawanna River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  16. ↑ McGurl. p. 2.
  17. ↑ "Roaring Brook". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  18. ↑ McGurl. p. 20.
  19. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 8, 2011
  20. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. p. 178.
  21. ↑ David Falchek (26 December 2012). "Old Forge borehole drains mines for 50 years". The Scranton Times Tribune. Retrieved 18 March 2013.

External links

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