Larrys Creek 4211292 225724187 2008-07-15T02:30:56Z Ruhrfisch 325157 /* Geology */ Add Allegheny Front and ref {{Geobox | River <!-- *** Name section *** --> | name = Larrys Creek | category = Creek <!-- *** Image *** ---> | image = Larrys_Creek_Covered_Bridge.JPG | image_size = 300 | image_caption = Larrys Creek and the [[Cogan House Covered Bridge]] in Cogan House Township, Pennsylvania <!-- *** Etymology *** ---> | etymology = Larry Burt, first settler <!-- *** Country etc. *** --> | country = United States | country_flag = 1 | state = Pennsylvania | district_type = County | district = [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Lycoming]] <!-- *** Source *** --> | source = near the hamlet of Steam Valley | source_location = [[Cogan House Township, Pennsylvania|Cogan House Township]] | source_region = [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Lycoming County]] | source_state = [[Pennsylvania]] | source_elevation_imperial = 1740 | source_elevation_note = <ref name="Streams II">{{cite book | last = Shaw | first = Lewis C. | others = Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey | title = Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams Part II (Water Resources Bulletin No. 16) | date = June, 1984 | edition = 1st Edition | publisher = Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Resources | location = Harrisburg, PA }} (no ISBN)</ref> | source_length_imperial = | source_lat_d = 41 | source_lat_m = 27 | source_lat_s = 13 | source_lat_NS = N | source_long_d = 77 | source_long_m = 08 | source_long_s = 12 | source_long_EW = W | source_coordinates_note = <ref name="usgs">{{cite web | work = [[Geographic Names Information System]] | publisher = [[United States Geological Survey]] | date = [[August 2]] [[1979]] | url ={{Gnis3|1198998}} | title = Larrys Creek | accessdate =2006-07-26}}</ref> <!-- *** Mouth *** --> | mouth_name = [[West Branch Susquehanna River]] | mouth_location = [[Piatt Township, Pennsylvania|Piatt Township]] | mouth_district = | mouth_region = [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Lycoming County]] | mouth_state = [[Pennsylvania]] | mouth_country = | mouth_note =<ref name= "lycoming"> {{cite map | publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division | url= ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/lycoming_GHSN.pdf | title= 2007 General Highway Map Lycoming County Pennsylvania | format = PDF |scale = 1:65,000| accessdate= 2007-12-21 }}</ref> | mouth_lat_d = 41 | mouth_lat_m = 13 | mouth_lat_s = 00 | mouth_lat_NS = N | mouth_long_d = 77 | mouth_long_m = 13 | mouth_long_s = 13 | mouth_long_EW = W | mouth_coordinates_note = <ref name="usgs"/> | mouth_elevation_imperial = 515 | mouth_elevation_note = <ref name="Streams II"/> <!-- *** Geography *** --> | length_imperial = 22.9 | length_round = 1 | length_note = <ref name="Streams II"/> | watershed_imperial = 89.1 | watershed_round = 1 | watershed_note = <ref name="watershed">{{cite web | url = http://www.chesapeakebay.net/wspv31/(3fwefm55tzka3q45qloiyxbu)/WspAbout.aspx?basno=180&topic=5 | title = Chesapeake Bay Program: Watershed Profiles: The Larrys Creek - At Larrys Creek Watershed | publisher = Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 10 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD 21403 | accessdate = 2006-03-17 }}</ref> | discharge_location = [[Mouth (river)|Mouth]] | discharge_round = 2 | discharge_imperial = 66.0 | discharge_note = <ref name ="quality">{{cite web | url = http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/qwdata?site_no=01549790&agency_cd=USGS&begin_date=&end_date=&format=html_table&inventory_output=0&rdb_inventory_output=file&date_format=YYYY-MM-DD&rdb_compression=file&qw_sample_wide=0&submitted_form=brief_list | title = Water Quality Samples for the Nation, USGS 01549790 Larrys Creek at Larrys Creek, PA | accessdate = 2006-12-13 | author = United States Geological Survey | authorlink = United States Geological Survey | work = Charts, Graphs }} </ref> | discharge_max_imperial = 114 | discharge_min_imperial = 8.8 | discharge1_location = Cogan House | discharge1_imperial = 10.8 | discharge1_note = <ref name="discharge"/> <!-- *** Map section *** --> | map = Larrys Creek Watershed Map.PNG | map_size = 300 | map_caption = Map showing Larrys Creek, its major tributaries and watershed | map1 = Pennsylvania Locator Map.PNG | map1_size = 300 | map1_caption = Location of the Mouth of Larrys Creek in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania | map1_locator = Pennsylvania <!-- *** Websites *** --> | commons = Larrys Creek }} '''Larrys Creek''' is a 22.9&nbsp;mile (36.9&nbsp;km) long [[tributary]] of the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]] in [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Lycoming County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Pennsylvania]]. A part of the [[Chesapeake Bay]] [[drainage basin]], its watershed drains 89.1&nbsp;square miles (230.8&nbsp;km²) in six [[Township (Pennsylvania)|townships]] and a [[borough (United States)|borough]]. The creek flows south from the [[dissected plateau|dissected]] [[Allegheny Plateau]] to the [[Ridge-and-valley Appalachians]] through sandstone, limestone, and shale from the [[Devonian]], [[Mississippian]], and [[Pennsylvanian]] periods. The valley's first recorded inhabitants were the [[Susquehannock]]s, followed by the [[Lenape]] and other tribes.<ref name="history 1"> {{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc." | date = 1892 | url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | accessdate = 2006-03-16 | edition = 1st Edition | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. | location = Chicago, IL | id = ISBN 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter I. Aboriginal Occupation. | chapterurl = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-01.html }} ''Note:'' ISBN refers to the Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some [[Optical Character Recognition|OCR]] typos.</ref> The [[Great Shamokin Path]] crossed the creek near its mouth, where Larry Burt, the first Euro-American settler and the man who gave the creek its present name, also lived by 1769. In the 19th century, the creek and its watershed were a center for logging and related industries, including 53 sawmills, [[gristmill|grist mills]], leather [[tanning|tanneries]], coal and iron mines. A 1903 newspaper article claimed "No other stream in the country had so many mills in so small a territory".<ref name ="sawmills">{{cite news |title = Lumbering on Historic Stream: A Newberry man tells of mills on Larry's Creek: Within a distance of twenty-two miles there were fifty-three mills - The names of the owners and builders - No other stream in the country had so many mills in so small a territory - Only two of them are now standing |publisher = Gazette and Bulletin ([[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]]) |page = 5 |date = [[May 29]], [[1903]] |accessdate = 2006-08-23 }}</ref> For transportation, a [[plank road]] ran along much of the creek for decades, and two "[[paper railroad]]s" were planned, but never built. As of 2006, the Larrys Creek watershed is 83.1% forest and 15.7% agricultural (a reforestation of land [[Clearfelling|clear-cut]] in the 19th century). Nearly 9,000&nbsp;[[acre]]s (36&nbsp;[[square kilometer|km²]]) of second-growth forest are [[protected area|protected]] public and private land for [[hunting]] and trout [[fishing]], with more land protected in parts of [[Tiadaghton State Forest]]. Pollution from past industrial use is gone and Larrys Creek "has an exceptionally scenic, ultra-highwater, whitewater run" for [[canoeing]].<ref name="canoe">{{cite book |last= Gertler |first= Edward |title= Keystone Canoeing: A Guide to Canoeable Waters of Eastern Pennsylvania |date= 1985 |edition= 1st Edition |publisher= Seneca Press |location= [[Silver Spring, Maryland]] |id= ISBN 0-9605908-2-X |pages= 401 pages }}</ref> Despite agricultural [[surface runoff|runoff]] and small amounts of [[acid mine drainage]], water quality is quite good, and a [[water supply|water filtration plant]] on Larrys Creek supplies over 2500 customers.<ref name="water">{{cite news | url= http://www.lyco.org/dotnetnuke/Home/PressReleases/FederalGrantForWaterProject/tabid/170/Default.aspx | title= Peterson Announces $434,000 Federal Grant For Water Project In Lycoming County | publisher= [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|County of Lycoming, Pennsylvania]] | date= [[2004-10-21]] | accessdate= 2008-02-20 }}</ref> ==Name== Larrys Creek is named for Larry Burt, the first European settler in the area, who lived near the mouth of the creek outside what is now the [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]] of Larrys Creek in [[Piatt Township, Pennsylvania|Piatt Township]]. He traded with the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous peoples]], and, according to a tradition reported by Meginness (1892), he had a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] wife.<ref name="history 2"> {{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania ... | date = 1892 | url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | accessdate = 2006-03-16 | edition = 1st Edition | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. | location = Chicago, IL | id = ISBN 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter II. Appearance of the Painted Savage. | chapterurl = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-02.html }} </ref> Larry Burt was already there when surveyors came through in 1769 (after the land was purchased by the colonial government of Pennsylvania on [[November 5]] [[1768]] as part of the "New Purchase" in the first [[Treaty of Fort Stanwix]]), but disappeared sometime soon after, perhaps moving west with the Native Americans who left the area.<ref name="history 2"/> Larrys Creek is the only major creek in Lycoming County for which a Native American name is unknown.<ref name=native names">{{cite web | url = http://www.srbc.net/pubinfo/docs/IndianNamesDataChart.PDF | title = Native American Waterbody and Place Names | accessdate = 2007-12-21 | format = PDF | publisher = Susquehanna River Basin Commission }}</ref> As of 2006, it is the only stream named "Larrys Creek" on [[USGS]] maps of the United States and in the USGS [[Geographic Names Information System]].<ref name="usgs"/> The possessive [[apostrophe]] is not part of the official name of the creek, although records from the 19th century often spell it as "Larry's Creek" (as do [[:Image:Larry's Creek Sign.JPG|some highway bridge signs]] today). Today the creek has given its name to the hamlet at its mouth, as well as the village of "Larryville" further upstream. Before it became a borough, [[Salladasburg, Pennsylvania|Salladasburg]] was also known as "Larrys Creek" (from the name of its post office). The "First Fork" and "Second Fork" of Larrys Creek are named in the order in which they are encountered traveling upstream, with "Fork" here denoting a major tributary. "Lawshe Run", the major tributary of the Second Fork, is named for Robert Lawshe, who established a tannery in Salladasburg in 1848.<ref name="history 33"> {{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania ... | date = 1892 | url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | accessdate = 2006-03-16 | edition = 1st Edition | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. | location = Chicago, IL | id = ISBN 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter XXXIII. Borough of Salladasburg. | chapterurl = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-33.html }} </ref> "Seeley Run", a minor tributary entering the creek at Larryville, is named for Mr. Seely, who built the first sawmill on Larrys Creek in 1796.<ref name ="sawmills"/> While the USGS uses "Seeley Run", it is still "Seely Run Road" that follows the stream. The First Fork, Canoe Run, Joes Run, and Wolf Run also have roads named for them.<ref name="lycoming"/> ==Course== Larrys Creek is the only major watershed in Lycoming County entirely within the county. Measured directly, Lycoming County is about 130&nbsp;miles (209&nbsp;km) northwest of [[Philadelphia]] and 165&nbsp;miles (266&nbsp;km) east-northeast of [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]].<ref name="distance">{{cite web | last = Michels | first = Chris | year = 1997 | url = http://www2.nau.edu/~cvm/latlongdist.html | title = Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation | publisher = [[Northern Arizona University]] | accessdate = 2006-03-17 }}</ref> It is 53.0&nbsp;miles (85.3&nbsp;km) from the mouth of Larrys Creek along the West Branch Susquehanna River to its confluence with the [[Susquehanna River]] at [[Northumberland, Pennsylvania]].<ref name="river miles">{{cite book | last = Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection | coauthors = Bureau of Watershed Management, Division of Water Use Planning | others = Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey | title = Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams | url = http://www.lycoming.edu/biologydept/petokas/pa%20gazzetter%20of%20streams.pdf | accessdate = 2008-02-19 | format = PDF | year = 2001 }}</ref> The [[source (river or stream)|source]] of Larrys Creek is in northern Lycoming County in [[Cogan House Township, Pennsylvania|Cogan House Township]], just south of the hamlet of Steam Valley, at an elevation of 1,740&nbsp;feet (530&nbsp;m)<ref name="usgs"/><ref name="history 47"> {{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania ... | date = 1892 | url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | accessdate = 2006-03-16 | edition = 1st Edition | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. | location = Chicago, IL | id = ISBN 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter XLVII. Jackson and Cogan House. | chapterurl = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-47.html }} </ref><ref name="source">{{cite news | author= [[USGS]] | url= http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?z=18&n=4591098&e=321717&size=s&u=6&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25 | title= United States Geological Survey Topographic Map, White Pine Quad | publisher= www.topoquest.com | accessdate= 2008-07-08 }}</ref> It flows west-southwest through the village of Cogan House, and then under the [[Cogan House Covered Bridge]]. The creek next heads due south through [[Pennsylvania State Game Lands]] Number 114. There it runs for about 3&nbsp;miles (5&nbsp;km) with only a trail or unimproved road beside it.<ref name="sgl map">{{cite web | publisher = Pennsylvania Game Commission | url= http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/counties/maps/114.pdf | title= State Game Lands 114, Lycoming County | date = August, 1996| format = PDF |work = Map |accessdate= 2007-09-21}}</ref> It passes through [[Mifflin Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Mifflin Township]] for a short distance and heads southeast into [[Anthony Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Anthony Township]], where it leaves the State Game Lands and passes a water filtration plant (there is a dam {{convert|8.5|ft}} tall and {{convert|52.5|ft}} wide here).<ref name="canoe"/><ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.fish.state.pa.us/rrdam.htm |title = Run of the River Dams |publisher = Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission | accessdate = 2008-05-23}}</ref> Further south, it receives Roaring Run (on the [[left bank]]). Roaring Run receives the only acid mine drainage in the watershed and enters Larrys Creek 10.4&nbsp;miles (16.7&nbsp;km) from the mouth. Larrys Creek then heads southwest back into Mifflin Township, where it passes through the borough of [[Salladasburg, Pennsylvania|Salladasburg]], with [[Pennsylvania Route 973]] running parallel to the creek from the township line to the borough. At Salladasburg, Larrys Creek receives its major tributary, the Second Fork of Larrys Creek, on the [[right bank]] 5.8&nbsp;miles (9.3&nbsp;km) from the mouth. The Second Fork rises in Cogan House Township near the village of White Pine and runs south through the village of Brookside, then a few miles through [[Cummings Township, Pennsylvania|Cummings Township]], and last through Mifflin Township and Salladasburg. Lawshe Run is its major tributary. [[Pennsylvania Route 287]] runs parallel to the Second Fork its whole length, and continues parallel to Larrys Creek from Salladasburg south to its terminus on [[U.S. Route 220]] (near the creek's mouth). Just south of Salladasburg, Larrys Creek receives the First Fork of Larrys Creek, 4.2&nbsp;miles (6.8&nbsp;km) from the mouth. The First Fork has its source in Cummings Township and flows south-southeast into Mifflin Township. 2.8&nbsp;miles (4.5&nbsp;km) from its mouth Larrys Creek receives Canoe Run. Both these tributaries enter on the right bank. Larrys Creek then enters Piatt Township, flowing east around a ridge and through the village of Larryville where it receives Seeley Run on the left bank, 1.5&nbsp;miles (2.4&nbsp;km) from the mouth. It next flows back southwest, then south to the hamlet of Larrys Creek and finally into the West Branch Susquehanna River, 2.6&nbsp;miles (4.2&nbsp;km) east of the borough of [[Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania|Jersey Shore]], at an elevation of 515&nbsp;feet (157&nbsp;m).<ref name="usgs"/><ref name="mouth">{{cite news | author= [[USGS]] | url= http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=41.21667&lon=-77.22056 | title= United States Geological Survey Topographic Map, Linden Quad | publisher= www.topozone.com | accessdate= 2006-03-17 }}</ref> U.S. Route 220 and the [[Lycoming Valley Railroad]] cross the creek on separate bridges just north of its mouth.<ref name="lycoming"/> The direct distance between the source and mouth is only 16.9&nbsp;miles (27.2&nbsp;km).<ref name="distance"/> The difference in elevation between source and mouth, 1,225&nbsp;feet (373&nbsp;m), divided by the length of the creek, 22.9&nbsp;miles (36.9&nbsp;km), gives the average drop in elevation per unit length of creek or [[relief ratio]] of 53.5&nbsp;feet per mile (10.1&nbsp;m/km). The [[meander|meander ratio]] is 1.08, so the creek is fairly straight in its bed.<ref name="Streams II"/> ===Discharge=== From 1960 to 1979, the [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS) operated one [[stream gauge]] on Larrys Creek at the village of Cogan House, for the uppermost 6.8&nbsp;square miles (17.6&nbsp;km²) of the watershed. The mean [[discharge (hydrology)|discharge]] measured at this site from 1961 to 1978 was 10.8&nbsp;cubic feet per second (0.306&nbsp;m³/s), with a peak discharge of 1,130&nbsp;cubic feet per second (32.0&nbsp;m³/s) and peak gauge height of 5.29&nbsp;feet (1.61&nbsp;m), both on [[June 22]], [[1972]] during [[Hurricane Agnes]].<ref name="discharge">{{cite web | url = http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/inventory/?site_no=01549780&amp; | title = USGS 01549780 Larrys Creek at Cogan House, PA | accessdate = 2006-12-13 | author = United States Geological Survey | authorlink = United States Geological Survey | work = Charts, Graphs, Map}}</ref> The USGS also estimated mean monthly and annual [[groundwater recharge]] at the Cogan House stream gauge. Using data from 1961 to 1977, the upper and lower annual recharge estimates were 18.1 to 14.5&nbsp;inches (46.0 to 36.8&nbsp;cm), and the greatest monthly recharge was in March, with 20.1% of the annual total.<ref name="ground water">{{cite web | url = http://pa.water.usgs.gov/recharge/station_graphs/01549780_graphs.html | title = Water Resources of Pennsylvania: Estimates of Mean-Monthly & Annual Ground-Water Recharge, Larrys Creek at Cogan House: 01549780 | accessdate = 2006-07-26 | author = United States Geological Survey | authorlink = United States Geological Survey | work = Charts, Graphs, Maps }}</ref> The USGS also measured discharge at the village of Larrys Creek, very near the creek's mouth, as part of water quality measurements on seven occasions between 1970 and 1975. The average discharge was 66.0&nbsp;cubic feet per second (1.87&nbsp;m³/s), and ranged from a high of 114&nbsp;cubic feet per second (3.23&nbsp;m³/s) to a low of 8.8&nbsp;cubic feet per second (0.25&nbsp;m³/s).<ref name ="quality"/> Lycoming County operates a stream gauge at Salladasburg as part of the county-wide flood warning system. It only measures the water height (not discharge) and had a peak gauge height of 8.0&nbsp;feet (2.4&nbsp;m), on [[September 18]], [[2004]] during [[Hurricane Ivan]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.lyco.org/dotnetnuke/Home/FloodReadyHome/CountyWatershedsStreamGaugeSites/LarrysCreek/SalladasburgStreamGauge/tabid/432/Default.aspx | title = County Stream Gauge Details, Watershed: Larrys Creek, Gage Site: Salladasburg, Stream Gage 5053 | accessdate = 2008-02-20 | publisher = [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|County of Lycoming, Pennsylvania]] | work = Real Time Graph, Chart }}</ref> ==Geology== [[Image:Larrys Creek Watershed Relief Map.PNG|thumb|250 px|left|Relief map of the Larrys Creek Watershed in the dissected Allegheny Plateau]] Larrys Creek is in a [[sandstone]], [[limestone]], and [[shale]] mountain region, with the source in the dissected Allegheny Plateau and the mouth in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians.<ref name="Streams II"/> The southern part of the Larrys Creek watershed has [[sedimentary]] surface rocks from the Devonian period, with a large area from the Mississippian period in the north of the watershed and a small Pennsylvanian period region within this area.<ref name="Geologic map">{{cite web | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/maps/map7.pdf | title = Geologic Map of Pennsylvania | accessdate = 2006-07-24 | author = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey | authorlink = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | format = PDF | work = Map }}</ref>The Cogan House [[anticline]] runs north of and parallel to the upper part of the creek.<ref name="map 61">For detailed information on the geology of the Larrys Creek watershed, see the following quadrangle maps: "Linden", "Salladasburg", [http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map61/troutrun.pdf "Trout Run"], "Waterville", and [http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map61/whitepine.pdf "White Pine"], in {{cite web| url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map61/map61intro.pdf | title = Atlas of Preliminary Geologic Quadrangle Maps of Pennsylvania | accessdate = 2007-10-15 | author = Thomas M. Berg and Christine M. Dodge |publisher = [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]], Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey | date = 1981 | format = PDF}}</ref> Iron ore within the watershed was mined south of Salladasburg and along Canoe Run in the 19th century; there are also deposits on Puterbaugh Mountain.<ref name="history 45"> {{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania ... | date = 1892 | url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | accessdate = 2006-03-16 | edition = 1st Edition | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. | location = Chicago, IL | id = ISBN 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter XLV. Mifflin, Porter, Watson, and Piatt. | chapterurl = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-45.html }} </ref> Larrys Creek is in a narrow valley formed by mountains and hills, with steep to moderate slopes. The [[stream bed|channel]] pattern is regular, with a dendritic drainage pattern.<ref name="Streams II"/> After leaving its source, the creek turns to flow southwest along the northern edge of Green Mountain, turns south into the State Game Lands at Buckhorn Mountain, and flows south along the western edge of Coal Mountain. The only named peak on the west bank of Larrys Creek itself is Harris Point, where it leaves the dissected Allegheny Plateau.<ref> {{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1199841}} | title="Buckhorn Mountain"}}, {{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1172060}} | title="Coal Mountain"}}, {{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1199875}} | title="Green Mountain"}}, and {{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1176576}} | title="Harris Point" | date = [[August 2]] [[1979]] | work=[[Geographic Names Information System]] | publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] | accessdate=2008-02-28}} </ref> The Second Fork flows south along the eastern side of Henson Ridge, then east of Puterbaugh Mountain. The only named peak on the east bank of the Second Fork is Clapp Point, which marks the boundary of the dissected plateau and is southwest of Harris Point. The First Fork flows past the southwest edge of <!-- Please do not wikilink this Little Round Top to [[Little Round Top]], which is part of the Gettysburg battlefield in [[Adams County, Pennlvania]]. Thanks -->Little Round Top and then continues on the southwest side of Puterbaugh Mountain. Fishery Point is at the southern end of the Allegheny Plateau, just west of the First Fork.<ref>{{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1171892}} | title="Clapp Point"}}, {{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1174835}} | title="Fishery Point"}}, {{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1176851}} | title="Henson Ridge"}}, {{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1179663}} | title="Little Round Top"}}, and {{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1184506}} | title="Puterbaugh Mountain" | date = [[August 2]] [[1979]] | work=[[Geographic Names Information System]] | publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] | accessdate=2008-02-28}} </ref> The three features named Point are each part of the [[Allegheny Front]], the edge of the Allegheny Plateau.<ref> {{cite book |title= Roadside Geology of Pennsylvania |last= Van Diver |first= Bradford B. |year= 1990 |publisher= Mountain Press Publishing Company |location= Missoula, Montana |isbn= 0-87842-227-7 |pages= p. 83}} </ref> The Larrys Creek watershed has two deposits of low volatile [[bituminous]] coal along Roaring Run<ref name="coal">{{cite web | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/maps/map11.pdf | title = Distribution of Pennsylvania Coals | accessdate = 2006-07-24 | author = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey | authorlink = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | format = PDF | work = Map }}</ref> and a small, deep [[natural gas]] field.<ref name="gas">{{cite web | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/maps/map10.pdf | title = Oil and Gas Fields of Pennsylvania | accessdate = 2006-07-24 | author = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey | authorlink = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | format = PDF | work = Map }}</ref> A potentially large source of natural gas is the [[Marcellus Shale]], which lies 1.5 to 2.0&nbsp;miles (2.4 to 3.2&nbsp;km) below the surface here and stretches from [[New York]] through Pennsylvania to [[Ohio]] and [[West Virginia]]. Estimates of the total natural gas in the black shale from the Devonian era range from 168 to 516&nbsp;trillion cubic feet (4.76 to 14.6&nbsp;trillion m³), with at least 10 percent considered recoverable.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1268/2005-1268.ppt#313,1,U.S. | title = Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1268: Assessment of Undiscovered Natural Gas Resources in Devonian Black Shales, Appalachian Basin, Eastern U.S.A. | author = Robert C. Milici | publisher = [[United States Geological Survey]] | date = 2005 |format = PowerPoint | accessdate = 2008-02-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.petroleumnews.com/pntruncate/246893563.shtml | title = Appalachia to the rescue: Could Devonian shales deep under the Appalachians supply trillions of cubic feet of much needed natural gas for the U.S.? | author = Alan Bailey | publisher = Petroleum News |accessdate = 2008-02-29}}</ref> In November 2007, drilling within the Larrys Creek watershed started in Mifflin Township, just west of Salladasburg, with a 1.5&nbsp;mile (2.4&nbsp;km) deep well.<ref>{{cite news | title = Betting on profits: ‘Fracing’ technology a key to local gas exploration | author = David Thompson | date = [[November 6]] [[2007]] | publisher = [[Williamsport Sun-Gazette]] | url = http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/500765.html |accessdate = 2008-02-29}}</ref> A second well was drilled in Mifflin Township in December 2007,<ref>{{cite news | title = County may sit on one natural gas mother lode | author = David Thompson | date = [[December 19]] [[2007]] | publisher = [[Williamsport Sun-Gazette]] | url = http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/502945.html |accessdate = 2008-02-29}}</ref> and by February 2008 every well drilled in Lycoming County was producing natural gas.<ref>{{cite news | title = Big interest; huge potential: Gas leasing workshop attracts 550 people | author = David Thompson | date = [[February 17]] [[2008]] | publisher = [[Williamsport Sun-Gazette]] | url = http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/502945.html |accessdate = 2008-02-29}}</ref> The Marcellus Shale requires special techniques to fracture the rock and release the gas, including pumping sand and water into the well, and, in some cases, horizontal drilling.<ref>{{cite news | title = Texas drilling company hopes second gas well in county will be productive | author = David Thompson | date = [[February 21]] [[2008]] | publisher = [[Williamsport Sun-Gazette]] | url = http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/505932.html |accessdate = 2008-02-29}}</ref> ==Watershed== [[Image:Second Fork Larrys Creek.JPG|thumb|right|The Second Fork is the largest tributary. Pennsylvania Route 287 runs parallel to it for its entire length.]] The Larrys Creek watershed is entirely in Lycoming County and accounts for 7.17% of the county by area. It is the only major creek whose watershed is entirely in the county, and lies between the [[Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)|Pine Creek]] watershed (including [[Little Pine Creek]]) 5.2&nbsp;miles (8.4&nbsp;km) to the west and the [[Lycoming Creek]] watershed 11.9&nbsp;miles (19.2&nbsp;km) to the east (as measured on the river).<ref name="river miles"/> The Larrys Creek watershed has a total population of 2,513 (as of 2000) and a total area of 89.1&nbsp;square miles (230.8&nbsp;km²). Of that area, 74&nbsp;square miles (192&nbsp;km²) are forested and 14&nbsp;square miles (36&nbsp;km²) are given to agricultural uses.<ref name="watershed"/> Larrys Creek is the largest creek in Lycoming County without its own watershed association.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.srbc.net/atlas/image/86a_WshedOrgs.pdf | title = Susquehanna River Basin Watershed and Lake Associations as of March 2005 | work = Map }} and {{cite web | url = http://www.srbc.net/atlas/image/86a_WshedOrgs_list.pdf | title = List of Watershed and Lake Associations as of March 2005 | accessdate = 2008-02-20 | format = PDF | work = Key to Map | publisher = Susquehanna River Basin Commission}} ''Note:'' The [http://www.pawatersheds.org/WatershedDirectory/detail.asp?varOrgID=541 "Lawshe Run Watershed Association"] listed here is not for the Second Fork tributary, but for the small stream in [[Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania]] (see the [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/PA/Lycoming/state.html "Jersey Shore Historic District"] description). </ref> ===Tributaries=== {{main|List of tributaries of Larrys Creek}} The major smaller streams in the Larrys Creek watershed include the First and Second Forks, Roaring Run, Lawshe Run, and Canoe Run. The Second Fork is the largest tributary, with a watershed of 24.9&nbsp;square miles (64.5&nbsp;km²) or 28.0% of the total watershed. The First Fork is next largest, with a watershed of 17.6&nbsp;square miles (45.6&nbsp;km²) or 19.8% of the total. Roaring Run accounts for 5.7% of the total watershed with 5.1&nbsp;square miles (13.2&nbsp;km²) and other tributaries are less than 5% of the total.<ref name="river miles"/> Starting at the mouth, the tributaries of Larrys Creek are: Seeley Run, Canoe Run, First Fork Larrys Creek, Second Fork Larrys Creek, Mash Run, "Pond Hollow", "Spook Hollow", Roaring Run, "Cramer Hollow", "Pot Lick Hollow", "Match Pine Hollow", "Watt Hollow", Long Run, Wendell Run, Crayton Hollow Run, Wolf Run, Dibber Hollow Run, and Birch Run (unnamed streams in a named feature are given as the name of the feature in quotation marks). ===Water quality, pollution, and filtration plant=== [[Image:Major Watersheds in Lycoming County Pennsylvania.png|thumb|290 px|left|Map of the West Branch Susquehanna River (dark blue) and Major Streams in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Larrys Creek (orange) is the second major creek entering the river in the county, between the [[Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)|Pine Creek]] (including [[Little Pine Creek]]) (red) and [[Lycoming Creek]] (yellow) watersheds.]] The [[clearfelling|clear-cutting]] of forests in the 19th century adversely affected the ecology of the Larrys Creek watershed and its water quality.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/fcut.asp | title = What Is Clearcutting? | accessdate = 2006-11-08 | author = Natural Resources Defense Council | authorlink = Natural Resources Defense Council }}</ref> Polluting industries on the creek and its tributaries during that period included coal and iron mines and tanneries.<ref name="history 33"/><ref name="history 45"/><ref>''For a historical perspective on pollution from both mining and tanneries, see:'' {{cite web |url= http://history.eserver.org/medieval-pollution.txt |title= "A Medieval Response to Municipal Pollution" |accessdate=2006-11-09 |last= Laures |first= Robert |publisher= Presented to the Mid-America Conference on History, 17-19 September 1992, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.}}</ref> As of 2006, water quality in Larrys Creek is quite good, although two small unnamed tributaries of Roaring Run do receive acid mine drainage from an abandoned [[coal mine]].<ref name="acid">{{cite book | last = Lycoming County Planning Commission | coauthors = (prepared by Science Applications International Corp.) | others = | title = Water Supply Plan | url = http://www.lyco.org/DotNetNuke/Portals/1/PlanningCommunityDevelopment/Documents/EDPS_PDFs/WSP_Final_Report.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2008-02-20 | year = 2001 | month = Sept. | pages = 19 }}</ref> Agricultural runoff is another source of pollution. Effluent limits for Larrys Creek in Mifflin Township for the 5-day test for carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD<sub>5</sub>) are 25&nbsp;mg/L, while [[fecal coliform bacteria]] count limits are 200 per 100&nbsp;mL in May through September, and 2000 per 100&nbsp;mL in October through April.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol27/27-47/1857.html | title = PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 97-1857: Notices: Department of Environmental Protection: Applications Received Under the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law and the Federal Clean Water Act: Discharge of Controlled Industrial Waste and Sewerage Wastewater | publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection | accessdate = 2006-08-23 }}</ref> The mean annual [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] for Larrys Creek is 40 to 42&nbsp;inches (1016 to 1067&nbsp;mm).<ref name="Streams II"/> According to the [[Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission]]: "Pennsylvania receives the most [[acid rain|acid deposition]] of any state in the nation because, in addition to being the third highest producer of the gases that cause acid deposition, we are also located downwind from the highest concentration of air pollution emitters."<ref name ="acid rain">{{cite web | url = {{wayback|http://www.fish.state.pa.us/Fish/acidrain.htm}} | title = Acid Precipitation | publisher = Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission | accessdate = 2007-08-13 }}</ref> The region's geology gives it a relatively low capacity to [[Neutralization|neutralize]] added acid. This makes the creek especially vulnerable to increased acidification from rain, which poses a threat to the long term health of the plants and animals in the creek.<ref name ="acid rain"/> The [[Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania|Jersey Shore]] Area Joint Water Authority’s water filtration plant is on Larrys Creek, near the border between Mifflin and Anthony Townships. The plant has been there since at least 1914 and provides water from the creek to 2,500 industrial and residential customers in the boroughs of Jersey Shore and Salladasburg, as well as Anthony, Mifflin, [[Nippenose Township, Pennsylvania|Nippenose]], Piatt, and [[Porter Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Porter Township]]s in southwestern Lycoming County, and [[Pine Creek Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania|Pine Creek Township]] in the southeastern part of neighboring [[Clinton County, Pennsylvania]].<ref name="water"/> ===Recreation=== [[Image:Larrys Creek in Salladasburg.JPG|thumb|Larrys Creek in Salladasburg is state approved and stocked for trout fishing in season.]] There are at least two camps along Larrys Creek. "Camp [[Kiwanis]]" has a main lodge, four cabins, picnic pavilion, and various recreational facilities on 50&nbsp;acres (20&nbsp;ha) on Route 287, 1.0&nbsp;mile (1.6&nbsp;km) south of Salladasburg in Mifflin Township.<ref name="kiwanis">{{cite web |url=http://www.pennvid.com/kiwanis/index.html |title= "Homepage of Beautiful Camp Kiwanis, Salladasburg, PA" |publisher = Penn Legal Visuals |accessdate=2006-08-06}}</ref> It is operated as a service by the [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania|Williamsport]] Kiwanis and rented out for fire department training, Girl Scouts, weddings, church, and other groups. Further south along the creek in Piatt Township is the [[New Tribes Mission]] camp for preparing [[Christian]] [[missionary|missionaries]] for field work with [[indigenous peoples]] in remote parts of the world. The training at the camp lasts one year.<ref name="new tribes">{{cite news |first = Richard N. |last = Ostling |authorlink = Richard Ostling |url = <!-- http://www.washtimes.com/world/20040829-100737-4613r.htm URL no longer works--> |title = More than 40 days in the wilderness (article on New Tribes Mission Camp) |publisher = [[The Washington Times]] / [[Associated Press]] |date = [[August 29]], [[2004]] |accessdate = 2006-07-12 |language = English }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.larsondesigngroup.com/project-new-tribes-bridge.asp |title = Larson Design Group: New Tribes Bridge" |publisher = Larson Design Group |accessdate = 2007-04-09}}</ref> Edward Gertler writes in ''Keystone Canoeing'' that Larrys Creek "has an exceptionally scenic, ultra-highwater, whitewater run that is really worthy of your attention".<ref name="canoe"/> Canoeing and [[kayak]]ing on Larrys Creek are possible when the water is high enough (in Spring and after hard rain), with 8.0&nbsp;miles (12.9&nbsp;km) of [[International Scale of River Difficulty#Class/Grade III|Class 3]] [[whitewater]] from Township Road 786 south through the State Game Lands to Route 973, and 7.4&nbsp;miles (11.9&nbsp;km) of [[International Scale of River Difficulty#Class/Grade I|Class 1]] to [[International Scale of River Difficulty#Class/Grade II|2]] whitewater south from PA 973 to U.S. 220.<ref name="canoe"/><ref name="whitewater">{{cite web | url= http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/1620 | title = American Whitewater: Larrys Creek, PA | accessdate = 2006-07-24 }}</ref> In addition to the 2,881&nbsp;acres (1,166&nbsp;ha) in State Game Lands No. 114,<ref name=game lands">{{cite web | url= http://www.huntingpa.com/sgl.html | title = Game Lands: Pennsylvania State Game Lands, their general location and acreage | accessdate = 2006-07-12 | publisher = HuntingPA.com | format = Searchable Database }}</ref> opportunities for hunting and fishing are available in the areas of Tiadaghton State Forest in the western part of the watershed, along the First and Second Forks. In 2002, a [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]] (DCNR) report on "State Forest Waters with Special Protection" rated the First Fork as a "High Quality-Cold Water Fishery".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/FORESTRY/sfrmp/docs/State%20Forest%20Waters%20with%20Special%20Protection%20list.pdf |title = State Forest Waters with Special Protection |accessdate = 2007-08-06 |date = 2002 |publisher = [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]] |format = PDF }}</ref> A stretch of Larrys Creek from the water company filtration plant (near the border between Mifflin and Anthony Townships) to 1.0&nbsp;mile (1.6&nbsp;km) downstream of the confluence with the First Fork has been designated as approved [[trout]] waters by the [[Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission]]. This means the waters will be stocked with trout and may be fished during trout season.<ref name="trout">{{cite web | author= [[Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission]] (PFBC) | url= http://www.fish.state.pa.us/water/county/pfbcmaps/lyco.htm | title= "2007 PFBC County Maps - Lycoming County" | accessdate= 2007-08-05}}</ref> There are also private hunting and fishing clubs and cabins along Larrys Creek and its tributaries. The largest is the "Larrys Creek Fish and Game Club", incorporated [[August 1]], [[1906]], which owns over 6000&nbsp;acres (2,430&nbsp;ha) along Route 287 on the Second Fork. As of 2006, the club has 55 active and 15 honorary members (all male). The club promotes conservation and stocks its 7&nbsp;miles (11&nbsp;km) of trout stream with three to four thousand brook and brown trout each year.<ref name="100 years">{{cite news |first = Eric |last = Long |title = ''Ahead of their time... Larrys Creek Fish and Game Club celebrates 100 years'' |publisher = [[Williamsport Sun Gazette]] |page = F-4 |date = [[2006-08-06]] }}</ref> The club's facilities include a [[trapshooting]] range and a [[helipad]], to aid in medical evacuations from its remote location.<ref name="helipad">{{cite news |first = Lauren |last = McClane |url = <!-- http://www.sungazette.com/News/articles.asp?articleID=7235 URL no longer works--> |title = Fish and Game club builds helipad |publisher = Williamsport Sun Gazette |page = A-1 |date = [[2006-07-24]] |accessdate = 2006-07-24 }}</ref> Another large private club is the Ogontz Lodge on the First Fork, established by banker [[Jay Cooke]] about 1884 for fishing and hunting.<ref name="history 45"/><ref name="cooke">{{cite book | last = Oberholtzer | first = Ellis Paxson | title = Jay Cooke: Financier of the Civil War, Volume II | edition = First | year = 1907 | month = October | publisher = George W. Jacobs & Co. | location = [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=aoYaAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA544&lpg=PA544&dq=ogontz+lodge&source=web&ots=rjDEOnF8w-&sig=Py5QXIMhpRymoZCYpmOp7cATSnE#PPP9,M1 | pages = pp. 541, 544 | accessdate = 2007-11-25 }} ''Note'': This book is somewhat confused about the location, saying the lodge was "near Salidasburg (''sic'') in Lycoming county on the Susquehanna River above Williamsport, Pa.". </ref> Cooke owned nearly the whole First Fork, 9.2&nbsp;miles (14.8&nbsp;km) long, with the main "Lodge" 1.2&nbsp;miles (2.0&nbsp;km) from the mouth, and a smaller "Upper Cabin" 5&nbsp;miles (8&nbsp;km) upstream of that.<ref name= "ogontz">{{cite journal | first = Jacob | last = Metzger | year = Winter 1992 | title = Ogontz Lodge &ndash; A Reminiscence | journal = The Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society | volume = XXXIV | issue = 1 }}</ref> [[Herbert Hoover]] found solitude at the Ogontz Lodge as a guest of Jay Cooke III three times: in June, 1918 (just before leaving for Europe as head of the American Food Administration), mid-May, 1928 (just before his selection as the Republican presidential candidate), and finally in late May, 1930 (as [[President of the United States]]).<ref name="Hoover">{{cite book | last = Wert | first = Hal Elliott | title = Hoover: The Fishing President, Portrait of the Private Man and his Life Outdoors | edition = First | date = 2005 | publisher = Stackpole Books | location = [[Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania]] | id = ISBN 0-8117-0099-2 | pages = pp. 97, 151-2, 200-1 }} ''Note'': This book refers to the stream as "Larry Creek" (''sic'').</ref> Other notable guests at the Ogontz Lodge include [[Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.]] and [[Katharine Hepburn]], and it is still in operation as of 2007.<ref name= "ogontz"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ofclodge.com/ |title = Welcome to the Ogontz Lodge |publisher = GoDaddy.com |accessdate = 2007-11-25}} ''Note'': This web site claims the lodge was founded in 1876, but the other sources all agree it was founded ''circa'' 1884.</ref> ==History== ===Early inhabitants=== [[Image:Larrys Creek Railroad Bridge .JPG|thumb|left|The Lycoming Valley Railroad bridge very near the mouth, where the Great Shamokin Path crossed Larrys Creek and Larry Burt lived.]] Two [[Clovis point]]s found in the Salladasburg area in a "stream site" are the earliest evidence of human activity along Larrys Creek (''circa'' 10,000 [[Common Era|BCE]]).<ref>{{cite book | last = Fogleman |first = Gary L. |coauthors= Johnston, Richard P. |title= Fluted Points in Lycoming County |year= 1987 |publisher= Fogleman Publishing Co |location= [[Turbotville, Pennsylvania]]}} (no ISBN)</ref> The earliest recorded inhabitants of the Susquehanna River valley were the [[Iroquoian]] speaking [[Susquehannock]]s. Their name meant "people of the muddy river" in [[Algonquin]]. [[Decimate]]d by diseases and warfare, they had died out, moved away, or been [[cultural assimilation|assimilated]] into other tribes by the early 18th century. The lands of the [[West Branch Susquehanna River Valley]] were then chiefly occupied by the [[Munsee]] [[phratry]] of the [[Lenape]] (or Delaware), and were under the nominal control of the Five (later Six) Nations of the [[Iroquois]]. The Great Shamokin Path crossed the creek at a [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] near its mouth; however, no trails of the indigenous peoples are recorded as having followed Larrys Creek north.<ref name="path">{{cite book | last = Wallace | first = Paul A.W. | title = Indian Paths of Pennsylvania | edition = Fourth Printing | date = 1987 | publisher = Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission | location = [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]] | id = ISBN 0-89271-090-X | pages = pp. 66-72 }} ''Note:'' ISBN refers to 1998 impression</ref> On [[November 5]] [[1768]], the [[United Kingdom|British]] acquired the "New Purchase" from the Iroquois in the [[Treaty of Fort Stanwix]], opening what is now Lycoming County to settlement. However, the [[Line of Property]] (or [[Purchase Line]]) border defined by "Tiadaghton Creek" dividing colonial and Native American lands was disputed. The colonists claimed this was Pine Creek, the Iroquois and other tribes that it was Lycoming Creek. Larrys Creek was in the disputed territory between these, so the illegal settlers there were part of the "[[Fair Play Men]]" system of self-government, with their own Declaration of Independence from Britain on [[July 4]] [[1776]].<ref name="history 1"/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Fair Play Settlers of the West Branch Valley, 1769-1784: A Study of Frontier Ethnography |last= Wolf|first= George D. | publisher = [[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]] | year = 1969 |location= [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]}} (no ISBN)</ref> In the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], settlements throughout the Susquehanna valley were attacked by [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalist]]s and Native Americans allied with the British. After the [[Wyoming Valley battle and massacre]] in the summer of 1778 (near what is now [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]) and smaller local attacks, the "[[The Big Runaway|Big Runaway]]" occurred throughout the West Branch Susquehanna valley. Settlers fled feared and actual attacks by the British and their allies. Homes and fields were abandoned, with livestock driven along and a few possessions floated on rafts on the river east to [[Muncy, Pennsylvania|Muncy]], then further south to [[Sunbury, Pennsylvania|Sunbury]]. The abandoned property was burnt by the attackers. Some settlers soon returned, only to flee again in the summer of 1779 in the "Little Runaway". [[Sullivan's Expedition]] helped stabilize the area and encouraged resettlement, which continued after the war.<ref name="picture">{{cite book | others = The Lycoming County Unit of the Pennsylvania Writers Project of the [[Work Projects Administration]] | title = A Picture of Lycoming County | date = 1939 | url = http://tramp145.dlt.psu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/digitalbks2&CISOPTR=9389&REC=20 | format = PDF | accessdate = 2008-02-20 | edition = First edition | publisher = The Commissioners of Lycoming County Pennsylvania }}</ref> On [[April 13]], [[1795]], Lycoming County was formed from [[Northumberland County, Pennsylvania|Northumberland County]], prompting further growth. In 1800, the "State Road" was the second major road built in the county and followed part of Larrys Creek in Cogan House Township as it ran from Newberry (the western part of Williamsport today) north to the Pennsylvania-[[New York]] state line near [[Painted Post, New York]]. Larrys Creek had a bridge near the mouth by 1806, the first of the major creeks in the county for which a bridge is mentioned.<ref name="history 19"> {{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania ... | date = 1892 | url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | accessdate = 2006-03-16 | edition = 1st Edition | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. | location = Chicago, IL | id = ISBN 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter XIX. Internal Improvements. | chapterurl = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-19.html }} </ref> ===Lumber=== [[Image:Larrys Creek in SGL 114.jpg|thumb|Larrys Creek in Cogan House Township, heading south through State Game Lands 114. Most such land was acquired by the state after being clear-cut.]] Like all creeks in Lycoming County, Larrys Creek served as an area for settlers to establish [[homesteading|homesteads]] and farms. As logging became a major industry in the mid-19th century, the creek was a source of power for [[sawmills]] and other mills. The first sawmill on the creek, in what is now Mifflin Township, was built in 1799. The relatively low flow of water in the creek did not allow rafts of logs to be floated downstream to the river and the lumber boom at Williamsport (as they were on Pine Creek to the west).<ref name="history 45"/> This and the lack of logging railroads along the creek led to the development of many small sawmills: the Larrys Creek watershed once had 53 sawmills within 22&nbsp;miles (35&nbsp;km) of the mouth (as well as other industries of the time). No other stream in the country had so many sawmills in so small a territory. Twelve sawmills were on the Second Fork, six on the First Fork, one each on Canoe Run and Lawshe Run, and the rest were on Larrys Creek itself. Eight were structures rebuilt on the site of previous sawmills, and only four were [[steam power]]ed (the rest were [[water power]]ed). The earliest of these sawmills was built in 1796 (near Seeley Run), the last in 1902 (on Lawshe Run), and by 1903 just two mills were still standing and only one of those was operating.<ref name ="sawmills"/> Lumbering removed the tree trunks, but left many flammable limbs, branches, and stumps behind. On [[May 2]], [[1872]] a large [[forest fire]] destroyed the villages of Carter and Gould, 6&nbsp;miles (10&nbsp;km) north of Salladasburg on Larrys Creek in Mifflin Township. There are large tracts of second growth forest and small lumber companies still operate in the watershed today.<ref>{{cite web | author= Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Bureau of Forestry |authorlink= Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/sfmanagement.aspx | title= State Forest Management |accessdate= 2007-08-12}} ''Note:'' Follow these links for photographs of the sawmills operating in [[:Image:Sawmill in Mifflin Township PA.JPG|Mifflin Township]] and [[:Image:Sawmill in Salladasburg, Pennsylvania.JPG|Salladasburg]]. </ref> ===Paper railroads=== Two "paper railroads" were proposed for Larrys Creek: the "Larry's Creek Railroad and Coal Company", incorporated [[June 24]], [[1839]] to hold 2,000&nbsp;acres (8&nbsp;km²) and operate up to 7&nbsp;miles (11&nbsp;km) of railroad from the mouth of the creek north to the coal mines; and the "Jersey Shore, Pine Creek & State Line Railroad", incorporated on [[April 11]], [[1853]] to run north from Jersey Shore up Pine Creek to [[Tioga, Pennsylvania|Tioga]] or Long Run, and thence to the [[New York-Pennsylvania border|New York state line]]. Its charter was amended [[April 4]], [[1854]] to run up [[Marsh Creek (Pine Creek)|Marsh Creek]] (then known as the Third Fork Pine Creek) and [[Crooked Creek (Pennsylvania)|Crooked Creek]] to the Tioga Railroad, and again on [[March 26]], [[1856]] to run up Little Pine Creek (then known as First Fork Pine Creek) to the Larrys Creek Plank Road and then up Blockhouse Creek to [[Blossburg, Pennsylvania|Blossburg]]. It was still an active corporation in 1865, but the charter of the "[[Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway]]" in 1870 (New York City-Reading interests) superseded it. Neither railroad was actually ever built.<ref name="taber atlas">{{cite book | author=Taber, Thomas T., III | year=1987 | title=Railroads of Pennsylvania Encyclopedia and Atlas | publisher=Thomas T. Taber III | id=ISBN 0-9603398-5-X}}</ref> The only railroad in the watershed crosses the creek just north of the mouth. ===Plank road=== [[Image:Puncheon.jpg|thumb|left|Diagram of a plank road or puncheon.]] In 1851 a [[plank road]] or puncheon was built along Larrys Creek from the village of Larrys Creek at the creek's mouth north to Salladasburg, then later along the Second Fork and on to the village of Brookside in Cogan House Township. It was later extended north to the village of White Pine and finally to the village of English Center in [[Pine Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Pine Township]] (along the current course of [[Pennsylvania Route 287]]). A spur of the plank road along Larrys Creek into Anthony Township was also built, but it is not known how far it extended.<ref name="plank">{{cite journal | first = Milton W. | last = Landis | year = Summer 1967 | title = The Larrys Creek Plank Road | journal = The Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society | volume = Volume IV, | issue = 1 | url = http://web.archive.org/web/20051118154755/www.lycoming.org/lchsmuseum/Articles/VOLIV1.htm | accessdate = 2008-02-20 }}</ref> (Landis claims it may have run nearly as far north as the covered bridge in Cogan House Township).<ref name ="now and then">{{cite journal | last = Landis | first = Milton W. | year = 1966 | month = October | title = The Larrys Creek Covered Bridge in Cogan House Township | journal = Now and Then (The Journal of the Muncy, Pennsylvania Historical Society) | volume = XV | issue = 5 | pages = 258 }}</ref> The plank road was a [[toll road]] run by "The Larrys Creek Plank Road Company", a corporation founded [[May 8]], [[1850]]. It served the sawmills, grist mills, mines, and leather tanneries along the creek. There was a connection to the railroad and the [[Pennsylvania Canal (West Branch Division)|West Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal]] at the hamlet of Larrys Creek, as well as the West Branch Susquehanna River. [[Tsuga|Hemlock]] logs were used to build the plank road. At that time, the tree's bark was a major source of [[tannin]] used to [[tanning|tan]] leather. The wood was not used much for lumber, so hundreds of thousands of stripped hemlock logs were normally left to rot. There were sawmills and experienced lumber workers available from the local timber industry. The earth under the plank road was first graded, then ties (similar to those used for railroad tracks) were set into the ground. Next long narrow stringers (similar to rails on a railroad track) were nailed to the ties, with a distance between stringers of about 6&nbsp;feet (1.8&nbsp;m). The road surface consisted of planks about 8&nbsp;feet (2.4&nbsp;m) wide nailed to the stringers and was fairly smooth. The road had turnoffs (as it was not wide enough for horse drawn vehicles to pass each other). [[Toll house]]s were at regular intervals, with variable tolls for pedestrians, riders on horseback and various carts and wagons. No toll schedule has survived. The plank road was operational for about 38 years when a major flood on [[June 1]], [[1889]] washed out much of it. The flood also destroyed the canal at the creek's mouth. The same storm system caused the [[Johnstown Flood]], which killed over 2200 people.<ref name="history 19"/> The Cogan House Covered Bridge was the only one on Larrys Creek to survive the flood, as a fallen tree formed a protective dam just upstream.<ref name="now and then"/> The 90&nbsp;foot (27&nbsp;m) long [[Burr truss|Burr arch truss]] bridge was built in 1877, listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1980, rehabilitated in 1998, and is today one of just three left in the county.<ref name="arch">{{cite web | url = http://www.arch.state.pa.us/ | title = National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania | publisher = ARCH: Pennsylvania's Historic Architecture & Archeology | format = Searchable database | accessdate = 2007-10-15 }} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web | url = http://www.arch.state.pa.us/pdfs/H000918_01B.pdf | title = National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Cogan House Covered Bridge | accessdate = 2007-10-15 | author = Susan M. Zacher, [[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]] | format = PDF }}</ref><ref name="register">{{cite web | url = http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/PA/Lycoming/state.html | title = National Register of Historic Places - Pennsylvania (PA), Lycoming County | accessdate = 2006-09-19 | authorlink = [[National Register of Historic Places]] }}</ref> [[Image:Plank Road Sign.JPG|thumb|Today the name is all that remains of the Larrys Creek Plank Road.]] By then most of the original forests in the county had been clear-cut, so no cheap source of wood was available as before. While the road from Salladasburg south to the West Branch Susquehanna River was repaired and rebuilt, the rest was not. In 1900 the county courts recognized a [[petition]] to end tolls on this last portion of the road. The corporation was dissolved and the road and its maintenance passed to the county. As sections of plank road wore out they were replaced by [[dirt road|graded dirt]] and [[gravel road|gravel]], so that it soon became a regular road. The plank road operated as a toll road for about 49 years.<ref name="plank"/> Today only the "Plank Road" name survives, in a 0.6&nbsp;mile (1&nbsp;km) section of road that runs north from [[U.S. Route 220 (Pennsylvania)|U.S. Route 220]], parallel to Route 287.<ref name="lycoming"/> ==See also== *[[List of rivers in Pennsylvania]] ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Commonscat}} *{{cite web | url = http://www.lyco.org/DotNetNuke/Portals/1/ConservationDistrict/Images/lycoming-watersheds-lg.gif | title = Watersheds of Lycoming County | accessdate = 2008-02-20 | publisher = [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|County of Lycoming, Pennsylvania]] | work = Map}} *{{cite news |authorlink= Lycoming County, Pennsylvania |author= Lycoming County Economic Development and Planning Services, GIS Division | http://www.lyco.org/DotNetNuke/Portals/1/Documents/county_map1.pdf | title= Lycoming County, Pennsylvania |date=2005| work= Map| format = PDF | accessdate=2007-09-17}} ''Note:'' Official Lycoming County Map showing cities, boroughs, townships, villages, county roads, rivers, and some streams *{{cite web | url = http://www.srbc.net | title = Susquehanna River Basin Commission: A water management agency serving the Susquehanna River Watershed | accessdate = 2007-10-13 | publisher = Susquehanna River Basin Commission }} {{geolinks-US-river|([[West Branch Susquehanna River]])|41.21667|-77.22056|([[Cogan House Township, Pennsylvania|Cogan House Township]])|41.4517|-77.1344|}} {{Susquehanna River System}} {{featured article}} [[Category:Chesapeake Bay Watershed]] [[Category:Lycoming County, Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Rivers of Pennsylvania]] [[zh:Larrys Creek]]