Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)

{{For|other streams in Pennsylvania named Pine Creek|Pine Creek (disambiguation)}} [[Image:Major Watersheds in Lycoming County Pennsylvania.png|thumb|400 px|Map of the West Branch Susquehanna River (dark blue) and major streams in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Pine Creek (red) is the first major stream to enter the river in the county. Key to Pine Creek tributaries: 1 = West Branch Pine Creek; 2 = Marsh Creek; 3 = Babb Creek; 4 = Little Pine Creek / Blockhouse Creek]] '''Pine Creek''' is a [[tributary]] of the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]] in [[Potter County, Pennsylvania|Potter]], [[Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Tioga]], [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Lycoming]], and [[Clinton County, Pennsylvania|Clinton]] counties in [[Pennsylvania]] in the [[United States]]. The creek is {{convert|87.2|mi}} long. Within Tioga County, {{convert|23.25|mi}} of Pine Creek are designated as a [[Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers|Pennsylvania Scenic River]]. Pine Creek is the largest tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River and has the largest watershed of all the West Branch’s tributaries. ==Name== Pine Creek is named for the many [[pine]] trees that lined (and now again line) much of its banks. The [[Iroquois]] called Pine Creek ''Tiadaghton'', which according to Owlett, either meant "The River of Pines" or "The Lost or Bewildered River". Pine Creek is the largest "creek" in the United States. ==Geography== Pine Creek's source is in Potter County, {{convert|5|mi|0}} southeast of [[Ulysses, Pennsylvania|Ulysses]]. It flows southeast {{convert|16|mi}} to [[Galeton, Pennsylvania|Galeton]], where it receives its first major tributary, the [[West Branch Pine Creek]]. It then flows east {{convert|12|mi}} to Tioga County and the village of [[Ansonia, Pennsylvania|Ansonia]]. Here it receives its second major tributary, [[Marsh Creek (Pine Creek)|Marsh Creek]], and turns south again for {{convert|16|mi}}. This stretch is the start of the [[Pine Creek Gorge]], which is about {{convert|1000|ft}} deep in places. At the village of [[Blackwell, Pennsylvania|Blackwell]], Pine Creek receives its third major tributary, [[Babb Creek]]. It continues southwest {{convert|14|mi}} and enters Lycoming County, where it turns southeast for {{convert|28|mi}} to its mouth. At [[Waterville, Pennsylvania|Waterville]] it receives its fourth major tributary, [[Little Pine Creek]]. Pine Creek continues south and forms part of the border between Lycoming and Clinton counties. Its [[confluence]] with the West Branch Susquehanna River is at this border, between the boroughs of [[Avis, Pennsylvania|Avis]] (in Clinton County, to the west) and [[Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania|Jersey Shore]] (in Lycoming County, to the east). [[image:LHSP Pine Creek.JPG|thumb|left|Pine Creek]] The elevation at the source of Pine Creek is {{convert|2420|ft}}, while the mouth is at an elevation of {{convert|520|ft}}. The difference in elevation—{{convert|1900|ft}}—divided by the length of the creek—{{convert|86.5|mi}}—gives an average drop or [[relief ratio]] of 22.0 ft/mi (4.2 m/km ). The [[meander|meander ratio]] is 1.08, so the creek is fairly straight in its bed. ==Watershed== Pine Creek's watershed covers {{convert|979|sqmi}}, the largest watershed of all tributaries of the West Branch Susquehanna River. ===Recreation=== Pine Creek and [[Pine Creek Gorge]] (also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania) are a popular outdoor recreation destination. The West Rim Trail is a {{convert|30|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} hiking trail along the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge. The [[Pine Creek Rail Trail]] runs beside the creek through the gorge from Ansonia to Jersey Shore. The railroad through the gorge opened in 1883 as the [[Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway]], passing into the control of the [[Fall Brook Coal Company]] in 1884, and the [[New York Central Railroad]] via a lease in 1899, with full integration into the NYC in 1914. [[Conrail]] took over the line in 1976, and the last train ran through the gorge on October 7, 1988. [[Image:Pine Creek Gorge Panorama.jpg|800 px|thumb|center|Pine Creek Gorge Panorama from the West Rim Trail in Tioga County, Pennsylvania]] ==History== The [[Fair Play Men]] were illegal [[settler]]s ([[squatter]]s) who established their own system of self-rule from 1773 to 1785 in the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]] valley of [[Pennsylvania]] in what is now the [[United States]]. Because they settled in territory claimed by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], they had no recourse to the Pennsylvania colonial government. Accordingly they established what was known as the Fair Play System, with three elected commissioners who ruled on land claims and other issues for the group. In a remarkable coincidence, the Fair Play Men made their own [[Declaration of Independence]] from [[United Kingdom|Britain]] on July 4, 1776, beneath the "Tiadaghton Elm" on the west bank of Pine Creek, very near the mouth. ==Bridges== * The [[Bridge in Porter Township]] was built in 1889. * The [[Bridge in Brown Township]] was built in 1890. * The [[English Center Suspension Bridge]] was built in 1891. ==External links== *[http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/current/?type=flow U.S. Geological Survey: PA stream gaging stations] *[http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/oldgrowth/pinecreek.aspx Pine Creek Gorge official website] *[http://www.bartleby.com/69/17/P04817.html The Columbia Gazetteer of North America, 2000, entry on Pine Creek] {{Protected Areas of Pennsylvania}} {{Susquehanna River System}} {{coord missing|Pennsylvania}}