The Muscatatuck River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 19, 2011

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

in south-central

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is a major tributary of the East Fork of the White River, and drains . In one area it serves as the southern boundary of the main unit of the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge. It also goes across the Crosley Fish and Wildlife Area and by

Muscatatuck County Park Muscatatuck County Park, formerly known as Vinegar Mills State Park and Muscatatuck State Park, is a recreational park located near the town of Vernon, Indiana, in Jennings County. Formally opened on May 17, 1921, on land given by Jennings Coun ...

.Muscatatuck River in Indiana. Maps of river and Maps to public access points and liveries
/ref> Below the mouth of the Vernon Fork, the Muscatatuck measures approximately 585 cubic feet per second. This figure is arrived at by combining the approximate discharge of the Muscatatuck at

Deputy, Indiana Deputy is a mid unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Graham Township, Jefferson County, Indiana, United States. By road it is approximately northwest of Madison, the county seat. As of the 2010 census it had a populatio ...

& the approximate discharge of the Vernon Fork Muscatatuck River at

Vernon, Indiana Vernon is a town within Vernon Township and the county seat of Jennings County, Indiana, United States. With a population of 318 in the 2010 census, it is the smallest town with that designation in the state of Indiana, lying just south of the ...

. The path of the Muscatatuck was formed by valley beds created during an

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

. It is believed that the first people arrived and lived by the Muscatatuck around 8000 BC, maintaining permanent structures between 1000 BC to 1000 AD. The first documented whites arrived in 1818, although it is possible that squatters lived in the area before Indiana's 1816 statehood. In the early 20th century, the name of the river was "Muscackituck". It is believed that the original white name was "Muscakituck", written in 1812 by a man named Tipton. Some believe the name comes from the

Munsee The Munsee (or Minsi or Muncee) or mə́n'si·w ( del, Monsiyok)Online Lenape Talking Dictionary, "Munsee Indians"Link/ref> are a subtribe of the Lenape, originally constituting one of the three great divisions of that nation and dwelling along ...

words for " swamp" and "river". The Vernon Fork of the Muscatatuck is a longer branch of the river than the main stem, or southern branch, of the Muscatatuck. The Vernon Fork provides the city of

North Vernon North Vernon is a city in Jennings County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,608 as of the 2020 census. History North Vernon was originally called Tripton, sometimes referred to as “The Gem of the Midwest” and under the latter na ...

with its drinking water, and flows for of its length in Jennings County. The town of Vernon is nearly surrounded by the Vernon Fork, with only a small neck of dry land that leads to North Vernon.J.C.H.S., pg.105 Before 1830, the Muscatatuck River was navigable, with local settlers being able to ship

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

down the river to eventually reach

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. However, around 1830, the river became no longer navigable, as dirt fill accumulated along the river bed. However, some groups "float" along stretches of the river. The Cavanaugh Bridge crosses the river southwest of Brownstown, Driftwood Township, Jackson County, Indiana. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2007. Noted Hoosier artist

T. C. Steele Theodore Clement Steele (September 11, 1847 – July 24, 1926) was an American Impressionist painter known for his Indiana landscapes. Steele was an innovator and leader in American Midwest painting and is one of the most famous of Indiana ...

particularly loved using the Muscatatuck River in his paintings.J.C.H.S., pg.26

References

{{authority control Bodies of water of Jennings County, Indiana Rivers of Indiana Tributaries of the Wabash River

See also

References