The Black Fork is a principal
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
Cheat River in the
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range ( ) — also spelled Alleghany or Allegany, less formally the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada. Historically it represented a significant barr ...
of eastern
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
, USA. It is a short stream, about four miles (6 km) in length,
[''The American Rivers Outstanding Rivers List'', Second Edition, May 1991. Compiled and edited by Matthew H. Huntington and John D. Echeverria. Washington, DC: American Rivers, Inc.] formed by the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of two other streams not far above its mouth.
DeLorme
DeLorme Publishing Company is a producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company's main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and rec ...
(1997). ''West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . It was traditionally considered one of the five
Forks of Cheat.
Geography
Via the Cheat,
Monongahela and
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
Rivers, it is part of the
watershed of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
, draining an area of 500 square miles (1,295 km²).
The Black Fork flows for its entire length in
Tucker County. It is formed at the town of
Hendricks by the confluence of the
Dry Fork and the
Blackwater River
A blackwater river is a type of River#Classification, river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. Most major blackwater rivers are in the Amazon Basin and the Southern United States. The term is used in fluvial ...
, and flows generally northwestwardly through
Hambleton to
Parsons, where it joins the
Shavers Fork
Shavers Fork of the Cheat River is situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is long and forms the Cheat at its confluence with Black Fork at Parsons.DeLorme (1997). ''West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, M ...
to form the Cheat River.
[
]
Name
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names settled on "Black Fork" as the stream's name in 1930. According to the Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...
, it has also been known historically as "Blackwater Fork" and as the Blackwater River
A blackwater river is a type of River#Classification, river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. Most major blackwater rivers are in the Amazon Basin and the Southern United States. The term is used in fluvial ...
.[
Image:Black Fork Hendricks West Virginia.jpg, The Black Fork at Hendricks, as viewed downstream
Image:Black Fork Parsons.jpg, The Black Fork at Parsons
]
See also
*List of West Virginia rivers
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of West Virginia.
List of West Virginia rivers includes streams formally designated as rivers. There are also smaller streams (i.e., branches, creeks, drains, forks, licks, runs, etc.) in the state. Exc ...
*Blackwater Canyon
Blackwater Canyon is a rugged, heavily wooded, long gorge carved by the Blackwater River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. For many years, it has been the object of controversy as environmental activists have contended wit ...
References
*Julian, Norman. 2006. "Cheat River." ''The West Virginia Encyclopedia''. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. .
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Rivers of West Virginia
Rivers of Tucker County, West Virginia
Monongahela National Forest
Tributaries of the Cheat River