Leatherbark Run is the name of a stream in Pocahontas County,

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 ...

. It is a tributary of the

Greenbrier River The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River (Kanawha River), New River, long,McNeel, William P. "Greenbrier River." ''The West Virginia Encyclopedia''. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. . in ...

. Leatherbark Run has the distinction of being West Virginia's highest stream. It begins at a natural spring on the south face of Bald Knob on

Back Allegheny Mountain Back Allegheny Mountain is a long mountain ridge in eastern West Virginia. It is part of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex in the Allegheny Mountains, Allegheny Range of the Appalachians. Geography Back Allegheny Mountain runs north to south a ...

in the western half of the county. The elevation of its headwaters is above sea level. It then proceeds south down the side of the mountain, then turns eastward near Whittaker and continues in that direction until it flows into the Greenbrier at the town of

Cass Cass may refer to: People and fictional characters * Cass (surname), a list of people * Cass (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Big Cass, ring name of wrestler William Morrissey * Cass, in British band Skunk Anansie * Cass, ...

. The total elevation change from its headwaters to its mouth is approximately , more than any other stream in the state. Leatherbark Run was the site of a major logging railroad operation in the early 1900s. Surveyors for the railroad concluded that a railway up alongside of Leatherbark Run was the only feasible way to cross the Allegheny Mountains to reach the vast spruce forests that thrived above . Today, Cass Scenic Railroad still uses this route to carry passengers into the mountains via Leatherbark Run. The stream is also noted for its potential to

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...

. Leatherbark Run can flood even when it is not raining in Cass because of the location of its headwaters in a very mountainous area that is notorious for its rapidly changing weather.

References

Rivers of West Virginia Rivers of Pocahontas County, West Virginia Tributaries of the Greenbrier River {{WestVirginia-river-stub

See also

References