The Levisa Fork (also known as the Levisa Fork River or the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River) is a tributary of the
Big Sandy River, approximately long,
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed June 13, 2011 in southwestern
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
and eastern
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
Overview

It rises in the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
of
southwestern Virginia, in eastern
Buchanan County, near
Grundy. It flows west into
Pike County, Kentucky
Pike County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 58,669. Its county seat is Pikeville, Kentucky, Pikeville. The county was founded in 1821. It is ...
, where it is impounded to form
Fishtrap Lake reservoir. After collecting the
Russell Fork, it flows northwest through
Pikeville and
Prestonsburg. The natural course of the river formed a loop surrounding downtown Pikeville, but
a massive earthmoving project completed in 1987 rerouted the river to bypass the city. At
Paintsville it turns to the north-northeast, flowing through
Johnson and
Lawrence counties. It joins the
Tug Fork from the southwest at
Louisa on the
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 ...
state line to form the Big Sandy.
The Levisa Fork was historically an important river for
log driving. The river is partly navigable for commercial purposes through a series of
locks. In the early 1900s the river was navigable as far as Pikeville.
Variant names, according to the USGS, include Louisa River, Louisa Fork, Lavisa Fork, and West Fork, in addition to Levisa Fork River and Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River. The official name according to the USGS is Levisa Fork.
According to Robert F. Collins of the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...
, 18th-century explorer
Dr. Thomas Walker had named the nearby
Kentucky River the Louisa River, after
Princess Louisa, sister of
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (Walker had just named the
Cumberland River a month or two earlier). According to
George R. Stewart, frontiersmen "forgot" who it was named for and it changed over time to Levisa. An alternate story is that one of
Ephraim Vause' daughters, Levicee, was carried away by the
Shawnee after the attack on
Fort Vause in 1756. She had placed her name on the trunks of beech and sycamore trees as she had been carried along, thus giving her name to Levisa Fork.
[Johnson, Patricia Givens]
William Preston and the Allegheny Patriots
lace of publication not identified B.D. Smith, 1976. Page 51.
On February 28, 1958, a Floyd County
school bus
A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...
tumbled into the Levisa Fork after a collision with a wrecker truck, leading to one of the worst bus disasters in American history.
See also
*
List of rivers of Kentucky
*
List of rivers of Virginia
References
* Stewart, George R. "Names on the Land". (1967)
* Collins, Robert F. "A History of the Daniel Boone National Forest". (1975)
{{authority control
Rivers of Kentucky
Rivers of Virginia
Rivers of Johnson County, Kentucky
Rivers of Pike County, Kentucky
Rivers of Floyd County, Kentucky
Rivers of Lawrence County, Kentucky
Rivers of Buchanan County, Virginia