The Little Hocking River is a small

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

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

, long, in southeastern

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 ...

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 ...

. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

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 on the

unglaciated A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often cen ...

portion of the

Allegheny Plateau The Allegheny Plateau ( ) is a large dissected plateau area of the Appalachian Mountains in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglacia ...

. The river flows for its entire length in southwestern Washington County; its tributaries also drain a small area of southeastern

Athens County Athens County is a county in southeastern Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,431. Its county seat and largest city is Athens. The county was formed in 1805 from Washington County. Because Ohio's first state university, Ohio ...

. The Little Hocking River begins in Fairfield Township between the communities of Barlow and Bartlett and initially flows southeastward through southwestern Barlow Township into Dunham Township, where it is

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

med to form Veto Lake, which is surrounded by the Veto Lake State Wildlife Area. Downstream of Veto Lake, the river flows southwestward into Belpre Township; near its mouth it turns eastward and flows into the Ohio River at the community of Little Hocking. Among the Little Hocking River's tributaries are three with names derived from that of the main stream: *The East Branch Little Hocking River begins at in Warren Township and flows southwestward to in Dunham Township. It is long and drains an area of . *The Little West Branch Little Hocking River begins at in Fairfield Township and flows southward through Decatur Township to in Belpre Township. It is long and drains an area of . *The West Branch Little Hocking River begins at in near Bartlett in Wesley Township and flows south-southeastward through Fairfield and Decatur Townships to in Belpre Township. It is long and drains an area of . 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 ...

, the Little Hocking River has also been known historically as "Little Hockhocken River," "Little Hockhockin River," and "Little Hockhocking River."

References

{{authority control Rivers of Ohio Tributaries of the Ohio River Rivers of Washington County, Ohio

See also

References