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 stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in south central

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

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 ...

. 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 through the Crosley Fish and Wildlife Area and by Muscatatuck County Park. Below the mouth of the Vernon Fork, the Muscatatuck measures approximately per second. This figure is arrived at by combining the approximate discharge of the Muscatatuck at

Deputy, Indiana Deputy is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Graham Township, Jefferson County, Indiana, Graham Township, Jefferson County, Indiana, Jefferson County, Indiana, United States. By road ...

, with 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 just 236 in the 2020 census, it is the smallest county seat by population in the state of Indiana, lying just south o ...

. 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 g ...

. It is believed that the first people arrived and lived by the Muscatatuck around 8000 BC, maintaining permanent structures between 1000 BC and 1000 AD. The first documented Europeans 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 () are a subtribe and one of the three divisions of the Lenape. Historically, they lived along the upper portion of the Delaware River, the Minisink, and the adjacent country in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They were prom ...

words for "

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

" and "river". The Vernon Fork of the Muscatatuck is a longer branch of the river than the main stem, or southern branch, of the river. 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, and is sometimes referred to as “The Gem of the Midwest”, under that 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 pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

down the river to eventually reach

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. 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, which crosses the river southwest of

Brownstown, Indiana Brownstown is a town within Brownstown Township, Jackson County, Indiana, Brownstown Township and the county seat of Jackson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,947 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It was named for ...

,. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs. was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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