The Rolling Fork, per 1961

Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal gover ...

decision is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 13, 2011 river in central

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

. The river flows through

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) * Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mari ...

and Hardin counties, as well as being the border between LaRue and

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

counties. The Rolling Fork drains much of the land in these counties, and is a key part of life in this area of the Knob Region. The Rolling Fork is a part of the Salt River Basin, and the larger Ohio River Basin.

Geography

The Rolling Fork begins in southern Boyle County. It winds through the county, gradually increasing in size. After passing through Marion County, the Rolling Fork moves to be the border of LaRue County and Nelson County, starting near the High View area. The river snakes along Nelson and LaRue Counties, making a u-shaped bend along the Knobs. The rivers goes on and gains size when the

Beech Fork The Beech Fork, or Beech Fork River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 river in central Kentucky in the United States. It is a tributary of the Rollin ...

joins it near Youngers Creek, a community in Hardin County that borders Nelson County. Eventually, the Rolling Fork joins the Salt River at the Hardin County - Bullitt County line. The Salt River empties into the Ohio River about later, at West Point, Kentucky. The Rolling Fork has a mean annual discharge of 1,828 cubic feet per second at

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, per data collected during the period 1939-2015. The Rolling Fork winds through the Knobs of the region. These knobs shape the river and add to it the various "hallows" and bends that characterize the terrain. The river lies in beautiful valleys, and sets alongside many rich river bottoms. These bottoms provide excellent growing opportunities for grain farms, and surrounding pasture for cattle. The river valley is somewhat prone to flooding. Major flooding occurred most recently on the week after May 1, 2010. This flooding deeply impacted the communities, spilling water in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

, Howardstown and elsewhere. The raging waters scoured river bottoms and deposited brush and gravel there. In New Haven, the flood waters damaged the

Kentucky Railway Museum The Kentucky Railway Museum, now located in New Haven, Kentucky, United States, is a non-profit railroad museum dedicated to educating the public regarding the history and heritage of Kentucky's railroads and the people who built them. Originall ...

.K R M suffered serious damage from heavy rain on May 1 and 2. Water was over 3 ft in the Model Train center / crew room area. Multiple washouts on the main line totaled over .

Wildlife

The Rolling Fork and its valleys are home to a wonderful wildlife variety. There is a healthy population of

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

, squirrels,

opossum Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered Nort ...

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

s, and

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit s ...

s. Birds such as the

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

and

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania ...

call the river valley home.

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is ...

and

sandhill crane The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on th ...

s also pass through on migrating patterns. The waters of the river host

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

, some bluegill and sunfish, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and even

gar Gars are members of the family Lepisosteidae, which are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, an ancient holosteian group of ray-finned fish, which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago. Gars comprise seven livin ...

. Also residing in the area are a variety of

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked ...

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s - some

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera '' Crotalus'' and '' Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small ...

s - and

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. S ...

s and

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

People

The Rolling Fork is an essential part of the communities on or by it. The river valleys provide crop ground for farming operations and help provide in the local economy. The river is used for fishing, and the area around it is hunted for recreation.

Communities on the Rolling Fork

Holy Name of Mary Church (Cavalry, Kentucky) - exterior 2

* Calvary, Kentucky (in Marion County) * Raywick, Kentucky (Marion County) * High View, Kentucky (Marion County) * Gleanings, Kentucky (LaRue County) *

Howardstown, Kentucky Howardstown, Kentucky is an unincorporated community located on the Rolling Fork River in the southern portion of Nelson County, Kentucky, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States ...

(Nelson County) *

New Haven, Kentucky New Haven is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 855 at the 2010 census. Geography New Haven is located adjacent to the Nelson- Larue county line at the intersection of US Route 31E and Kentucky ...

(Nelson County) *

Boston, Kentucky Boston is a census-designated place in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. Boston is along I-65; its ZIP code is 40107. Boston is the home of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, organized in 1802. During 1929–1933, Mount Moriah was pastored ...

(Nelson County) *

Lebanon Junction, Kentucky Lebanon Junction is a home rule-class city in Bullitt County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,813 as of the 2010 census. Geography Lebanon Junction is located in southern Bullitt County at (37.836197, -85.727127). It is on ...

(Bullitt County) * Lyon Station, Kentucky (LaRue County) * Youngers Creek, Kentucky (Hardin County) *

Bradfordsville, Kentucky Bradfordsville is a home rule-class city in Marion County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 304 at the time of the 2000 census. History The community at the site was first known as Centerville from its supposed location at th ...

(Marion County) * Gravel Switch, Kentucky (Marion County) *

Forkland, Kentucky Forkland is a small unincorporated community in southwestern Boyle County, Kentucky, United States, along the North Rolling Fork. It is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area The Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined b ...

(Boyle County)

References

{{authority control Rivers of Kentucky Rivers of Marion County, Kentucky Rivers of LaRue County, Kentucky Rivers of Nelson County, Kentucky Rivers of Bullitt County, Kentucky Rivers of Hardin County, Kentucky Salt River (Kentucky)

Geography

Wildlife

People

Communities on the Rolling Fork

See also

References