Creelsboro Natural Bridge (more commonly referred to as Rock House or the Rockhouse) is a

natural bridge A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion fr ...

in southwestern

Russell County, Kentucky Russell County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. Its county seat is Jamestown. The county was formed on December 14, 1825, from portions of Adair, Cumberland and Wayne Counties and is named for William Russell. In ...

, United States. It is located near the community of Creelsboro, approximately downstream from

Wolf Creek Dam The Wolf Creek Dam is a multi-purpose dam on the Cumberland River in the western part of Russell County, Kentucky, United States. The dam serves at once four distinct purposes: it generates hydroelectricity; it regulates and limits flooding; it r ...

, which impounds

Lake Cumberland Lake Cumberland is a reservoir in Clinton County, Kentucky, Clinton, Pulaski County, Kentucky, Pulaski, Russell County, Kentucky, Russell, Wayne County, Kentucky, Wayne, and Laurel County, Kentucky, Laurel, counties in Kentucky. The primary reaso ...

. The Rockhouse is classified as a ''

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...

'' natural bridge because it was created by river erosion of a cliff on the outer side of a sharp meander in the river. Jim Creek flows through it before merging into the

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

. With a span of , it is the seventh largest natural bridge in the United States.

History

The Creelsboro Natural Bridge consists of Upper

Ordovician Period The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. The ...

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when ...

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

of the Cumberland Formation. Unlike most natural bridges it is made of

rather than

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

. First discovered in 1770 by a group of

hunters Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, et ...

, Rockhouse is a popular site for

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

. It was designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

by the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

in 1987. It remains privately owned but is accessible by a short walk from KY 379. Immediately across the river in Clinton County is the private Rockhouse Trace.

References

External links

Creelsboro Natural BridgeKentucky Geological Survey GQMAPS, S36
Natural arches of Kentucky National Natural Landmarks in Kentucky Landforms of Russell County, Kentucky {{RussellCountyKY-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links