Hammersley Fork (also known as Hammersley Fork Creek) is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or 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 drain the surrounding drainage ...

of Kettle Creek in Potter County and

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York **Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, s ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Warton Township in Potter County and Leidy Township in Clinton County. The watershed of the stream has an area of . The main

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...

in the watershed is the

Pottsville Formation The Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, western Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, and Alabama. It is a major ridge-former in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of the eastern United States. The Pottsville Fo ...

. A number of bridges cross the stream. There are no state roads and virtually no township roads in the watershed of Hammersley Fork. However, there are dirt roads and gravel roads, and several stream crossings in the watershed. The first settlers arrived in the watershed in 1827 and the first roads in the area were constructed several years later. Industrial activities such as logging were common in the watershed in the early 20th century, but there is currently virtually no such activity there. Wild trout naturally reproduce in the stream throughout its entire length. Most of the creek has a substantial

riparian buffer A riparian buffer or stream buffer is a vegetated area (a "buffer strip") near a stream, usually forested, which helps shade and partially protect the stream from the impact of adjacent land uses. It plays a key role in increasing water quality i ...

Course

Hammersley Fork begins in central Eulalia Township, Potter County, near the

Sinnemahoning Creek Sinnemahoning Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Cameron and Clinton counties, Pennsylvania, in ...

watershed. It flows southeast to Elk Lick Knob, where it receives the tributary Black Mark Hollow. The stream then turns south and flows into a valley, passing Bunnell Ridge. The valley gets deeper and the stream receives several small tributaries. It turns southwest shortly downstream of the mouth of Elkhorn Run. In the southern reaches of the township, the stream receives the tributary Bell Branch and turns south-southeast, exiting Eulalia Township. Upon leaving Eulalia Township, Potter County, Hammersley Fork enters Leidy Township, Clinton County and continues south, passing by

Susquehannock State Forest Susquehannock State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #15. The main office is located in Coudersport in Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Susquehannock State Forest is located c ...

. The stream continues south for some distance and crosses

Pennsylvania Route 144 Pennsylvania Route 144 (PA 144) is a state highway located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering a distance of about . The southern terminus is located near an interchange with U.S. Route 322 (US 322) at State Route 2015 (SR ...

. Immediately after crossing Pennsylvania Route 144, the stream reaches its confluence with Kettle Creek. Hammersley Fork joins Kettle Creek upstream of its mouth.

Hydrology

The concentration of

alkalinity Alkalinity (from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is the capacity of water to resist acidification. It should not be confused with basicity, which is an absolute measurement on the pH scale. Alkalinity is the strength of ...

in Hammersley Fork ranges from . Particles in the stream include coarse sand and fine gravel. The stream experiences relatively high water temperatures and in July 2003, its temperature between Dry Hollow and Bunnell Run ranges from . Between Dry Hollow and Nelson Branch, the temperature ranged from . The

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...

load in Hammersley Fork is per year. The

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

load is per year, while the

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

load is less than half a pound per acre per year. Between the mouth of Dry Hollow and the mouth of Bunnell Run, the waters of Hammersley Fork are a Rosgen type F and a Rosgen type C stream. The upper part of the stretch of the stream between Dry Hollow and Nelson Branch is a Rosgen type C stream. The middle part of the stretch is a Rosgen type B stream and the lower part is a Rosgen type F to D stream.

Geography and geology

The elevation near the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

of Hammersley Fork is above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. The elevation of the stream's

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

is between above sea level. The

is the main rock formation in the watershed of Hammersley Fork. The highlands northwest of the Hammersley Fork watershed range from to and the highest elevation in the watershed is above sea level. The elevation range in the watershed is . At its mouth, the stream is wide. The average basin slope is 16.24 degrees. There are numerous

gravel bar A bar in a river is an elevated region of sediment (such as sand or gravel) that has been deposited by the flow. Types of bars include mid-channel bars (also called braid bars and common in braided rivers), point bars (common in meandering ...

s in the lower reaches of the stream. This width is maintained because deposition in the area is often removed. There is also a headcut in the lower reaches of the stream. At the headcut, it splits three ways for . A spot on Hammersley Fork near its mouth is the only location in the Kettle Creek watershed that has been channelized. Hammersley Fork flows over

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

or large

cobble Cobble may refer to: * Cobble (geology), a designation of particle size for sediment or clastic rock * Cobblestone, partially rounded rocks used for road paving * Hammerstone, a prehistoric stone tool * Tyringham Cobble, a nature reserve in Tyr ...

s for much of the stretch between Dry Hollow and Nelson Branch. From the mouth of Nelson Branch to downstream, the stream mostly flows in the central part of its valley. The tributary Nelson Branch has a patch of

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

that is high and long. There is a

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

at the mouth of Hammersley Fork. Two bridges cross Hammersley Fork near its mouth. One carries

and the other carries Hammersley Avenue.

Watershed

The

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

of Hammersley Fork has an area of , making it the second-largest sub-watershed of Kettle Creek after

Cross Fork Cross Fork is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of Kettle Creek in Potter County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Keyston ...

. There are of streams in the watershed. The mouth of the stream is in the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

quadrangle of Tamarack. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Short Run. The stream also passes through the quadrangle of Hammersley Fork. A number of

camps Camps may refer to: People *Ramón Camps (1927–1994), Argentine general *Gabriel Camps (1927–2002), French historian *Luís Espinal Camps (1932–1980), Spanish missionary to Bolivia *Victoria Camps (b. 1941), Spanish philosopher and professor ...

and residences are on the left bank of Hammersley Fork upstream of the mouth. There are a number of

dirt road A dirt road or track is a type of unpaved road not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone; made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable ...

s and

gravel road A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the Unite ...

s on the edge of the upper reaches of the stream's watershed. However, there are no state routes and almost no

township road A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

s in the watershed. However, much of the upper part of the watershed can only be accessed on foot. There are five road crossings of the stream and its tributaries. There is some

agricultural land Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other organism, forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous ...

along the stream.

History and recreation

Hammersley Fork was entered into the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

on August 2, 1979 and its identifier is 1199877. It is named after J. P. Hammersley. Jacob "Old Jake" Hammersley and Archie Stewart settled at the mouth of Hammersley Fork in 1827, with Hammersley settling on the east bank of the stream and Stewart settling on the west bank. They were the first settlers to come that far upstream in the Kettle Creek watershed. Additionally, the two constructed a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

on the west bank of the stream. There were no roads in the watershed by 1833. Later in the 1800s, Nathan Tuttle operated a gang mill on the stream. A settlement, also called Hammersley Fork, was created on the stream by 1852. In 1902, John Gartsee started a village called Hammersley in the middle reaches of Hammersley Fork. Its intended purpose was as a supply point for logging camps in the area. By 1902 to 1910, there was a network of

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s in the watershed.

Logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

was a large industry in the watershed of Hammersley Fork in the early 1900s, but there have been almost no industrial activities in the area since then. An old

railroad grade Grading in civil engineering and landscape architectural construction is the work of ensuring a level base, or one with a specified slope, for a construction work such as a foundation, the base course for a road or a railway, or landscape and ga ...

is located on Hammersley Fork. Fish have been stocked in the stream since the 1930s or 1940s. A two-span steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying T545 over Hammersley Fork was built in 1933 and repaired in 2010. The bridge is long. A two-span bridge was built over the stream in 1962 and repaired in 2011. This bridge is long and carries Pennsylvania Route 144. The Cherry Springs

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

camp was built near the headwaters of Hammersley Fork in 1933. The Hammersley Trail, which is part of the

Susquehannock Trail System The Susquehannock Trail System (STS) is an loop hiking trail in Susquehannock State Forest in Potter County (with a few short segments in Clinton County) in north-central Pennsylvania, United States. The trail walks through two state parks and ...

, passes by the mouth of Hammersley Fork.

Biology

Wild

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

naturally reproduce in Hammersley Fork from its headwaters downstream to its mouth.

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 ...

s have been observed at the headwaters of Hammersley Fork, despite the fact that they are more commonly found in large

river valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

s. Little yellow stoneflies also inhabit it.

Brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

first appeared in the stream in the 1920s after being stocked in

and in the 1940s the brown trout populations significantly increased. The Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area is located on Hammersley Fork. Most of the stream flows through this natural area. It is a 1521-acre area that includes a 158-acre area of

old-growth An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

hemlock trees. The

Hammersley Wild Area Hammersley Wild Area is a wild area in the Susquehannock State Forest in Potter and Clinton counties in north-central Pennsylvania in the United States. It is the largest area without a road in Pennsylvania and the state's second largest wild ...

is also located in the watershed. The stream's watershed is a Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory Biological Diversity Area. The

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the agency in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania responsible for protecting and preserving the land, air, water, and public health through enforcement of the state's environmental laws. ...

also classifies the watershed as an exceptional-value area. From the mouth of Hammersley Fork to upstream of the mouth, the

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

cover ranges from 0 to 50 percent. Much of the creek, however, has a significant

. The canopy coverage of the section of Hammersley Fork between Dry Hollow and Bunnell Run is 62 percent on average. However, the lower part of this section has 86 percent canopy coverage. The upper part of the stretch of the stream between Nelson Branch and Dry Hollow has a canopy coverage of 93 percent. The middle part of this section has a coverage of 58 percent and the lowest part has a canopy coverage of 89 percent. The tree coverage at the confluence of Nelson Branch with Hammersley Fork is 70 percent. The canopy coverage up to downstream of the confluence averages 40 percent. Tree species in this stretch include hemlock,

red maple ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nativ ...

river birch ''Betula nigra'', the black birch, river birch or water birch, is a species of birch native to the Eastern United States from New Hampshire west to southern Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and west to Texas. It is one of the few heat-tol ...

sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

, and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

Notes

References

{{authority control Rivers of Potter County, Pennsylvania Rivers of Clinton County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the West Branch Susquehanna River Rivers of Pennsylvania