![Little Cacapon River Neals Run WV 2005 05 26 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Little_Cacapon_River_Neals_Run_WV_2005_05_26_02.JPG)
The Little Cacapon River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...
in the center of
Hampshire County,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
.
Via the Potomac River, its waters are part of the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
watershed, leading to the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. The Little Cacapo
enters the Potomacat an elevation of near the community of
Little Cacapon. For the majority of its course the Little Cacapon is a shallow non-navigable
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
. It has been historically referred to as both Little Cacapehon and Little Capecaphon. The name is pronounced or .
The Little Cacapon i
formed at the confluenceof two small streams, the North Fork Little Cacapon and the South Fork Little Cacapon, shortly after they both pass north under the
Northwestern Turnpike
The Northwestern Turnpike is a historic road in West Virginia (Virginia at the time the road was created), important for being historically one of the major roads crossing the Appalachians, financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the 183 ...
(
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlanti ...
) at
Frenchburg. From Frenchburg, the Little Cacapon flows north between Town Hill, high, to its west and
Little Cacapon Mountain
Little Cacapon Mountain ( or ) is a mountain ridge of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians in Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States. The mountain takes its name from the Little Cacapon River, a Potomac River tributary
A tributary, o ...
, high, to its east. Flowing from a hollow in Town Hill, Shawan Run feeds into the Little Cacapon at
Barnes Mill. Two miles (3 km) north, Three Churches Run also feeds into the river from Town Hill. At
Higginsville on
Slanesville Pike
{{short description, Pre-freeway turnpike in West Virginia
The Springfield Grade Road was an early Toll road, turnpike between Springfield, West Virginia and Capon Bridge, West Virginia.
Springfield Grade Road was originally known as the Great Wag ...
(County Route 3) near the old Vinita School, the river is fed by Crooked Run at Queens Ridge ( high). From Higginsville, the Little Cacapon continues northeast along Town Hill with Noland Ridge bounding it to the east. Also in the vicinity of Higginsville, Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) intersects with Slanesville Pike, and as its name suggests, the road follows the Little Cacapon north until it diverges northwest to
Levels
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*Canal pound or level
*Regr ...
via Hoffman Hollow. It is within this stretch of the stream that the Little Cacapon meanders by the community of
Creekvale. At the entrance of Neals Run, the Little Cacapon is met to its east by
Spring Gap Mountain
Spring Gap Mountain runs southwest northeast through Morgan and Hampshire counties in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle, rising to its greatest elevation of north of "Spring Gap", from which the mountain takes its name. The gap is the source fo ...
and then flows beneath the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
and empties into the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...
.
Bridges
North Fork Little Cacapon River
The North Fork is a
tributary of the Little Cacapon. The North Fork's source lies in a hollow between Piney Mountain and the southwestern end of Stony Mountain. From its source, the North Fork flows northeast along Grassy Lick Road (County Route 10).
South Branch Mountain
South Branch Mountain is a mountain ridge that runs southwest to northeast through Hampshire and Hardy counties in the Eastern Panhandle of the U.S. state of West Virginia, rising to its greatest elevation of 3,028 feet (923 m) above sea-level in ...
( high) joins the North Fork to its west, and along with Stony Mountain to its east, the river diverges from Grassy Lick Road and continues its northeastern route to
Shanks where it meets US Route 50. From Shanks, the North Fork merges with Camp Run and flows east under US Route 50 at Frenchburg, where it merges with the South Fork to create the Little Cacapon River.
South Fork Little Cacapon River
The South Fork is an
tributary of the Little Cacapon. The South Fork is formed at its headwater in a hollow towards the southeastern end of Stony Mountain along South Fork of Little Cacapon Road (County Route 12) between the communities of
Kirby
Kirby may refer to:
Buildings
* Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States
* Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England
* Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...
and
Ruckman. From its source, the South Fork flows northeast toward Bell Hollow, where it meets US Route 50 and turns north through Frye's Flat towards Frenchburg. The South Fork continues north under US Route 50, where it immediately joins with the North Fork to form the Little Cacapon River alongside Little Cacapon River Road (County Route 50/9).
Tributaries
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 ...
streams are listed in order from south to north.
*South Fork Little Cacapon River
**Bell Hollow Run
*North Fork Little Cacapon River
**Camp Run
*Shawan Run
*Trinton Hollow Run
*Three Churches Run
*Graybill Hollow Run
*Crooked Run
*Hopkins Lick Run
*Dug Hill Run
*Hoffman Hollow Run
*Chimney Hollow Run
*Neals Run
*Lapley Hollow Run
List of cities and towns along the Little Cacapon River
*
Barnes Mill
*
Creekvale
*
Frenchburg
*
Higginsville
*
Little Cacapon
*
Shanks
Gallery
Image:Little Cacapon River Creekvale WV 2007 05 07 01.jpg, The Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) near Creekvale
Image:Little Cacapon River Creekvale WV 2007 5 7 2.JPG, The Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) near Creekvale
Image:Little Cacapon River Creekvale WV 2007 05 07 03.jpg, The Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) near Creekvale
Image:Little_Cacapon_River_Creekvale_WV_2007_05_07_04.jpg, The Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) near Creekvale
Image:Little Cacapon River Creekvale WV 2007 05 07 05.jpg, The Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) near Creekvale
Image:Little Cacapon River Creekvale WV 2007 5 7 6.JPG, The Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) near Creekvale
Image:Little Cacapon River Creekvale WV 2007 05 07 07.jpg, The Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) near Creekvale
Image:Little Cacapon River Little Cacapon WV 2008 10 13 01.jpg, Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Okonoko-Little Cacapon Road (County Route 2/7) near Little Cacapon
Image:Little Cacapon River Little Cacapon WV 2008 10 13 02.JPG, Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Okonoko-Little Cacapon Road (County Route 2/7) near Little Cacapon
Image:Little Cacapon River Little Cacapon WV 2008 10 13 03.JPG, Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
viewed from Okonoko-Little Cacapon Road (County Route 2/7) near Little Cacapon
See also
*
List of West Virginia rivers
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of West Virginia.
List of West Virginia rivers includes streams formally designated as rivers. There are also smaller streams (i.e., branches, creeks, drains, forks, licks, runs, etc.) in the state. Exc ...
References
External links
{{authority control
Rivers of West Virginia
Rivers of Hampshire County, West Virginia
Tributaries of the Potomac River