Basin and hydrology
Floods
The Kentucky River basin, including Middle Fork and its tributaries, suffered a major flood in January and February 1957. Peak flood levels were higher by at Buckhorn and at Tallega than the previous record peak levels in 1939. One person was drowned in Cutshin Creek. Most of the urban damage was at Buckhorn, with properties under up to of water, and at Hyden. In Bockhorn 10 homes were destroyed, and in Hyden 30% of the homes were damaged in some way. 20 commercial buildings in Hyden were flooded, and the local lumber company had a lot of its stock swept away.Tributaries and other locations
*Its major tributaries include: ** Hell-for-Certain Creek downstream of Hyden at altitude , mouth at headwaters at . *** Mill Branch upstream at altitude , mouth at headwaters at *** Big Fork *** Devils Jump Branch upstream, mouth at headwaters at ** Oldhouse Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , mouth at headwaters at ** Polly Morril Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , mouth at headwaters at ** Bull Creek downstream of Hyden at altitude , whose name anecdotally comes from pioneer settler John Amis having shot a bull buffalo on its banks, mouth at headwaters at *** Lower Field Branch upstream at altitude , *** Wolf Pen Branch upstream at altitude , mouth at headwaters at *** Thousand Sticks Branch upstream at altitude , mouth at headwaters at at the foot of Thousandsticks Mountain *** Henry Fork (a.k.a. Osborne Fork) *** Davidson Fork upstream at altitude , mouth at headwaters at ** Cutshin Creek downstream of Hyden at altitude , mouth at , whose further tributaries and locations are in its article ** Mile Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , mouth at headwaters at ** Nighwaw Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , ** Elic Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , mouth at headwaters at ** Asher Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , mouth at headwaters at ** Betty Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , ** Owls-Nest Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , mouth at *** a left branch upstream, *** Banger Branch upstream at altitude , mouth at headwaters at ** Roberts Branch downstream of Hyden at altitude , ** Rockhouse Creek at Hyden at altitude , *** Tantrough Branch upstream at altitude , *** Big Lute Branch upstream at altitude , *** Shack Branch upstream at altitude , *** Potato Knob Branch upstream at altitude , *** Puncheon Camp Branch upstream at altitude , *** Road Fork upstream at altitude , *** Left Branch upstream at altitude , **** Laurel Creek upstream at altitude , ** Hurst Creek upstream of Hyden at altitude , *** Round Hole Branch upstream at altitude , *** Rough Branch upstream at altitude , *** Davis Branch (a.k.a. Mart's Branch) upstream at altitude , ** Short Creek upstream of Hyden at altitude , *** a right branch upstream at altitude , *** a right branch upstream, *** a right branch upstream at altitude , ** Munsey Creek upstream of Hyden at altitude , *** Right Fork upstream at altitude , ** Hurricane Creek upstream of Hyden at altitude , *** a left branch upstream at altitude , *** Wolf Fork upstream at altitude , *** a right branch upstream, ** Burnt Camp Creek upstream of Hyden at altitude , *** Morgan Branch at Burnt Camp mouth at altitude , *** Left Fork upstream at altitude , *** Big Branch upstream at altitude , *** Camp Branch upstream at altitude , ** Johns Creek upstream of Hyden at altitude , *** Right Fork upstream at altitude , ** Lower Bad Creek, *** Bonnet Rock Branch upstream at altitude , *** Marion Fork upstream at altitude , ** Stinnett Creek upstream of Hyden at altitude , *** Little Stinnett Creek upstream at altitude , *** Lick Fork upstream at altitude , *** Big Branch upstream at altitude , ** Greasy Creek upstream of Hyden at altitude , ** Saltwell Branch upstream of Hyden at altitude , ** Trace Branch (a.k.a. Harmon Branch upstream of Hyden at altitude , *** Martor Fork upstream at altitude , **Hell-For-Certain Creek and Osha, Omarsville/Kaliopi post offices
The name of Hell-For-Certain Creek comes, anecdotally, from the bad experience of a pair of travellers navigating its waters. It is a common favourite name to use in stories about travelling in Kentucky, although the eye dialect pronunciation of "Hell For Sartin" that is employed by storytellers is incorrect and considered offensive and insulting by native Kentuckyans. The Osha post office was established by postmaster William C. "Short Buckel Bill" Begley on 1906-09-15. Begley had originally wanted the name Hell For Certain after the creek, but this was rejected by the USPS, so his second choice was the name of his daughter (1893–1990). It was located at the mouth of Hell-for-Certain Creek, and closed in December 1907. The Omarsville post office was established on 1929-02-27 by postmaster Lilbern W. Woods. It was named after Omar Huff, the son of Republican Party official Elmer Huff. Originally located at the mouth of Mill Branch, it moved around several times over the years. It was at several sites on Big Fork, then in 1942 postmasters Ethel Pilatos (née Woods and Lilbern's sister) and her husband Sam Pilatos (an immigrant from Greece) moved it to the site of Sam's store that, then was and still now is, located at the mouth of Devils Jump and called The Mouth of Devils Jump Branch. Because of other similarly named post offices and mail being misdirected, on 1945-03-01 Omarsville was renamed Kaliopi after Sam's mother (c.f. Calliope). It closed in July 1981.Dryhill and Gad/Thousandsticks post offices on Bull Creek
The Dryhill post office was established on 1897-09-30 by postmaster Dan McDaniel. It was located on a literally ''dry hill'' just above the "turkeyfoot" confluence of Bull Creek, Middle Fork, and Cutshin Creek, where the Daniel Boone Parkway and Kentucky Route 257 now cross Middle Fork. Like Omarsville, it served a store located at the mouth of Bull Creek and called The Mouth of Bull Creek. It closed in July 1908, and McDaniel tried to reestablish it on 1910-08-13, this time using his own surname. However, that name was taken in Breckenridge County so he continued with the original Dryhill. It became a rural branch of Hyden post office in 1964. The Gad post office was established on 1905-03-01 by postmaster Polly Osborne. She had originally wanted the name Bull Creek but that was taken and so she chose Gad after the Tribe of Gad or Gad. It was originally located a slight distance upstream on Henry Fork, and on 1924-05-31 moved to Bull Creek itself at the mouth of Thousandsticks Creek, after which it was at the same time renamed. It closed in November 2004. Thousandsticks post office, the creek it was renamed after, a school, church, the local weekly newspaper in Hyden, and Thousandsticks Mountain after which they all were named, have two different origin stories for their names. The first is that early settlers found a large number of old dead trees in the area and so named it after the "thousand sticks", i.e. tree trunks. The second is that early travellers discovered the aftermath of a forest fire in the area and so named it after the "thousand sticks", i.e. charred tree stumps.General
In 1918, Howard Asher and Rene Asher had mines on Red Bird just downstream of the ford that is downstream of Asher Branch. Andrew Asher had one on Banger Branch; and Hughes Asher one on Roberts Branch. Nathanial Roberts's mine was on Roberts Branch.See also
*Cross-reference
Sources
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* * * {{authority control Rivers of Kentucky Rivers of Lee County, Kentucky Rivers of Leslie County, Kentucky Rivers of Harlan County, Kentucky