Mill Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed August 15, 2011

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 drai ...

stream A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams ...

of the

South Branch Potomac River The South Branch Potomac River has its headwaters in northwestern Highland County, Virginia near Hightown along the eastern edge of the Allegheny Front. After a river distance of ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolu ...

, belonging to 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 Augu ...

and

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

watersheds. The stream is located in Hampshire County in

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 ...

Eastern Panhandle The Eastern Panhandle is the eastern of the two panhandles in the U.S. state of West Virginia; the other is the Northern Panhandle. It is a small stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia. Some sources ...

. Mill Creek flows into the South Branch west of Romney Bridge near Vanderlip along 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 1 ...

( U.S. Route 50).

Headwaters and course

Mill Creek's source lies in a hollow along Patterson Creek Mountain (2641 feet) in the extreme southwestern corner of Hampshire County near the "four corners" (where

Mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

Hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, Sout ...

, and

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

counties touch). At a

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with Elmlick Run north of Purgitsville, Mill Creek flows northward parallel to

U.S. Route 220 U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways which run east-west. US 220 extends for f ...

West Virginia Route 28 West Virginia Route 28 is a north–south route through the Potomac Highlands of the U.S. state of West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 39 in Huntersville. The northern terminus is at the Maryland state l ...

through the community of

Rada The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the S ...

. Continuing to follow U.S. Route 220/W.V. Route 28 north, Mill Creek curves eastward at

Junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

after flowing under U.S. Route 50. East of Junction, the creek runs by the

Sloan–Parker House The Sloan–Parker House, also known as the Stone House, Parker Family Residence, or Richard Sloan House, is a late-18th-century stone residence near Junction, Hampshire County, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It was built on land vacat ...

and continues northeastward with Mill Creek Mountain (2119 feet) bounding it to its east and Patterson Creek Mountain to its west. At Mechanicsburg, Mill Creek increases in size as it is joined by Titus Run, Sugar Run, and Dumpling Run. The wider stream makes a ninety degree turn in front of The Burg and enters

Mechanicsburg Gap Mechanicsburg Gap (also known as Mill Creek Gap) is a water gap through Mill Creek Mountain in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Mechanicsburg Gap allows for the passage of the Northwestern Turnpike ( U.S. Route 50/ West Vir ...

through Mill Creek Mountain. Mechanicsburg Gap is notable because of its many springs and the natural gateway it created for pioneers and settlers heading further west during the mid-18th century. Nearby overlooking Mill Creek and the South Branch are the

Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches are battle trenches in West Virginia that were originally dug between 1861 and 1862 to be later used in 1863 for the civil war. These trenches lined with chestnut logs by the Confederate artillery during the ...

on Mill Creek Mountain, south of the gap. At the hanging rocks at Phoenix Curve on U.S. Route 50, Mill Creek winds northward towards Vanderlip where it passes under a South Branch Valley Railroad wooden train trestle and joins the South Branch.

Trout fishing

Mill Creek is stocked with

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coast ...

from its mouth on the South Branch to Junction. The stream is stocked once in February and once every two weeks from March through May by the

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia. While formerly known as the cabinet-level Department of Natural Resources, it is now part of the West Virginia Department of ...

Bridges

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 drai ...

streams are listed in order from south to north. *Elmlick Run *Camp Run *Horselick Run *Titus Run *Sugar Run *Dumpling Run **Mayhew Run **Long Meadow Run *Core Run

Image gallery

Image:Mill Creek Romney WV 2008 10 30 2.JPG, Mill Creek at

viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney Image:Mill Creek Romney WV 2008 10 30 03.jpg, Mill Creek at

viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney Image:Mill_Creek_Romney_WV_2008_10_30_04.jpg, Mill Creek at

viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney Image:Mill Creek Romney WV 2008 10 30 05.jpg, Mill Creek at

viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney Image:Mill_Creek_Romney_WV_2008_10_30_06.jpg, Mill Creek at

viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney Image:Mill Creek Romney WV 2008 10 30 07.jpg, Mill Creek at

viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney Image:Mill Creek Junction WV 2008 10 30 01.jpg, Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at

Image:Mill Creek Junction WV 2008 10 30 02.jpg, Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at

Image:Mill Creek Junction WV 2008 10 30 03.jpg, Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at

Image:Mill Creek Junction WV 2008 10 30 04.jpg, Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at

Image:Mill Creek Junction WV 2008 10 30 5.JPG, Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at

References

External links

{{authority control Rivers of Hampshire County, West Virginia Rivers of West Virginia Tributaries of the Potomac River