Pigeon 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 drai ...

of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

in southwestern

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

. It runs approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 13, 2011 from its eastern source in rural Gibson County near

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

and its western source near Owensville. The forks merge southeast of

Fort Branch Fort Branch was a fort built by the Confederate Army especially to defend against attacks from the Union Army along the Roanoke River in North Carolina. The fort was originally built in 1862 along Rainbow Banks in Martin County, southeast of Ham ...

, and from there it heads southeast under its new northern crossing of

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, ...

towards Warrick County near Lynnville. From there it heads south, under

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...

, where it is signed as the "

Wabash and Erie Canal The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was th ...

" instead of as Pigeon Creek. The creek becomes larger as the Little and Big Bluegrass Creeks empty into it in western Warrick County. The larger creek then turns west crossing into

Vanderburgh County Vanderburgh County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 179,703. The county seat is in Evansville. While Vanderburgh County was the seventh-largest county in 2010 population with 179,703 people, it is also the ...

under its older former

Interstate 164 Interstate 164 (I-164) was a spur highway of I-64, between that highway and U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) in Evansville, Indiana. I-164, also known as the Robert D. Orr Highway, had a total length of . Requested as an Interstate and approv ...

crossing, now also part of Interstate 69, just north of Evansville's East Side. The creek has a few more tributaries join as it first heads west through

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

's East and North Sides then south between Downtown Evansville and Westside Evansville, where it empties into the

. The Pigeon Creek watershed is 235,000 acres, with Pigeon Creek transporting almost all of the rainwater that falls on of the land around it. 48% of the watershed is used for farming, 5% is urban, and 7.5% remain wetlands. The remaining 21% is covered by forests (50,000 acres of woodlands). In the past the banks of Pigeon Creek have been home to several businesses and manufacturers, including a textile mill, which was abandoned in the early 20th century. In the 1800s it was part of the Wabash & Erie Canal that provided flatboats access to the Ohio River near the mouth. Farm practices in the past channelized many of the tiny streams that feed the creek (the headwaters), and construction of the Wabash & Erie Canal in the 1800s significantly altered the natural channel of the creek as it flows south past Millersburg toward Stephenson Station. However, the canal ceased to follow the Pigeon Creek where its current path drastically changes from a southern path to a western one in Warrick County. This left the majority of the remaining stretch undeveloped, and in comparison to other streams in urban cities. The creek, as a wildlife oasis in the middle of a bustling city, provides habitats for various fish, waterfowl, and mammals. The Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage is a walking/jogging/biking trail along the Pigeon Creek and the Ohio Riverfront.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Indiana Tributaries of the Ohio River Rivers of Vanderburgh County, Indiana Rivers of Gibson County, Indiana Rivers of Warrick County, Indiana

See also

References