Middle Fork Kentucky River Explained

Middle Fork Kentucky River
Mouth:	Kentucky River
Mouth Location:	just upstream of Beattyville
Mouth Coordinates:	37.5866°N -83.6701°W

Middle Fork Kentucky River is a river in Kentucky in the United States.It is a fork of the Kentucky River that it joins just upstream of Beattyville.

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 5feet at Buckhorn and 2.83feet 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 10feet 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 9mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 780feet, mouth at 37.2458°N -83.3819°W headwaters at 37.1955°N -83.4764°W.
  - Mill Branch 1.375mile upstream at altitude 848feet, mouth at 37.2346°N -83.3954°W headwaters at 37.216°N -83.4041°W
  - Big Fork
  - Devils Jump Branch 2.25mile upstream, mouth at 37.2323°N -83.4153°W headwaters at 37.2419°N -83.4278°W
- Oldhouse Branch 8.5mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 785feet, mouth at 37.2456°N -83.3746°W headwaters at 37.2439°N -83.3605°W
- Polly Morril Branch 7.25mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 795feet, mouth at 37.2296°N -83.3735°W headwaters at 37.2276°N -83.354°W
- Bull Creek 6.5mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 800feet, whose name anecdotally comes from pioneer settler John Amis having shot a bull buffalo on its banks, mouth at 37.2203°N -83.3762°W headwaters at 37.1649°N -83.4551°W
  - Lower Field Branch 1.125mile upstream at altitude 830feet,
  - Wolf Pen Branch 3mile upstream at altitude 890feet, mouth at 37.1934°N -83.409°W headwaters at 37.1777°N -83.4052°W
  - Thousand Sticks Branch 5.125mile upstream at altitude 940feet, mouth at 37.1858°N -83.426°W headwaters at 37.16°N -83.416°W at the foot of Thousandsticks Mountain
  - Henry Fork (a.k.a. Osborne Fork)
  - Davidson Fork 5.5mile upstream at altitude 1015feet, mouth at 37.1742°N -83.4382°W headwaters at 37.1584°N -83.445°W
- Cutshin Creek 6.5mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 880feet, mouth at 37.2194°N -83.3751°W, whose further tributaries and locations are in its article
- Mile Branch 4.75mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 800feet, mouth at 37.2°N -83.3809°W headwaters at 37.1951°N -83.3914°W
- Nighwaw Branch 4.5mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 805feet,
- Elic Branch 3.75mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 805feet, mouth at 37.1928°N -83.3673°W headwaters at 37.1752°N -83.3519°W
- Asher Branch 2.25mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 815feet, mouth at 37.1827°N -83.3826°W headwaters at 37.1707°N -83.4052°W
- Betty Branch 1.75mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 815feet,
- Owls-Nest Branch 0.5mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 815feet, mouth at 37.1699°N -83.3662°W
  - a left branch 0.125mile upstream,
  - Banger Branch 1.25mile upstream at altitude 915feet, mouth at 37.1669°N -83.3495°W headwaters at 37.1622°N -83.3383°W
- Roberts Branch 0.5mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 815feet,
- Rockhouse Creek at Hyden at altitude 820feet,
  - Tantrough Branch 0.375mile upstream at altitude 830feet,
  - Big Lute Branch 2mile upstream at altitude 876feet,
  - Shack Branch 3.5mile upstream at altitude 921feet,
  - Potato Knob Branch 4.5mile upstream at altitude 950feet,
  - Puncheon Camp Branch 5.25mile upstream at altitude 988feet,
  - Road Fork 5.5mile upstream at altitude 1000feet,
  - Left Branch 5.5mile upstream at altitude 1000feet,
    - Laurel Creek 0.5mile upstream at altitude 1010feet,
- Hurst Creek 0.5mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 825feet,
  - Round Hole Branch 0.75mile upstream at altitude 900feet,
  - Rough Branch 1.375mile upstream at altitude 1105feet,
  - Davis Branch (a.k.a. Mart's Branch) 1.375mile upstream at altitude 1160feet,
- Short Creek 2mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 835feet,
  - a right branch 1.125mile upstream at altitude 935feet,
  - a right branch 1.375mile upstream,
  - a right branch 1.75mile upstream at altitude 960feet,
- Munsey Creek 3.25mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 845feet,
  - Right Fork 1.5mile upstream at altitude 965feet,
- Hurricane Creek 4.25mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 848feet,
  - a left branch 1.25mile upstream at altitude 1030feet,
  - Wolf Fork 1.5mile upstream at altitude 1070feet,
  - a right branch 2mile upstream,
- Burnt Camp Creek 5.25mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 850feet,
  - Morgan Branch at Burnt Camp mouth at altitude 856feet,
  - Left Fork 0.5mile upstream at altitude 875feet,
  - Big Branch 2mile upstream at altitude 1045feet,
  - Camp Branch 2.25mile upstream at altitude 1075feet,
- Johns Creek 7.75mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 870feet,
  - Right Fork 0.25mile upstream at altitude 910feet,
- Lower Bad Creek,
  - Bonnet Rock Branch 3.25mile upstream at altitude 1255feet,
  - Marion Fork 4.875mile upstream at altitude 1325feet,
- Stinnett Creek 10.25mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 900feet,
  - Little Stinnett Creek 0.875mile upstream at altitude 956feet,
  - Lick Fork 3.875mile upstream at altitude 1285feet,
  - Big Branch 4.75mile upstream at altitude 1350feet,
- Greasy Creek 11.25mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 900feet,
- Saltwell Branch 12.75mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 915feet,
- Trace Branch (a.k.a. Harmon Branch 12.875mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 915feet,
  - Martor Fork 1.25mile upstream at altitude 1070feet,
- Beech Fork 15mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 950feet, whose further tributaries and locations are in its article
- Lower Bad Creek 15.75mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 963feet,
- Pinch Hollow 17.125mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1002feet,
- Upper Bad Creek 18.5mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1042feet,
- Sang Branch (a.k.a. Ginseng Branch) 20.125mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1070feet,
- White Oak Creek 20.5mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1085feet,
- War Branch 22.25mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1180feet,
- Rye Cove Branch 22.625mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1200feet,
- Roark Branch 23.5mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1240feet,
- Turkey Branch 25mile upstream of Hyden,
- Spruce Pine Creek 25.5mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1325feet,
  - Dry Fork 0.25mile upstream at altitude 1325feet,
    - two forks 1.5mile upstream,
  - Long Fork 1.25mile upstream at altitude 1495feet,
- Mazie Branch 26.5mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1435feet,
- Rough Branch 27.25mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1570feet,
- Rainbow Branch (a.k.a. Meadow Branch) 28.5mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1675feet,

The confluence of Bull Creek, the main Middle Fork, and Cutshin Creek was known in the 19th century in Kentucky as a "turkeyfoot".

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.

Kentucky Route 118, which joins the Daniel Boone Parkway at Thousandsticks, is called the "Hyden Spur" as it is the access road for Hyden.

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.

Sources

Book: Coals of the Middle Fork of Kentucky River in Leslie and Harlan Counties. 1042126645. Reports of the Kentucky Geological Survey 4th series 1912 - 1918. The State Journal Company. Frankfort, Kentucky. James Michael. Hodge. 1918.
Book: Hydrology of Area 14, Eastern Coal Province, Kentucky. Ferdinand. Quinones. Donald S.. Mull. Karen. York. Victoria. Kendall. Water Resources Investigations. Louisville, Kentucky. August 1981. United States Geological Survey. 10.3133/ofr81137.
Book: Rennick. Robert M.. Harlan County - Post Offices. 2000. County Histories of Kentucky. 391. Morehead State University. .
Book: Rennick. Robert M.. Leslie County - Post Offices. 2000. County Histories of Kentucky. 241. Morehead State University. .
Book: Rennick. Robert M.. Lee County - Post Offices. 2000. County Histories of Kentucky. 242. Morehead State University. .
Book: . Review of Reports on Kentucky River and Tributaries. 1958-06-30. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District. Louisville, Kentucky. Secretary of the Army.
Book: Floods of January - February 1957 in Southeeastern Kentucky and Adjacent Areas. Geological Survey Water-supply Paper. 1652-A. United States Geological Survey. United States Government Printing Office. 1964. .