Sugar Creek (Tuscarawas River tributary) explained

Sugar Creek
Map Size:	280
Pushpin Map:	USA Ohio
Pushpin Map Size:	280
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location of the mouth of Sugar Creek in Dover, Ohio
Subdivision Type1:	Country
Subdivision Name1:	United States
Subdivision Type2:	State
Subdivision Name2:	Ohio
Length:	45miles^[1]
Discharge1 Location:	USGS gauge at Strasburg
Discharge1 Avg:	312.1cuft/s, water years 1932-2019^[2]
Source1 Location:	northwest of Smithville
Source1 Coordinates:	40.9089°N -81.9186°W^[3]
Mouth:	Tuscarawas River
Mouth Location:	Dover
Mouth Coordinates:	40.5108°N -81.4781°W
Mouth Elevation:	856feet
Basin Size:	356sqmi

Sugar Creek is a tributary of the Tuscarawas River in northeastern Ohio in the United States. It is 45 miles (72 km) long. Via the Tuscarawas, Muskingum, and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 356 square miles (922 km²) on glaciated and unglaciated portions of the Allegheny Plateau.

It is the namesake of Sugarcreek, Ohio and of townships in Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties Ohio.

Path of the river

It rises in north-central Wayne County, approximately five miles (8 km) northwest of Smithville, and flows southeastwardly through southwestern Stark County and northwestern Tuscarawas County, past the communities of Smithville, Brewster, Beach City and Strasburg to Dover, where it joins the Tuscarawas River from the west.^[4]

Along its course Sugar Creek collects several tributaries that have been given derivative names:^[4]

• Little Sugar Creek^[5] flows northwardly through southeastern Wayne County.
• North Fork Sugar Creek,^[6] which flows to the south of Sugar Creek, rises in southeastern Wayne County and flows eastwardly into southwestern Stark County.
• Middle Fork Sugar Creek^[7] rises in northeastern Holmes County and flows northeastwardly into Stark County, where it joins Sugar Creek from the south at Brewster.
• South Fork Sugar Creek^[8] rises in northeastern Holmes County and flows north-northeastwardly into northwestern Tuscarawas County, through the community of Sugarcreek.

Beach City Dam, in Tuscarawas County southeast of Beach City and just downstream of the mouth of the South Fork,^[4] was constructed in 1936 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of flood control.^[9]

Name

Sugar Creek was named for the abundant sugar maples along its course.^[10] According to the Geographic Names Information System, Sugar Creek has also been known historically as:^[3]

• Margarets Creek
• Margets Creek
• Margret's Creek
• Margrets Creek

See also

• List of rivers of Ohio

Notes and References

1. Web site: Major Ohio Watersheds . p. 11 . 2007-02-09 . Ohio Department of Natural Resources . A Guide to Ohio Streams . 2000.
2. Web site: Water-Year Summary for Site 03124500. 2020-08-12. live. waterdata.usgs.gov. https://archive.today/20200812202919/https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/wys_rpt?dv_ts_ids=108780&wys_water_yr=2019&site_no=03124500. 2020-08-12.
3. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1066988}} GNIS entry for Sugar Creek (Feature ID #1066988)]. Geographic Names Information System. Geographic Names Information System. 2007-02-09.
4. [DeLorme]
5. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1042639}} GNIS entry for Little Sugar Creek (Feature ID #1042639)]. Geographic Names Information System. Geographic Names Information System. 2007-02-09.
6. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1043946}} GNIS entry for North Fork Sugar Creek (Feature ID #1043946)]. Geographic Names Information System. Geographic Names Information System. 2007-02-09.
7. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1043276}} GNIS entry for Middle Fork Sugar Creek (Feature ID #1043276)]. Geographic Names Information System. Geographic Names Information System. 2007-02-09.
8. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1066969}} GNIS entry for South Fork Sugar Creek (Feature ID #1066969)]. Geographic Names Information System. Geographic Names Information System. 2007-02-09.
9. Web site: Beach City Dam . United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District . United States Army Corps of Engineers . 2007-02-09.
10. Book: Lehman, John H.. A Standard History of Stark County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Civic and Social Development . 1916. Lewis Publishing Company. 75.