Creek names in Pocahontas County,

 

 

Here is a discussion of creek names found in the sources:

• Descriptive Names: Many creek names in Pocahontas County, West Virginia are based on the physical characteristics of the creeks themselves or the surrounding landscape:

  • Stony Run: This creek's name was inspired by the abundance of small creek worn stones at its mouth.
  • Thorny Branch: This creek got its name from the many thorn trees growing along the branch.
  • Shock Run: This creek was so named because the many shocks of hay harvested in the surrounding valley were visible from the creek.
  • Hellebore Run: This creek's name came from the numerous hellebore plants that grew along its banks.
  • Griffin Run: This creek was named for an old mountainer named Griffin who lived near the creek in the late 19th century.
  • Block Run: This creek was so named because a mill dam built in 1840 completely blocked the flow of the run.
  • Mosses Spring Run: This creek was named after a pioneer, Mosses Moore, who was captured by Native Americans near the creek in the 1770s.
  • Spice Run: This creek was named for the spicewood or laurel bushes that grew along its banks.
  • Locust Creek: This creek was named for the locust trees that grew along its banks.
  • Brown's Creek: This creek was named after John Brown, a captain in the Revolutionary War who owned much of the land along the creek.
  • Sunday Lick: This creek was named after a hunter who was killed by a deer on a Sunday while hunting near the creek.
  • Brush Lick Run: This creek was named after a deer lick that was located on the branch.
  • Lewis Lick Run: This creek was named after the pioneer Lewis, who first settled in Pocahontas County.
  • Stevens Hole Run: This creek was named after a settler named Steven Sewell who lived in a cave near the head of the creek.
  • Chicken House Run: This creek was so named from the fact that one of the old pioneer hunters of this section of Pocahontas County knowing that the branch was infested with foxes and vermin, placed small spring traps all around with one or two chickens inside the coop, then placed chicken house on a stump and about the chicken house, and thereby caught many of the foxes and vermin by this method of enticing them with a chicken; And the branch has been there-after called—Chicken House Run."
  • Beaver Creek: This creek was named after a beaver dam that was located on the stream.
  • Improvement Lick Run: This creek was named after the fact that a spinstress who had gone to Greenbrier River to join some men on a 'hide-out' to braid some improvement lick had located on Sunday Lick.

• Commemorative Names: Some creeks in Pocahontas County are named after individuals or historical events:

  • Galfords Creek: This creek was named after a tax payer in the area named Galford.
  • Sillington Creek: This creek was named after Robert Sillington, the stepson of Jacob Warwick, a pioneer who settled in the area in the mid-18th century.
  • Anthony Creek: This creek was named after a friendly Native American by the name of Anthony.
  • Price Run: This creek was named for William Thomas Price, the author of the Pocahontas County History.

• Uncertain Origins: Some creek names have unknown or disputed origins:

  • Thomas Creek: The origin of this creek's name is uncertain.
  • Cherry River: The origin of this river's name is uncertain, though it has been suggested it was named by early French explorers.

The sources provide a glimpse into the history and culture of Pocahontas County, as reflected in the names given to its waterways. They highlight the importance of natural features, the presence of early settlers, and the legacy of the region's indigenous people. By studying these names, we can gain a deeper understanding of the factors that have shaped the county's identity over time.