Little Cacapon River

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The Little Cacapon River is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virginia which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The Little Cacapon enters the Potomac at an elevation of 499 feet (152 m) near the community of its namesake, Little Cacapon. While the Little Cacapon is a river by name, it is for the majority of its course a shallow non-navigable stream. It has been historically referred to as both Little Cacapehon and Little Capecaphon.

Contents 1 Little Cacapon history 1.1 Fort Cox 1.2 Civil War skirmishes 2 Little Cacapon River 2.1 Bridges 3 North Fork Little Cacapon River 4 South Fork Little Cacapon River 5 Tributaries 6 List of cities and towns along the Little Cacapon River 7 See also

[edit] Little Cacapon history

[edit] Fort Cox

On April 4, 1765, a settler by the name of Balzar Stoker received a land grant of 232 acres (940,000 m²) from Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron along the Little Cacapon River and its mouth on the Potomac. Prior to receiving his land grant from Lord Fairfax, Stoker had also purchased 30 acres (120,000 m²) from John Cox. Located on these lands at the Little Cacapon's mouth was "Coxes Ferry," which crossed the Potomac to Maryland. It was at the river's mouth (referred to as "Ferry Field") that a relative of John Cox, Friend Cox, had constructed a stockade. Cox's Fort was erected prior to 1750 for the purposes of protecting and defending both the Potomac River and the Little Cacapon valley. George Washington had previously surveyed a tract of 240 acres (970,000 m²) of land at the Little Cacapon's mouth for Friend Cox on April 25, 1750. Cox's fort and ferry later served as a means of transportation for General Edward Braddock and his soldiers en route to Cumberland from Winchester during the French and Indian War.

[edit] Civil War skirmishes

By 1842, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had been completed from Baltimore to Cumberland along the Potomac River through Green Spring, Okonoko, and Little Cacapon. With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad became a contested mode of transportation between the Union and the Confederacy. Once again, the mouth of the Little Cacapon became a vital location of defense of both the railroad and the Little Cacapon valley. On November 30, 1861, a skirmish occurred near the river in defense of the Little Cacapon railroad bridge that resulted in the wounding of three Union soldiers. The 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment's Company K, under the leadership of Captain Edmond R. Newhard, was assigned to guard duty at the Baltimore and Ohio's railroad bridge over the Little Cacapon until January 1863. On October 4, 1862, a skirmish between Company K and Confederate soldiers under the command of General John D. Imboden resulted in the capture of 54 Company K men (including Captain Newhard and Lieutenant Wagner).

[edit] Little Cacapon River

The Little Cacapon is formed at the confluence of two small streams, the North Fork Little Cacapon and the South Fork Little Cacapon, shortly after they both pass north under the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Highway 50) at Frenchburg. From Frenchburg, the Little Cacapon flows north between Town Hill, 1,329 feet (405 m) high, to its west and Little Cacapon Mountain, 1,575 feet (480 m) high, to its east. Flowing from a hollow in Town Hill, Shawan Run feeds into the Little Cacapon at Barnes Mill. Two miles (3 km) north, Three Churches Run also feeds into the river from Town Hill. At Higginsville on Slanesville Pike (County Route 3) near the old Vinita School, the river is fed by Crooked Run at Queens Ridge (1,322 feet). From Higginsville, the Little Cacapon continues northeast along Town Hill with Noland Ridge 1,161 feet (354 m) bounding it to the east. Also in the vicinity of Higginsville, Little Cacapon-Levels Road (County Route 3/3) intersects with Slanesville Pike, and as its name suggests, the road follows the Little Cacapon north until it diverges northwest to Levels via Hoffman Hollow. It is within this stretch of the stream that the Little Cacapon meanders by the community of Creekvale. At the entrance of Neals Run, the Little Cacapon is met to its east by Spring Gap Mountain 2,237 feet (681 m) and then flows beneath the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and empties into the Potomac River.

[edit] Bridges

Bridge	Route	Location
Little Cacapon Bridge	Little Cacapon River Road (CR 50/9)	Frenchburg
Barnes Mill Bridge	Little Cacapon River Road (CR 50/9)	Barnes Mill
CR 45/10 Bridge	Little Cacapon Mountain Road (CR 45/10)	Three Churches
Higginsville Bridge	Slanesville Pike (CR 3)	Higginsville
CR 3/3 Bridge	Little Cacapon-Levels Road (CR 3/3)	Creekvale
One-Lane Arch Bridge	Spring Gap Road (CR 2)	Neals Run
Little Cacapon Railroad Bridge	Baltimore & Ohio Railroad	Little Cacapon

[edit] North Fork Little Cacapon River

The North Fork's source lies in a hollow between Piney Mountain 2,618 feet (798 m) and the southwestern end of Stony Mountain 2,274 feet (693 m). From its source, the North Fork flows northeast along Grassy Lick Road (County Route 10). South Branch Mountain (3,028 feet) joins the North Fork to its west, and along with Stony Mountain to its east, the river diverges from Grassy Lick Road and continues its northeastern route to Shanks where it meets US Route 50. From Shanks, the North Fork merges with Camp Run and flows east under US Route 50 at Frenchburg where it merges with the South Fork to create the Little Cacapon River.

[edit] South Fork Little Cacapon River

The South Fork is formed at its headwater in a hollow towards the southeastern end of Stony Mountain along South Fork of Little Cacapon Road (County Route 12) between the communities of Kirby and Ruckman. From its source, the South Fork flows northeast toward Bell Hollow where it meets US Route 50 and turns north through Frye's Flat towards Frenchurg. The South Fork continues north under US Route 50 where it immediately joins with the North Fork to form the Little Cacapon River alongside Little Cacapon River Road (County Route 50/9).

[edit] Tributaries

Tributary streams are listed in order from south to north.

• South Fork Little Cacapon River
  • Bell Hollow Run
• North Fork Little Cacapon River
  • Camp Run
• Shawan Run
• Trinton Hollow Run
• Three Churches Run
• Graybill Hollow Run
• Crooked Run
• Hopkins Lick Run
• Dug Hill Run
• Hoffman Hollow Run
• Chimney Hollow Run
• Neals Run
• Lapley Hollow Run

[edit] List of cities and towns along the Little Cacapon River

• Barnes Mill
• Creekvale
• Frenchburg
• Higginsville
• Little Cacapon
• Shanks

[edit] See also

• List of West Virginia rivers

Potomac River system Cities and towns | Bridges | Islands | Tributaries | Variant names District of Columbia | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Virginia | West Virginia Streams shown as: Major tributaries • subtributaries • (subsubtributaries) • (subsubsubtributaries)

Tidal Potomac River Gulf Branch | Donaldson Run | Windy Run | Spout Run | Rock Creek | Tiber Creek | Rocky Run | Washington Channel | Anacostia River • Watts Branch • Hickey Run • Northwest Branch Anacostia River • (Sligo Creek) • Northeast Branch Anacostia River • (Paint Branch) | Four Mile Run | Oxon Creek | Hunting Creek | Broad Creek | Henson Creek | Swan Creek | Piscataway Creek | Little Hunting Creek | Dogue Creek | Accotink Creek • Daniels Run | Pohick Creek | Pomonkey Creek | Occoquan River • Bull Run • Broad Run • Cedar Run | Neabsco Creek | Powells Creek | Mattawoman Creek | Chicamuxen Creek | Quantico Creek | Little Creek | Chopawamsic Creek | Tank Creek | Aquia Creek | Potomac Creek | Nanjemoy Creek | Port Tobacco River | Pope's Creek (Maryland) | Gambo Creek | Piccowaxen Creek | Upper Machodoc Creek | Cuckold Creek | Wicomico River | Monroe Creek | Mattox Creek | Pope's Creek (Virginia) | St. Marys River | Yeocomico River | Coan River | Hull Creek Upper Potomac River North Branch Potomac River | South Branch Potomac River | Town Creek | Little Cacapon River • North Fork Little Cacapon River • South Fork Little Cacapon River | Fifteenmile Creek | Sideling Hill Creek | Cacapon River • Lost River • Trout Run • Capon Springs Run • Dillons Run • Edwards Run • Mill Branch • North River • (Grassy Lick Run) • (Tearcoat Creek) • (Bearwallow Creek) | Sir Johns Run | Warm Spring Run | Tonoloway Creek • Little Tonoloway Creek | Sleepy Creek • Meadow Branch | Licking Creek | Cherry Run | Back Creek • Hogue Creek • Isaacs Creek • Tilhance Creek | Little Conococheague Creek | Conococheague Creek • Back Creek | Opequon Creek • Abrams Creek • Mill Creek • Middle Creek • Tuscarora Creek (West Virginia) | Antietam Creek | Shenandoah River | Little Catoctin Creek | Catoctin Creek (Virginia) | Catoctin Creek (Maryland) | Tuscarora Creek (Maryland) | Monocacy River • Rock Creek • Marsh Creek • Toms Creek • (Middle Creek) • Double Pipe Creek • (Big Pipe Creek) • (Little Pipe Creek) • Carroll Creek • Linganore Creek • Bush Creek • Ballenger Creek • Bennett Creek | Little Monocacy River | Goose Creek • Little River | Broad Run (Virginia) | Sugarland Run | Broad Run (Maryland) | Seneca Creek | Difficult Run | Cabin John Creek | Dead Run | Little Falls Branch | Pimmit Run | Rock Run | Watts Branch Shenandoah River North Fork Shenandoah River • Cedar Creek | South Fork Shenandoah River • North River • (Middle River) • South River North Branch Potomac River Stony River | Abram Creek | Savage River | Georges Creek | New Creek | Limestone Run | Warrior Run | Wills Creek • Brush Creek • Little Wills Creek | Evitts Creek | Patterson Creek • Mill Creek | Dans Run | Green Spring Run South Branch Potomac River North Fork South Branch Potomac River • Mill Creek • Seneca Creek | South Fork South Branch Potomac River • Kettle Creek | Lunice Creek | Mill Run | Mill Creek | Big Run | Buffalo Creek Lakes and reservoirs Lake Accotink | Lake Anne | Lake Artemesia | Lake Bernard Frank | Lake Braddock | Breckenridge Reservoir | Brushy Fork Lake | Burke Lake | Dalecarlia Reservoir | Georgetown Reservoir | Jennings Randolph Lake | Kingman Lake | Little Seneca Lake | McMillan Reservoir | Mount Storm Lake | Lake Needwood | Sleepy Creek Lake | Stony River Reservoir | Tidal Basin | Trout Pond | Warden Lake