West Fork River (WV)
The
West Fork River is a principal tributary of the Monongahela
River, 103 miles long, in north-central West Virginia in the United
States. Via the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed
of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 881 square miles on the
unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
What do you know about West Fork River (WV)? Explore this Quick US
Geography River and Streams Quiz.
1. The river is formed near the a small community in southwestern
Upshur County by the confluence of small headwaters tributaries known as
Straight Fork and Whites Camp Fork. What is the community where the
river begins?
- Rock Cave
- Rock Ridge
- Rock Haven
2. The West Fork has a high gradient and is fast-moving throughout
its course.
3. The West Fork River flows generally northward through Lewis,
Harrison and Marion Counties. What is NOT a community
along the river?
- Weston
- Clarksburg
- Kingwood
4. Where does the West Fork join the Tygart Valley River to form the
Monongahela River?
- Idamay
- Bridgeport
- Fairmont
5. A walking trail parallels the river for 1.2 miles in River Bend
City Park in Clarksburg. For much of its length between Clarksburg and
Fairmont, the West Fork is paralleled by a pair of rail trails on the
route of a mid-19th century line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The
Harrison County Trail extends northward from Clarksburg, and the West
Fork River Trail connects Shinnston to Fairmont. A long-term closure of
the connection between the two trails is anticipated, due to the
presence of hazardous waste at an industrial site near a community in
northern Harrison County. What is the hazardous waste site community?
- Lumberport
- Wheeling
- Spelter
6. It is locally popular for fishing, and is stocked with muskellunge
by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
7. The West Fork River is not navigable by commercial barge traffic;
it is classified by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources as
"recreationally navigable" for canoes and similar craft. Three
miles south of Weston, the river is dammed by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers to form a lake. What is the lake?
- Stonewall Jackson Lake
- Burnsville Lake
- Lake Buckhannon
8. During the early history of the United States, the government of
Virginia attempted to maintain commercial navigability on the river,
chartering a company for that purpose in 1793 and requiring that dams
for milling operations provide a chute for boats to pass downstream.
Construction of a system of locks, dams, and chutes was begun by the
Monongahela Navigation Company in 1817; the project was abandoned
following damage by floods. What year did the floods stop the navigation
project?
9. The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "West
Fork River" as the stream's name in 1902. According to the
Geographic Names Information System, the West Fork River has also been
known historically as several names. What is NOT one of the names?
- Muddy River
- West Fork of Monongahela River
- Coal River
10. Jackson's Mill was established along the river north of Weston
around the year 1800 by Edward Jackson; his grandson, Thomas
"Stonewall" Jackson lived there during much of his youth.
Since the 1920s, who has operated the site?
- 4-H facility
- Future Farmers of America facility
- Boy and Girl Scout facility
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