Elkhorn Creek | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | West Virginia |
County | McDowell, Mercer |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Coaldale Mountain |
• location | Mercer County, West Virginia |
• coordinates | 37°20′50″N 81°20′20″W / 37.34722°N 81.33889°W[1] |
• elevation | 2,674 ft (815 m)[2] |
Mouth | Tug Fork |
• location | Welch, West Virginia |
• coordinates | 37°25′49″N 81°35′10″W / 37.43028°N 81.58611°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,296 ft (395 m)[1] |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• right | North Fork Elkhorn Creek |
Elkhorn Creek is a 23.7-mile-long (38.1 km)[3] tributary of the Tug Fork, belonging to the Ohio River and Mississippi River watersheds. It is located in McDowell and Mercer counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Elkhorn Creek is also known as Elkhorn Fork and Elkhorn River.
According to tradition, Elkhorn Creek was named after an incident when a pioneer hunter displayed an elk's horn near the creek's mouth.[4]