- Quantico Creek
Quantico Creek is a tidal
tributary of thePotomac River located in eastern Prince William County,Virginia . Quantico Creek's source lies southeast of Independent Hill, flows throughPrince William Forest Park and Dumfries and empties into the Potomac atPossum Point .History
In
1690 , settler Richard Gibson erected agristmill on Quantico Creek near what is now the town of Dumfries. Scottish settlers then established a settlement and port on theestuary of Quantico Creek downstream after the bars to Virginia's profitabletobacco trade were lifted by theNavigation Law of1707 . West of that port, the land was quickly cleared of its timber and was planted with crops such ascotton and tobacco. Thesecash crops were harvested and shipped out through the port of Dumfries at the head of the Quantico harbor. A customhouse and warehouse followed in1731 , and many others cropped up along the estuary by1732 . The growth of tobacco caused the area around the creek to erode and the creek was filled with silt.The mid 1800s saw the development of some mining operations along the creek, consisting of the Greenwood Gold Mine, located at the headwaters of the North branch near Independent Hill, and the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine, located about 1 mile west of Dumfries and now within the Park.
Both mines were significant sources of pollution on the creek. The
pyrite mine was a source ofsulfuric acid , formed from the natural breakdown of pyrite, while mercury was used entensively in thegold extraction process. At one point, the water in the creek was nearly as acidic as vinegar. Both mines have since undergone significant reclamation to restore the creek and its surroundings to an acceptable state of health, especially within the park.Today, the creek is not navigable because of silting in. Most of its watershed lies in
Prince William Forest Park and the town of Dumfries. The mines are no longer in operation. Apower plant onPossum Point uses the water from the creek to cool itself.Communities
Several communities, some extinct, lie near Quantico Creek. Communities are listed from the Quantico's source to its mouth on the Potomac.
*Independent Hill
*Hickory Ridge (extinct)
*Batestown (extinct)
*Triangle
*Dumfries
*Quantico, site of theQuantico Marine Corps Base .Watershed Organizations
* [http://www.pwconserve.org/ Prince William Conservation Alliance]
ee also
*
List of Virginia rivers References
* [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2000/of00-360/ "A Ground Electromagnetic Survey Used to Map Sulfides and Acid Sulfate Ground Waters at the Abandoned Cabin Branch Mine, Prince William Forest Park, Northern Virginia Gold-Pyrite Belt"] by Jeff Wynn, "U.S. Geological Survey", Reston, VA 20192, retrieved April 7, 2006
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