- Tulpehocken Creek (Pennsylvania)
Tulpehocken Creek is a
tributary of theSchuylkill River , approximately 24 mi (40 km) long, in southeasternPennsylvania in theUnited States . An important transportation route in the early United States, the creek drains alimestone hill country area of Berks County south of theAppalachian Mountains and is considered one of the finesttrout streams in southeastern Pennsylvania. The valley of the creek was known in colonial times as the Tulpehocken, stretching west of Reading. It was inhabited by theLenape and was a destination for early German-speaking settlers. The name comes from a Lenape word "Tulpewikaki", meaning "land ofturtle s." It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.Description
It rises in western
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania and flows generally east, in a winding course, through Myerstown, entering Berks County, passing north of Womelsdorf. At Womelsdorf it turns abruptly north, then flows southeast, through theBlue Marsh Lake reservoir and joins the Schuylkill at Reading.In the 1720s, the creek valley was a destination for early Swiss and Palatine settlers, who used the creek for extensive milling operations. In the 19th century, it provided an important early transportation route with the building in 1828 of the Union Canal along the river, connecting from its headwaters to those of
Quittapahilla Creek in Lebanon County. The canal, first surveyed in the 1790s provided the first water route between theSusquehanna River and theDelaware River , allowing large shipments ofcoal toPhiladelphia .The creek is impounded for flood control above Reading by the earthen
Blue Marsh Dam (seeBlue Marsh State Park ) completed in 1979 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to form the Blue Marsh Lake reservoir. The bottom-release design of the dam allows for the discharge of a cold water at a constant temperature, resulting in an ideal habitat forrainbow trout andbrown trout , which are stocked annually in the stream.ee also
*
List of Pennsylvania rivers External links
* [http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/current/?type=flow U.S. Geological Survey: PA stream gaging stations]
* [http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/sb/history.htm Tulpehocken Creek History]
* [http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/sb/purposes.htm U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Blue Marsh Lake origins]
* [http://www.riversflyfishing.com/tulpehocken_creek.php Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Reports, Hatch Chart, and Fly Fishing Info]
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