Huron River (Ohio)

Infobox River | river_name = Huron River


caption = An early autumn scene of the west branch of the Huron River, near the towns of Milan, Monroeville, and Norwalk in north central Ohio.
origin = East of Shiloh, Ohio
mouth = Lake Erie at Huron, Ohio
basin_countries = United States
length = 60 mi (96 km)
elevation = 1090 ft (332 m)
mouth_elevation = 571 ft (174 m)
discharge =
watershed = 406 mi² (1051 km²)

The Huron River is located in the north central area of the U.S. state of Ohio. The watershed drains large portions of Erie County and Huron County, the northeast corner of both Seneca County and Crawford County and northern portions of Richland County.

The mouth is on Lake Erie at the city of Huron. The main branch of the river is formed when the east and west branches merge near Milan.

The east branch arises west of Fitchville and flows west to North Fairfield, where it bends north and flows though Peru and Norwalk before reaching Milan.

The west branch is the longest section of the Huron River. It arises about 4 miles south of Greenwich and four miles east of Shiloh, near the intersection of Gilger Road and Noble Road in northern Richland County's Blooming Grove Township. This is within a few miles of the headwaters of both the southwest branch of the Vermilion River (which also flows north to Lake Erie) and Shipp Creek, which is part of the Ohio River watershed via the Black Fork, Mohican, Walhonding, and Muskingum Rivers. The west branch of the Huron flows north and west from Blooming Grove Township through Huron County's Ripley Township, then back into Richland County's Cass Township and into Plymouth. It is here where the river bends north to flow through the Richland/Huron county line into Huron County's New Haven Township and into New Haven. It passes to the east of Willard, although other tributaries arise north of Willard. Still in Huron County, the west branch continues north through Greenfield Township, Peru Township, and Ridgefield Township. The west branch continues north into Monroeville and through the balance of Ridgefield Township. Next, the river crosses from Huron County into Erie County and then bends in an easterly direction through southern Oxford Township before reaching the confluence with the east branch in the Milan State Wildlife Area.

Tributaries

*Christiana Creek *Clayton Ditch *Cole Creek *Frink Run *Haas Ditch *Jacobs Creek *Marsh Run (see note)

*Megginson Creek *Milan Village Creek *Mud Brook *Mud Run *Norwalk Creek *Old Woman Creek *Rattlesnake Creek

*Sandhill Creek *Schoeffel Ditch *Seymour Creek *Shriner Run *Slate Run *Walnut Creek

Note: The Willard Marsh within the Willard Marsh State Wildlife Area, feeds into both the west branch of the Huron River and the Honey Creek tributary of the Sandusky River. Also, there are numerous creeks, streams, and ditches that are unnamed tributaries in the Huron River basin.

Variant Names

According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Huron River has also been known as:(Gnis|1076100|Huron River)
*Hurons River
*Notowacy Thepy
*Pettquotting River
*Riviere Huron
*Bald Eagle Creek
*Huron Creek

Similarly, the west and east branches have been referred to as the west and east forks.

Road Intersections

WEST BRANCH

Here is a detailed account of which roads cross over the west branch of the Huron River; beginning at the headwaters near Shiloh in Richland County and ending at the confluence with the east branch near Milan in Erie County.

Richland County

"Blooming Grove Township"
*Noble Road
*Pennel Road
*Baseline Road

Huron County

"Ripley Township"
*Ashland Railway, formerly CSX Transportation/Baltimore and Ohio
*Edwards Road
*Plymouth East Road
*Old State Road
*New State Road
*Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway, formerly Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railway
*Plymouth East Road
*Townline Road 111
*Baseline Road"Village of Plymouth"
*Broadway Street
*North Street
*Plymouth East Road"New Haven Township"
*Skinner Road
*US Route 224
*Klein Road
*Greenbush Road
*Boughtonville Road
*CSX Transportation, formerly Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
*Townline Road 12"Greenfield Township"
*Olive Road
*Maple Ridge Road
*State Route 61
*State Route 162
*Hanville Corners Road
*Peru Center Road
*Bauman Road"Peru Township"
*Troy Mills Road
*Fern Road
*Snyder Road
*Peru West Section Line Road
*Hettle Road
*Terry Road"Ridgefield Township"
*Standardsburg Road"Village of Monroeville"
*North Coast Inland Trail (under construction), formerly New York Central Railroad
*Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway
*US Route 20 (Main Street)
*River Road"Ridgefield Township"
*Lamereaux Road

Erie County

"Oxford Township"
*Huber Road
*Lovers Lane Road"Milan Township"
*Confluence with the east branch of the Huron River

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EAST BRANCH

Here is a detailed account of which roads cross over the east branch of the Huron River; beginning at the headwaters near Fitchville in Huron County and ending at the confluence with the west branch near Milan in Erie County.

Huron County

"Fitchville Township"
*Crescent Road
*State Route 162
*State Route 162
*Greenwich Milan Townline Road"Fairfield Township"
*Edwards Road
*Delta Road
*Fairfield Angling Road
*Old State Road"Village of North Fairfield"
*New State Road (Main Street)"Fairfield Township
*State Route 162
*Hanville Corners Road
*Townline Road 131"Bronson Township"
*Ridge Road
*Townline Road 113"Peru Township"
*State Route 61
*Geiger Road
*Remelle Road
*Johnson Road"Ridgefield Township"
*Brown Road
*US Route 20 Bypass"City of Norwalk"
*Old West Main Street
*State Route 61
*Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway
*North Coast Inland Trail, formerly New York Central Railroad
*Washington Road"Norwalk Township"
*Lovers Lane Road
*Schaffer Road

Erie County

"Milan Township"
*Confluence with the west branch of the Huron River

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MAIN STEM

Here is a detailed account of which roads cross over the main stem of the Huron River; beginning at the confluence of the east and west branches near Milan in Erie County and ending at Lake Erie near Huron in Erie County.

Erie County

"Milan Township"
*US Route 250 (multiplexed on the same four-lane road)
**(US Geological Survey stream gauge located just upstream of this bridge)
*Interstate 80 (multiplexed on the same six-lane road)
*Norfolk Southern Railway, formerly Nickel Plate Road
*Old Mason Road (bridge destroyed in 5 July 1969 flood)
*Mason Road"Huron Township"
*State Route 2 "City of Huron"
*Norfolk Southern Railway, formerly Conrail/New York Central
*US Route 6 (Cleveland Road)
*Lake Erie

Trivial Information

*At one point in Huron County's Peru Township, (approximately 7 linear miles away from the confluence) the East and West branches are only separated by approximately 0.64 miles. This is near the intersection of Johnson Road and Peru Center Road.
*An area near the confluence of Seymour Creek and the West Branch (on Lamereaux Road) is said to be haunted. This area also has history from the War of 1812 era. [http://www.goth.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=23;t=5628;st=0 The Haunting at Blue Bridge]

External links

* [http://newweb.erh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=cle&gage=milo1&view=1,1,1,1,1,1/US National Weather Service-AHPS Huron River, OH]

ee also

*List of Ohio rivers