Laurel Creek (Kentucky) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Laurel Creek |
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|---|---|
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Laurel Creek headwaters 37°13′46″N 83°49′29″W / 37.22948°N 83.82465°W |
| 2nd source | Falls Branch headwaters 37°12′52″N 83°48′13″W / 37.21445°N 83.80351°W |
| 3rd source | Collins Fork headwaters 37°15′36″N 83°45′37″W / 37.26008°N 83.76038°W |
| River mouth | Goose Creek 756 feet (230 m) 37°12′59″N 83°43′03″W / 37.21632°N 83.71759°W |
Laurel Creek is a small river, also called a creek. It flows into a bigger river called Goose Creek in Clay County, Kentucky. A creek that flows into a larger river is called a tributary.
Laurel Creek is about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) long. Its name comes from the many beautiful mountain laurel plants that grow along its banks.
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Laurel Creek's Path and Branches
Laurel Creek joins Goose Creek about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) upstream from where Beech Creek meets Goose Creek. It is also about 9.25 miles (14.89 km) upstream from the town of Oneida.
Many smaller streams, called branches, flow into Laurel Creek. These are its major tributaries:
- Skull Branch joins Laurel Creek about 0.875 miles (1.408 km) upstream from its mouth. 37°13′30″N 83°43′52″W / 37.22490°N 83.73115°W
- Mill Pond Hollow joins about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) upstream. 37°13′37″N 83°43′52″W / 37.22701°N 83.73109°W
- Chicken Branch joins about 1.75 miles (2.82 km) upstream, at an elevation of 825 feet (251 m). 37°13′41″N 83°44′26″W / 37.22795°N 83.74057°W
- Orchard Branch joins about 2.25 miles (3.62 km) upstream, at an elevation of 830 feet (250 m). 37°13′56″N 83°44′53″W / 37.23234°N 83.74799°W
- Collins Branch joins about 2.375 miles (3.822 km) upstream. 37°13′59″N 83°44′53″W / 37.23299°N 83.74807°W
- Falls Branch (also known as Morgan Branch) joins about 4 miles (6.4 km) upstream, at an elevation of 890 feet (270 m). 37°13′50″N 83°46′56″W / 37.23056°N 83.78217°W
- Hogskin Branch joins about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) upstream. 37°14′02″N 83°47′32″W / 37.23392°N 83.79215°W
Post Offices Along Laurel Creek
Several small communities and post offices have existed along Laurel Creek over the years. Their names often tell interesting stories about the area.
Laurel Creek Post Office
The first post office named Laurel Creek was opened on April 21, 1865, by Joseph Hubbard. It stayed open until 1968. This post office was first located at the mouth of what is now called Morgan Branch, which used to be Falls Branch. It mainly served the area known as Hubbardsville.
Before 1902, the post office moved about 3 miles (4.8 km) downstream to the mouth of Collins Branch. From 1966 until it closed, it was a rural branch of the Manchester post office.
Fall Rock and Pinhook
Morgan Branch is also where the village, school, and post office of Fall Rock are located. The Fall Rock post office opened on May 22, 1924. It was named by its first postmaster, John Campbell, after the original name of Morgan Branch, which was Falls Branch or Fall Rock Branch.
This name came from a 10 feet (3.0 m) high waterfall. This waterfall was used to power a local mill and was also a popular spot for social gatherings.
However, the village and school were originally called Pinhook. Local stories say this name came from a fisherman who made fishing hooks out of safety pins he bought from the local store. His name was John Campbell (not the postmaster), and he became known as "Pinhook" Campbell. The village and school were renamed Fall Rock after the post office when schools in the county were combined in the 20th century.
Caution Post Office
Hubbardsville had a second post office named Caution, which operated from 1902 to 1918. The postmaster, George Hall, wanted to name it Clio after his 5-year-old daughter. But there was already a post office with that name in Whitley County, so he couldn't use it.
Millpond Post Office
The Millpond post office was first named Bessie by its postmaster, John L. Campbell. He ran it from November 15, 1907, to June 15, 1909, possibly naming it after his wife, Elizabeth.
The second postmaster, Oscar Hornsby, reopened it on May 14, 1921, in his general store near Lower Laurel School. He wanted to keep the name Bessie, but the name Millpond was chosen instead.
Local stories disagree about how the name Millpond came about. Some say it was named after the pond of Joe Hornsby's flour mill, built in the 1880s. Others say it was named after the pond of an old sawmill. The mill is long gone now. When the post office closed in August 1963, it was located just downstream from Mill Pond Hollow.
Laurel Creek Today
Today, Kentucky Route 11 mostly follows the path of Laurel Creek. This road makes it easy to travel along the creek's course.
A low area of land, called a gap, at the top of Hogskin Branch connects to the Rader Branch of Little Goose Creek. This shows how different waterways in the area are connected.
