Paint Creek (Johnson County, Kentucky) facts for kids
Paint Creek is a cool stream in Johnson County, Kentucky. It's about 20 miles (32 kilometers) long! This creek is a "tributary," which means it's a smaller stream that flows into a bigger river. Paint Creek flows into the Levisa Fork.
Quick facts for kids Paint Creek |
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Cliff along Paint Creek
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| Counties | Johnson County, Kentucky |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Confluence of Open Fork and Little Paint creeks in Johnson County, KY 702 ft (214 m) 37°53′50″N 82°59′16″W / 37.89722°N 82.98778°W |
| River mouth | Big Sandy River Paintsville, KY 600 ft (180 m) 37°48′51″N 82°47′31″W / 37.81417°N 82.79194°W |
Contents
About Paint Creek
Paint Creek is about 20.1 miles (32.3 kilometers) long. It starts where two smaller creeks, Little Paint Creek and Open Fork Creek, meet up. This meeting point is in Johnson County, Kentucky.
How Paint Creek Got Its Name
The creek got its name from something really cool that happened a long time ago. The Adena people, who were Native Americans, used to paint colorful symbols. These symbols, called ideographs, were like pictures that told a story or represented an idea. They painted them on white birch trees and rocks that were all along the creek!
Where Paint Creek Flows
Paint Creek starts in the far western part of Johnson County and flows towards the southeast. In 1983, a part of Paint Creek was blocked off to create a lake. This lake is called Paintsville Lake. After the water flows out of the Paintsville Lake dam, the creek goes through the city of Paintsville. Finally, it joins the Levisa Fork.
Fishing in Paint Creek
Paint Creek is special because it's the only stream in Johnson County where you can find trout! The amount of water in the creek changes a lot. It can be very shallow or deep and fast, depending on how much rain has fallen recently.
If you like fishing, you might catch many different kinds of fish here. Some of the fish you could find include:
You might also see other creatures like creek chubs, freshwater mussels, and mud eels.
