Turtle Creek (Little Miami River tributary) facts for kids
Turtle Creek is a small river, about 13.7 miles (22 kilometers) long, located in Ohio. It flows into a bigger river called the Little Miami River. The creek is named after a famous Native American leader, Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Indian Tribe. Turtle Creek is an important part of the larger watersheds of the Little Miami and Ohio Rivers, helping to carry water through the land.
Where Turtle Creek Flows
Turtle Creek starts high up on a plateau, which is like a flat-topped hill, between two places called Fort Ancient and Oregonia. From there, it flows west through the city of Lebanon. As it goes, some smaller branches of the creek follow roads like Wilmington Road and Oregonia Road.
West of Lebanon, the creek turns south. It then empties into the Little Miami River in a town called South Lebanon. There's also a "North Fork" of Turtle Creek. This branch begins north of State Route 122 and flows south, joining the main Turtle Creek in downtown Lebanon.
Smaller Streams Joining Turtle Creek
Several smaller streams, called tributaries, flow into Turtle Creek. These include Reeders Run, Swamp Run, and Dry Run creeks.
- Reeders Run starts near State Route 123 south of Red Lion. It flows along Markey Road and joins Turtle Creek west of Lebanon.
- Swamp Run comes from an area south of the Lebanon Correctional Institution. It flows into Turtle Creek near where Columbia Road and Turtlecreek Road meet, between Lebanon and South Lebanon.
- Dry Run follows Interstate 71 south. It enters Turtle Creek very close to where Turtle Creek meets the Little Miami River in the center of South Lebanon.
History of Turtle Creek
Long ago, the water from Turtle Creek was used for something very important: feeding the upper part of the Warren County Canal. This canal started in Lebanon and connected to a bigger canal called the Miami and Erie Canal in Middletown. People even built an earth dam on Turtle Creek near Lebanon. This dam created a 40-acre (16-hectare) reservoir, which was like a big pond, to make sure the canal had enough water.
One of the very first mills in Warren County was a grist mill operated by an early settler named Henry Taylor. He ran this mill on Turtle Creek in Lebanon from about 1796 to 1803. A grist mill uses water power to grind grain into flour. However, the mill was later sold and stopped being used because there wasn't enough water in the creek during dry months.
