Shavers Fork
Shavers Fork of the Cheat River is situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is 88.5 mi (142.4 km) long[3] and forms the Cheat at its confluence with Black Fork at Parsons.[6] It was traditionally considered one of the five Forks of Cheat and its upper reaches constitute the highest river in the eastern United States.[7]
Geography
Shavers Fork, via the Cheat, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 214 sq mi (550 km2).[3] It flows for much of its length through the Monongahela National Forest, and drains mostly rural and forested areas. 97% of the river's basin is forested, and two-thirds of it is public land.[3]
Shavers Fork rises in north-central Pocahontas County at Thorny Flat, highest peak of Cheat Mountain (4,848 ft; 1,478 m) and the site of Snowshoe Mountain ski resort. Its headwaters flow through the ghost town of Spruce. The river then flows generally north-northeastwardly through Randolph and Tucker Counties, where its valley is the trough between Cheat Mountain (to the west) and Shavers Mountain (to the east). Settlements along its course include Cheat Bridge, Bemis, Bowden, and Porterwood. The "High Falls of Cheat" (15 feet [4.6 m] high) is a few miles upstream of Bemis. Shavers Fork ultimately joins the Black Fork at Parsons to form the Cheat at an elevation of 1,621 ft (494 m).[3][1][6]
Names
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Shavers_Fork_Parsons_West_Virginia.jpg/250px-Shavers_Fork_Parsons_West_Virginia.jpg)
The creek was named after the local Shaver family.[8] According to the Geographic Names Information System, Shavers Fork has also been known historically as:[1]
- Chavers Fork
- Main Cheat River
- Shafers Fork
- Shaffers Fork of Cheat River
- Shaver's Fork
- Shavers Fork River
- Shavers Fork of Cheat River
Recreation
Fishing
Multiple West Virginia stage record fish were caught along the Shavers Fork.[9][10][11]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Shavers Fork". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2004-04-24.
- ^ "Shavers Fork Source". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f Godfrey, Tanya. 2006. "Shavers Fork." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
- ^ "USGS 03068800 SHAVERS FORK BELOW BOWDEN, WV". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ^ "USGS 03067510 SHAVERS FORK NR CHEAT BRIDGE, WV". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ^ a b DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
- ^ Bender, Steve (2002) “Cheat River: West Virginia” Southern Living, Southern Progress Corporation, Spring 2002.
- ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 567.
- ^ "West Virginia Fishing Records". West Virginia DNR. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "West Virginia Fishing Records". Land Big Fish. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Kirk, Sam (January 10, 2024). "West Virginia DNR creates 5 new state fishing record categories". WBOY. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
External links
- The Nature Conservancy's Upper Shavers Fork Preserve Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- v
- t
- e
- Allegheny Front
- Allegheny Mountain
- Back Allegheny Mountain
- Backbone Mountain
- Barton Knob
- Burner Mountain
- Bickle Knob
- Champe Rocks
- Cheat Mountain
- Gaudineer Knob
- Mount Porte Crayon
- North Fork Mountain
- River Knobs
- Seneca Rocks
- Shavers Mountain
- Spruce Knob
- Spruce Mountain
- Big Run
- Black Fork
- Blackwater River
- Cheat River
- Cranberry River
- Dry Fork
- Elk River
- Gauley River
- Glady Fork
- Greenbrier River
- Laurel Fork
- Seneca Creek
- South Branch Potomac River
- Shavers Fork
- Tygart Valley River
- Williams River
- Lake Sherwood
- Spruce Knob Lake
- Summit Lake
- Cranberry Glades