Williams River (West Virginia)

The Williams River is a tributary of the Gauley River, 33 miles (53 km) long,[6] in east-central West Virginia, USA. Via the Gauley, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 132 square miles (342 km²) in a sparsely populated region of the southern Allegheny Mountains and the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.[6][7]

Williams River
Williams River in the Monongahela National Forest.
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountiesPocahontas, Webster
Physical characteristics
SourceBeaverdam Run
 • locationDay Mountain, Pocahontas County, WV
 • coordinates38°14′47″N 80°09′54″W
 • elevation3,892 ft (1,186 m)[1]
2nd sourceDowny Run
 • locationDay Mountain, Pocahontas County, WV
 • coordinates38°14′03″N 80°09′32″W
 • elevation3,975 ft (1,212 m)[2]
Source confluence 
 • locationPocahontas County, WV
 • coordinates38°13′43″N 80°01′10″W
 • elevation3,448 ft (1,051 m)[3]
MouthGauley River[4]
 • location
Donaldson, WV
 • coordinates
38°23′06″N 80°30′48″W
 • elevation
2,169 ft (661 m)
Length33 mi (53 km)
Basin size132 sq mi (340 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationDyer, WV[5]
 • average30 cu ft/s (0.85 m3/s)[5]
 • minimum0.62 cu ft/s (0.018 m3/s)(1995)
 • maximum1,840 cu ft/s (52 m3/s)(1971)

Name

The river has also been known historically as the South Fork of the Gauley River[4] In Webster County, it collects a short tributary known as the Middle Fork Williams River,[8] which itself collects the North Branch Middle Fork Williams River.[9] The river most likely was named after a landowner named Williams.[10]

Geography

The Williams River rises in southern Pocahontas County, approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Marlinton, and flows initially northwardly, then westwardly into southern Webster County, where it joins the Gauley River approximately 2 miles (3 km) southeast of Cowen.[7] It flows for much of its length in the Monongahela National Forest, including the Cranberry Wilderness, in an area that was heavily logged in the early 20th century and has since been reforested. Coal mining activity took place along the river's lower course into the 1970s.[6]

Fishing

The Williams River is regarded as one of the five best trout fishing streams in West Virginia,[6] due to its cold water temperature, low turbidity, and frequent stockings of trout (amounting to 27,000 pounds annually) by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.[11]

  • The Williams River as viewed from West Virginia Route 150 in Pocahontas County during a period of high water in 2006.
  • Fog on the Williams River during a period of high water in 2006.
  • Williams River

See also

References
  1. "USGS Elevation Web Service for -80.165, -38.246389". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  2. "USGS Elevation Web Service for -80.1589, -38.23409". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  3. "Beaverdam Run". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-06-27. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  4. "Williams River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-06-27. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  5. "USGS Gage #03186500 on Williams River at Dyer, WV". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  6. McNeel, William P. "Williams River." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
  7. DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
  8. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Middle Fork Williams River
  9. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: North Branch Middle Fork Williams River
  10. 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. 682.
  11. Monongahela National Forest: Williams River Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
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