Hughes River (West Virginia)

The Hughes River is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. As measured from the confluence of its north and south forks, the Hughes is 18 mi (29 km) long,[5] and drains a rural area of the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.[6]

Hughes River
Hughes River at Freeport
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountiesRitchie, Wirt
Physical characteristics
SourceSouth Fork Hughes River
 • locationDoddridge County
 • coordinates39°09′46″N 80°44′44″W
 • elevation1,074 ft (327 m)[1]
2nd sourceNorth Fork Hughes River
 • locationRitchie County
 • coordinates39°23′14″N 80°55′59″W
 • elevation1,098 ft (335 m)[2]
Source confluence 
 • locationnear Cisco
 • coordinates39°07′05″N 81°16′38″W
 • elevation614 ft (187 m)[3]
MouthLittle Kanawha River[4]
 • location
near Newark
 • coordinates
39°08′24″N 81°23′43″W
 • elevation
584 ft (178 m)
Length18 mi (29 km)[5]
The North Fork of the Hughes River in Cairo in 2006
The North Fork of the Hughes River as viewed from the North Bend Rail Trail east of Cairo in 2006

The river is believed to have been discovered and named by the 18th-century settler Jesse Hughes,[7] but it may also have been named for others of the same surname residing in the area during roughly the same time period.[8] According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as the Junius River.[4]

Course

The Hughes flows for most of its length through Ritchie County as two streams:

The Hughes' north and south forks join near the community of Cisco and the Hughes River then flows for 18 mi (29 km) through northern Wirt County and meets the Little Kanawha River near the community of Newark,[6] 12 mi (19 km) southeast of Parkersburg.[12]

Varieties of fish in the Hughes River include muskellunge; rock, smallmouth and spotted bass; flathead and channel catfish; and several species of sunfish.[7]

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See also
  • List of West Virginia rivers

References
  1. "USGS Elevation Query: South Fork Hughes River Source". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  2. "USGS Elevation Query: North Fork Hughes River Source". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  3. "USGS Elevation Query: Hughes River Source Confluence". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  4. "Hughes River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  5. "Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry for Hughes River". Archived from the original on 2006-03-19. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  6. DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
  7. Bartlett, Larry. 2006. "Hughes River." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
  8. Dean, William H. 2006. "Jesse Hughes." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
  9. "North Fork Hughes River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  10. North Bend Rail Trail official website, from West Virginia State Parks
  11. "South Fork Hughes River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  12. "Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry for Little Kanawha River". Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
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