The Place of Two Rivers

WPC Ecologist Robert Coxe has put together a series exploring the life, history and future of watersheds in Lawrence County. Today, Robert explores the Shanango River, which is the third in a series of six reports.

Neshannock Creek is a large tributary of the Shenango River in Lawrence County and is named for the Algonquin word for “the place of two rivers.” The confluence of Neshannock Creek and the Shenango River was the scene of the founding of New Castle, PA. In 1798 John Carlysle Stewart, a surveyor, founded the city on land which was unclaimed. At the time the wide floodplain that is now downtown New Castle was the location of a shrub swamp. Neshannock Creek drains the middle northern part of Lawrence and Mercer Counties. It is formed at the confluence of Coolspring and Otter Creeks near the Borough of Mercer in Mercer County. In Lawrence County Neshannock Creek receives one large tributary, Little Neshannock Creek, which flows south from Mercer County. Anglers are fond of the trout fishing in Neshannock Creek, especially around the Borough of Volant. More information on fishing can be found at http://ncflyfish.tripod.com.

Neshannock and Little Neshannock Creeks are the location of four Natural Heritage Areas recognized in the Lawrence County Natural Heritage Inventory produced by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. These include:

• Briar Hill Biological Diversity Area (BDA)
• Sunset Valley Floodplain BDA
• Westminster College BDA
• Little Neshannock Creek BDA

Pictured today is Neshannock Creek at the Pa. Fish and Boat Commission access at Painter Hill.

Photo by Robert Coxe.

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