Silver Creek (Ohio River tributary)
Silver Creek is a stream in southern Indiana in the United States. It drains a watershed of 97,442 acres (394.33 km2).[1] The creek rises in Scott County and flows 38.0 miles (61.2 km),[2] dropping 168 feet (51 m), before flowing into the Ohio River.
| Silver Creek | |
|---|---|
 Silver Creek, by Lapping Park | |
| Location | |
| Country | US |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | |
• location | Ohio River |
| Length | 38 miles (61 km) |
| Basin size | 97,442 acres (394.33 km2) |
It forms the boundary between Clark and Floyd counties. The stream was called Silver Creek by the time it was part of land granted to George Rogers Clark, who lived in a log cabin near the creek's mouth.[3] It was named Silver Creek due to a rumor that silver treasure was hidden by creek, and that silver ore could be found.[4][5]
At the mouth of the creek was the first cement operation in Indiana, at Beach's Mill in 1830.[6]
The creek was the site of Shirt-Tail Bend, a popular dueling location for Kentuckians, as the practice was illegal in their state. The Silver Creek banks were the site at least four duels, including most famously one between Humphrey Marshall and Henry Clay on January 19, 1809. Both men suffered slight wounds. Marshall opposed Clay's proposal that all Kentucky legislators should wear domestic homespun rather than English broadcloth.[3]
See also
References
- "Silver Creek Watershed Improvement Project". Clark County Soil and Water Preservation District. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 19, 2011
- Amster, Betty Lou (2001). "Silver Creek". In Kleber, John E. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Louisville.
- Sarles, Jane. Journeys Through Clarksville's Past. (2006) p.54
- Indiana Names, v.4. Terre Haute, IN: Indiana State University. 1973. p. 24.
- Sarles, Jane. Journeys Through Clarksville's Past. (2006) p.38