Loyalhanna Creek
Tributary to Kiskiminetas River
Loyalhanna Lake and Dam on Loyalhanna Creek in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania looking upriver toward the west-northwest
Loyalhanna Creek is located in Pennsylvania
Loyalhanna Creek
Location of Loyalhanna Creek mouth
Loyalhanna Creek is located in the United States
Loyalhanna Creek
Loyalhanna Creek (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyWestmoreland
CityLatrobe
BoroughLigonier
Physical characteristics
SourceIndian Creek divide
 • locationabout 2 miles northwest of Kregar, Pennsylvania[1]
 • coordinates40°07′45″N 079°20′20″W / 40.12917°N 79.33889°W / 40.12917; -79.33889[2]
 • elevation1,750 ft (530 m)[1]
MouthKiskiminetas River
 • location
Saltsburg, Pennsylvania[1]
 • coordinates
40°29′07″N 079°27′16″W / 40.48528°N 79.45444°W / 40.48528; -79.45444[2]
 • elevation
827 ft (252 m)[2]
Length47.89 mi (77.07 km)[3]
Basin size298.66 square miles (773.5 km2)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationKiskiminetas River
 • average550.80 cu ft/s (15.597 m3/s) at mouth with Kiskiminetas River[4]
Basin features
Progressionnortheast then northwest
River systemAllegheny River
Tributaries 
 • leftTwomile Run
Fourmile Run
St. Clair Hollow
Ninemile Run
Monastery Run
Unity Run
Crabtree Creek
Whitethorn Creek
Serviceberry Run
Getty Run
 • rightWhite Oak Run
Phoebe Run
Linn Run
Rolling Rock Creek
Laughlintown Run
Zimmerman Run
Mill Creek
Coalpit Run
Rock Hollow
Miller Run
Saxman Run
Union Run
Keystone Run
WaterbodiesLoyalhanna Lake

Loyalhanna Creek is a 50-mile (80 km) long tributary of the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.[5] The stream is a popular destination for canoeing and recreational trout fishing.

Etymology

The creek derives its name from the eighteenth-century village of Layalhanning, an important Delaware Indian crossroads settlement located at the site where Fort Ligonier was built, in present Ligonier, Pennsylvania. The village was settled shortly after the Delaware left the Susquehanna River area in 1727. Layalhanning means "the middle stream" in the Delaware language— "lawel" or "lawell" (middle); "hanna" (a river or stream); "ing" (at the place of).[6]

Variant names

According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as:[2]

  • Leyelhanna Creek
  • Loyal Hanna Creek

Course

Loyalhanna rises from Laurel Ridge in southeastern Westmoreland County, north of Donegal and flows NNE, along the southeastern side of Chestnut Ridge. Approximately 5 mi (8 km) northwest of Ligonier it turns northwest, cutting through Chestnut Ridge and passing through Latrobe. From Latrobe, it flows NNW, passing through Loyalhanna Lake reservoir and joins with the Conemaugh River to form the Kiskiminetas River at Saltsburg. The creek lies about midway between the Juniata River to the east and the Ohio River to the west, and about halfway between the Conemaugh River to the north and the Youghiogheny River to the south.[7]

Watershed

Decades before the 2000s, the lower end of the creek, beginning above Latrobe, was colored red due to acid from local mines. Rocks in the area are still stained red from the effects. In subsequent years, with the growth of environmental sensitivity, a remediation pond was installed near Saint Vincent College that removes 90 percent of the iron oxide from the water.[8]

Claims of Bigfoot sightings

Sam Sherry, of Wilpen, claimed to have encountered a Bigfoot while night fishing along Loyalhanna Creek on May 17, 1987. Sherry gained notice from Bigfoot enthusiasts and spent much of his life investigating the phenomenon in the area.[9]

Additional Images

Course of Loyalhanna Creek (Kiskiminetas River tributary) in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Watershed of Loyalhanna Creek (Kiskiminetas River tributary) in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Loyalhanna Creek Topo Map, Westmoreland County PA (Saltsburg Area)". TopoZone. Locality, LLC. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "GNIS Detail - Loyalhanna Creek". geonames.usgs.gov. US Geological Survey. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "ArcGIS Web Application". epa.maps.arcgis.com. US EPA. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Loyalhanna Creek Watershed Report". Waters Geoviewer. US EPA. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "Loyalhanna Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. ↑ Sipe, Chester Hale (1929). The Indian Wars of Pennsylvania. Amos Press. p. 750. OCLC 609345921.
  7. ↑ Shirey, Sally (2001). Ligonier Valley. Arcadia Publishing. p. 10.
  8. ↑ Hayes, John (March 30, 2008). "Loyalhanna Creek's diversity makes it a valuable angling classroom". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  9. ↑ Gordon, Joe (May 26, 2007). "Man gained fame tracking Bigfoot". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
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