Sitlington Creek

Sitlington Creek is a tributary of the Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. It was once an important stream for sending trimmed logs of white pine down the river to the St. Lawrence Boom and Lumber Company.

Sitlington—also called Setlington, Sitlington's, Stetlington, Stetlingtons, and Suttleton Creek, sits at Latitude: 38.3595636 and Longitude: -79.9245046. It drains west where the confluence into the Greenbrier sits between Deer Creek and Clover Creek.

Sitlington features prominently in W. E. Blackhurst's book, RIDERS ON THE FLOOD and in the play of the same name based on the book by the RIDERS ON THE FLOOD Outdoor Drama.[ridersontheflood.com]

Blackhurst wrote of the creek:

"When the Deer Creek [logging] crew arrived, all the others were tied at mooring at the mouth of Sitlington Creek. This stream was not quite as large as Deer Creek, but flowed more rapidly and presented a rougher bed. Since its channel was narrow, [log]jams were common and of the worst sort. ... Both company camps and contract jobs had operated on the headwaters of the stream during the winter. Much of the work was far up the stream where the smaller flow of water made the clean-up of the logs slow work. On the extreme upper portions a considerable amount was being floated out by means of splash dams. ... The splash dam was simply a dam built across the stream bed. Usually it was made of logs in crib style. A water gate in the center could be opened and closed readily. The gate being closed, the dam would fill within an hour. With the sudden release of the accumulated water the logs were carried forward on a man-made flood. With the aid of such dams even small streams could be made to carry unbelievably large quantities of timber."[1]

Sitlington is the site of some of the most thrilling scenes in the book, where the loggers struggle against the weather, the river, and a narrowing deadline to move the year's cuttings of logs out of Pocahontas County.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Blackhurst, W. E. "Riders of the Flood", p. 98-99; McClain Printing Company Parsons, WV 2003 www.mcclainprinting.com

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