Conococheague Creek

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Conococheague Creek near its mouth in Williamsport, Maryland, as viewed upstream from an aqueduct on the towpath trail in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Conococheague Creek near its mouth in Williamsport, Maryland, as viewed upstream from an aqueduct on the towpath trail in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Conococheague Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, is a free flowing stream that originates in Pennsylvania and empties into the Potomac River in Maryland. It is approximately 80 miles in length with 58 miles in Pennsylvania and 22 miles in Maryland. The watershed of Conococheague Creek has an area of approximately 566 sq. miles out of which only 65 sq. miles (12% of the area) are in Maryland. The Conococheague Creek enters the Potomac River near Williamsport, Maryland at latitude 39 36 02N longitude 77 49 42W.

Conococheague, or Connogochegue, as it was known at the time, was the northernmost extent of the range along the Potomac (the southernmost extent was the "Eastern Branch", later Anacostia River) within which Congress in the Residence Bill of 1790 authorized the establishment of the Federal District, known as the District of Columbia. By presidential proclamation, George Washington placed the District at the lower end of the range.

The water divide between Conococheague Creek and Conodoguinet Creek is sometimes used as the boundary between Hagerstown Valley and Cumberland Valley.

A trestle crosses the creek at Wilson College, where great fishing can be had.

[edit] West Branch Conococheague Creek

The West Branch flows for almost the entire length of western Franklin County before joining the main branch near the borough of Greencastle, Pennsylvania.

The tressles at wilson college have been removed, as have the dams at wolf lake and siloam.

The stream (east branch) is very polluted now from farm runoff. Over the past 30 years there has been a steady decline in number of available fish species, and water quality.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Potomac River system
Cities and towns | Bridges | Islands | Tributaries | Variant names
District of Columbia | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Virginia | West Virginia
Streams shown as: Major tributaries • subtributaries • (subsubtributaries) • (subsubsubtributaries)