Little Hunting Creek

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Little Hunting Creek, viewed from its east bank looking south

Little Hunting Creek is a tidal tributary of the Potomac River located in Fairfax County, Virginia, not to be confused with Hunting Creek farther north. A stone-arch bridge, completed in 1931,^[1] carries traffic from the George Washington Memorial Parkway across the narrow mouth of the creek, located 83.9 nautical miles upriver from the mouth of the Potomac.^[2] The creek marks the location along the Potomac River where the Washington family built their Mount Vernon plantation during colonial times.^[3][4] Today the creek is bordered by residential communities in addition to the Mount Vernon property. It is a popular location for recreational fishing, and much of the wildlife characteristic of the tidal Potomac wetlands can be spotted there.

[edit] History

Colonial-era map of George Washington's estates surrounding Little Hunting Creek, including the Mount Vernon manor. The South Branch and part of the North Branch of the creek are visible.

During the time of John Smith's explorations of Virginia in the early 17th century, Little Hunting Creek was the site of a settlement of Indians from the Doeg (Dogue) tribe.^[5] By the latter part of that century, the land by Little Hunting Creek had come into the hands of John Washington, great-grandfather of George Washington.^[3] What was originally known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation eventually became known as George Washington's Mount Vernon estate.^[4] The creek itself separated the Mansion House Farm to the west from the River Farm to the east.^[4]

In 1765, when Fairfax Parish was carved out of the existing Truro Parish, Little Hunting Creek marked the southeastern end of the dividing line.^[6][7]

In 1929, a bridge was designed as a part of the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, which was completed in 1931. The bridge was not part of the original plans for the highway - other creeks were successfully filled in with soil to cut costs; but the Little Hunting could not be filled in, because the soil in the creek bed was very unstable.^[1]

In modern times, residential communities began to spring up on both sides of the creek by the 1960s.^[8][9] The remnants of a defunct sewage treatment plant are situated on the eastern shore of the creek downstream of the North Branch fork.

[edit] Watershed

The headwaters of Little Hunting Creek begin in Huntley Meadows Park on the other side of U.S. Route 1,^[10] about three miles northwest of the Potomac River entrance to the creek. The creek is fed by three major tributaries.^[10] The South Branch (known during colonial times as Carney's Gut, after the tenant there)^[11] is located in the southeast portion of what is now the Stratford Landing neighborhood. It empties into the east side of the creek a few hundred yards northeast of the Potomac River entrance, and bifurcates southeast of Fort Hunt Elementary School into a fork heading north and a fork heading east toward Fort Hunt Park. The North Branch breaks off from the main creek in a northeasterly direction about 1.5 statute miles up from the Potomac River entrance, near the northwestern end of Stratford Landing. The Paul Spring Branch breaks off about another 1.5 statute miles up the North Branch in the Hollin Hall area near Sherwood Hall Lane, and continues northward along Fort Hunt Road into the Hollin Hills community and beyond.

[edit] Wildlife

Ospreys and Canada geese on Little Hunting Creek

Little Hunting Creek is home to a variety of wildlife. Migratory birds such as mallards, Canada geese, great blue herons, and great egrets are common sights along the creek. Ospreys have been known to nest there, and even bald eagles have been spotted in the area. Muskrats and the occasional beaver have been seen in Little Hunting Creek, and groundhogs and foxes can be found in the woods near the water. Fish such as catfish, carp, perch, and largemouth bass are commonly found in the creek.^[12] In 2004 Little Hunting Creek became one of the first sites where invading northern snakehead fish were caught off the Potomac.^[13]

[edit] Recreation

Little Hunting Creek remains navigable by canoe or kayak at least until the North Branch fork, depending on the tides. Both sides of the navigable creek border residential communities, and many homeowners maintain their own private boat docks for launching canoes, sailboats, personal watercraft, and other vessels into the creek and from there to the Potomac River.^[14] The creek is an excellent site for largemouth bass fishing.^[12]

In 2004 a debate arose about whether the installation of duck blinds and duck hunting should be permitted on the creek.^[15]

Swimming is not advised, particularly in light of drownings that have occurred in the vicinity of the stone-arch bridge.^[14][16]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Little Hunting Creek, Inc.
• Little Hunting Creek Watershed
• Maps drawn by George Washington of his lands surrounding Little Hunting Creek, from the Library of Congress
• Maps drawn by George Washington in The Papers of George Washington Archive at the University of Virginia, some of which include the Little Hunting Creek area
• Little Hunting Creek satellite view, from SatelliteViews.net
• Mount Vernon Tide and Current Predictor (near Little Hunting Creek), from the Wethey Lab at the University of South Carolina
• Real-time water data for Piscataway Creek, Maryland (near Little Hunting Creek), from USGS Water Data for the Nation
• Historical Potomac River water temperature near Piscataway Creek (near Little Hunting Creek), from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources ColdFusion Application Server