The Allegheny Mountain Range, informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less developed eras. The Allegheny Mountains have a northeast–southwest orientation, running for about 300 miles (480 km) from north-central Pennsylvania southward, through western Maryland and eastern West Virginia.
The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area of the Appalachian Mountains in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau and the glaciated Allegheny Plateau.
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its watershed has been a significant industrial region of the state since early in the 19th century.
The Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 169 mi (269 km) long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Ohio, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 2,320 mi2 (6,009 km2) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. It served as an important commercial water route in the early history of West Virginia, particularly in the logging and petroleum industries.
The Glaciated Allegheny Plateau is that portion of the Allegheny Plateau that lies within the area covered by the last glaciation. As a result, this area of the Allegheny Plateau has lower relief and gentler slopes than the relatively rugged Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. In general, the glaciated lies to the north and west of the unglaciated, and forms an arc in northeastern to southeastern Ohio lying between the glacial till plains and the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. The Glaciated Allegheny Plateau extends into a belt of southern New York State and the central Susquehanna River basin.
The Guyandotte River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 166 mi (267 km) long, in southwestern West Virginia in the United States. It was named after the French term for the Wendat Native Americans. It drains an area of the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau south of the Ohio between the watersheds of the Kanawha River to the northeast and Twelvepole Creek and the Big Sandy River to the southwest. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.
The Appalachian Plateau is a series of rugged dissected plateaus located on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains are a range that run from Nova Scotia in Canada to Alabama in the United States.
The Williams River is a tributary of the Gauley River, 33 miles (53 km) long, in east-central West Virginia, USA. Via the Gauley, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 132 square miles (342 km2) in a sparsely populated region of the southern Allegheny Mountains and the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
The Prehistory of West Virginia spans ancient times until the arrival of Europeans in the early 17th century. Hunters ventured into West Virginia's mountain valleys and made temporary camp villages since the Archaic period in the Americas. Many ancient human-made earthen mounds from various mound builder cultures survive, especially in the areas of Moundsville, South Charleston, and Romney. The artifacts uncovered in these areas give evidence of a village society with a tribal trade system culture that included limited cold worked copper. As of 2009, over 12,500 archaeological sites have been documented in West Virginia.
The Henry Fork is a tributary of the West Fork Little Kanawha River, 21.8 miles (35.1 km) long, in west-central West Virginia in the United States. Via the West Fork and the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 91 square miles (240 km2) in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Cedar Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, 31.7 miles (51.0 km) long, in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 81 square miles (210 km2) in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Steer Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 184 square miles (480 km2) in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. It is 6.3 miles (10.1 km) long, or 31.7 miles (51.0 km) long including its Right Fork.
The Sand Fork is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, 18.7 miles (30.1 km) long, in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 80 square miles (210 km2) in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Saltlick Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, 17.7 miles (28.5 km) long, located in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 49 square miles (130 km2) in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Cabin Creek is a tributary of the Kanawha River, 22.7 miles (36.5 km) long, in West Virginia in the United States. Via the Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 72.6 square miles (188 km2) in a coal mining region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Loop Creek, also known by the spelling Loup Creek, is a tributary of the Kanawha River, 20 miles (32 km) long, in southern West Virginia in the United States. Via the Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 49.6 square miles (128 km2) in a coal mining region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Kellys Creek is a tributary of the Kanawha River, 6.5 miles (10.5 km) long, in West Virginia in the United States. Via the Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 24.7 square miles (64 km2) in a coal mining region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Witcher Creek is a tributary of the Kanawha River, 6.8 miles (10.9 km) long, in West Virginia in the United States. Via the Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 20.8 square miles (54 km2) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Campbells Creek is a tributary of the Kanawha River, 18.5 miles (29.8 km) long, in West Virginia in the United States. Via the Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 39.3 square miles (102 km2) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau, in the Charleston metropolitan area.
Davis Creek is a tributary of the Kanawha River, 9.4 miles (15.1 km) long, in West Virginia in the United States. Via the Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 47.1 square miles (122 km2) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau, in the Charleston metropolitan area.
