Leatherbark Run
Encyclopedia
Leatherbark Run is the name of a stream in Pocahontas County
, West Virginia
, as well as the name of the gap in the Allegheny Mountains
carved by the stream as it flows southeastward toward the Greenbrier River
.
The Leatherbark has the distinction of being West Virginia's highest stream. It begins at a natural spring on the south face of Bald Knob
on Back Allegheny Mountain
in the western half of the county. The elevation of its headwaters is over 4,680 feet above sea level. It then proceeds south down the side of the mountain, then turns eastward near Whittaker and continues in that direction until it flows into the Greenbrier at the town of Cass
. The total elevation change from its headwaters to its mouth is approximately 2,230 feet, more than any other stream in the state.
Leatherbark Run was the site of a major logging railroad operation in the early 1900s. Surveyors for the railroad concluded that a railway up alongside of Leatherbark Creek was the only feasible way to cross the Allegheny Mountains to reach the vast spruce forests
that thrived above 4,000 feet. Today, Cass Scenic Railroad still uses this route to carry passengers into the mountains via Leatherbark Run. The Leatherbark is crossed twice by the train as it winds into the high country. It is also crossed once by Back Mountain Road, just west of Cass.
The Leatherbark is also noted for its potential to flash flood
. The Leatherbark can flood even when it is not raining in Cass because of the location of its headwaters in a very mountainous area that is notorious for its rapidly changing weather.
Pocahontas County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,131 people, 835 households, and 527 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 7,594 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, as well as the name of the gap in the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
carved by the stream as it flows southeastward toward the Greenbrier River
Greenbrier River
The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long, in southeastern West Virginia, USA. Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...
.
The Leatherbark has the distinction of being West Virginia's highest stream. It begins at a natural spring on the south face of Bald Knob
Bald Knob
Bald Knob is the highest summit of Back Allegheny Mountain in Pocahontas County, West Virginia and is part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park...
on Back Allegheny Mountain
Back Allegheny Mountain
Back Allegheny Mountain is a long mountain ridge in eastern West Virginia. It is part of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex in the Allegheny Range of the Appalachians.- Geography :...
in the western half of the county. The elevation of its headwaters is over 4,680 feet above sea level. It then proceeds south down the side of the mountain, then turns eastward near Whittaker and continues in that direction until it flows into the Greenbrier at the town of Cass
Cass, West Virginia
Cass is an unincorporated census-designated place on the Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 52...
. The total elevation change from its headwaters to its mouth is approximately 2,230 feet, more than any other stream in the state.
Leatherbark Run was the site of a major logging railroad operation in the early 1900s. Surveyors for the railroad concluded that a railway up alongside of Leatherbark Creek was the only feasible way to cross the Allegheny Mountains to reach the vast spruce forests
Red Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...
that thrived above 4,000 feet. Today, Cass Scenic Railroad still uses this route to carry passengers into the mountains via Leatherbark Run. The Leatherbark is crossed twice by the train as it winds into the high country. It is also crossed once by Back Mountain Road, just west of Cass.
The Leatherbark is also noted for its potential to flash flood
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
. The Leatherbark can flood even when it is not raining in Cass because of the location of its headwaters in a very mountainous area that is notorious for its rapidly changing weather.