Mahanoy Creek, known locally as Coal Creek, is a 51.6 miles (83 km) tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Susquehanna River

Susquehanna River

The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...

 in the Coal Region

Coal Region

The Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian Mountains comprising Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Carbon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, and the extreme northeast corner of Dauphin counties....

 of east-central Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

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Mahanoy Creek rises in the anthracite coal fields of Schuylkill County

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....

, on Broad Mountain just east of Mahanoy City

Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania

Mahanoy City is a borough located north by west of Reading and 13 miles southwest of Hazleton, in northern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania or the southern Coal Region. The name "Mahanoy" is believed to be a variation of the Native American word 'Maghonioy', or "the salt deposits"...

. It flows west, between Shenandoah

Shenandoah, Pennsylvania

Shenandoah is a small town located in the lower part of the anthracite Coal Region, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It is northwest of Philadelphia. The Greater Shenandoah area includes Shenandoah Heights, which is part of West Mahanoy Township and is located just north of Shenandoah.-History:The...

 and Frackville

Frackville, Pennsylvania

Frackville is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Frackville is located near the intersection of Interstate 81 and Pennsylvania State Route 61, approximately northeast of Harrisburg and southwest of Wilkes-Barre.-History:...

, entering a valley along the north side of Ashland Mountain and passing through Girardville

Girardville, Pennsylvania

Girardville is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, northwest of Reading. Anthracite coal deposits are in the region. Coal-mining provided employment and incomes for many of the 3,666 people who lived there in 1900. In 1910, 4,396 individuals called it home. The population was 1,742 at...

. At Ashland

Ashland, Pennsylvania

Ashland is a borough in Schuylkill county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, 12 miles northwest of Pottsville. The Borough lies in the anthracite coal region of eastern Pennsylvania. Settled in 1850, Ashland was incorporated in 1857, and was named for Henry Clay's estate near Lexington, Kentucky....

 the creek turns south and cuts through the mountain, turning west again at Gordon

Gordon, Pennsylvania

Gordon is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 781 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gordon is located at ....

. The creek enters a long, narrow valley between Mahanoy Mountain to the north and Line Mountain to the south and crosses into Northumberland County

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania

There were 38,835 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had...

. Shortly after the western end of Mahanoy Mountain, the creek turns south and breaks through Line Mountain at Dornsife Gap, then turns west again, makes several wide bends, and joins the Susquehanna River near the borough of Herndon

Herndon, Pennsylvania

Herndon, formerly Trevorton Junction, is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Herndon was first founded by Robert A. Parrish in 1840. The town was later named for Naval commander William Lewis Herndon, who died in 1857 while trying to rescue passengers from his sinking...

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