Twelvepole Creek is a 32.2 miles (51.8 km) river located in Wayne County, West Virginia

Wayne County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 42,903 people, 17,239 households, and 12,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile . There were 19,107 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...

. It is part of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 watershed, by way of the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

.

Course

Twelvepole Creek rises in northern Mingo County before flowing north through Wayne County. The headwaters of the East Fork are dammed to form East Lynn Lake

East Lynn Lake

East Lynn Lake is a reservoir on the East Fork Twelvepole Creek in Wayne County, West Virginia. The lake is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, as part of a series of flood control projects for the Ohio River basin.-History:...

. The East Fork of the river then flows north through East Lynn

East Lynn, West Virginia

East Lynn is an unincorporated community located in Wayne County, West Virginia on the banks of Twelvepole Creek about eight miles south of the county seat, Wayne.-History:...

, Wayne

Wayne, West Virginia

Wayne is a town in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,105 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County. Wayne is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, and Lavalette

Lavalette, West Virginia

right|thumb|300px|Road sign indicating the northern boundary of Lavalette along [[West Virginia Route 152]].Lavalette is an unincorporated census-designated place in Wayne County, West Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,073...

. The West Fork flows north though Dunlow, West Virginia

Dunlow, West Virginia

Dunlow is an unincorporated community in southern Wayne County, West Virginia, on Twelvepole Creek. It was laid out as a railroad town along the Ohio Extension of the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1892. Dunlow was incorporated in 1892...

 and joins the East Fork at the town of Wayne. The river then flows north again before draining into the Ohio River just east of Ceredo

Ceredo, West Virginia

Ceredo is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,675 at the 2000 census. Ceredo is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649.The city is also near the location of...

.

Origin of name

Twelvepole Creek received its name from early explorers, the group supposedly included a young George Washington. Traveling the Ohio River, they measured the mouth of the creek where it joined the Ohio in terms of poles

Rod (unit)

The rod is a unit of length equal to 5.5 yards, 5.0292 metres, 16.5 feet, or of a statute mile. A rod is the same length as a perch or a pole. In old English, the term lug is also used.-History:...

, also known as rods

Rod (unit)

The rod is a unit of length equal to 5.5 yards, 5.0292 metres, 16.5 feet, or of a statute mile. A rod is the same length as a perch or a pole. In old English, the term lug is also used.-History:...

. Being approximately 198 feet (12 poles) wide at its mouth, the creek was named Twelvepole Creek.

Recreation

East Lynn Lake and Beech Fork Lake

Beech Fork Lake

Beech Fork Lake is a 720 acre  reservoir located near Lavalette in Wayne County, West Virginia. Beech Fork Lake is also partly located in neighboring Cabell County. Millers Fork and Stowers Branch join Beech Fork with their own river valleys contributing to the majority of the lakesurface...

(formed from one of Twelvepole Creek's tributaries) provide popular destinations for boating, fishing, swimming, and camping.