West Creek
Encyclopedia
West Creek is a 12.3 miles (19.8 km) tributary
of Delaware Bay
in Cape May County
, New Jersey
in the United States
.
The name "West Creek" is derived from the Lenape
word "westeconk," meaning "place of fat meat." It rises in the swamps to the west of Halberton, in Maurice River Township, and flows southward towards Belleplain State Forest
. It was formerly dammed at Hoffman's Mill, but the pond is now drained. Southward, two dams still intact form Hands Millpond and Pickle Factory Pond. Below Pickle Factory Pond, it forms part of the boundary between Cape May and Cumberland Counties
. It enters the tidal marshes, passing along the west side of the Stipson Island peninsula, near the south end of which is located an old landing, and empties into the bay.
The village of West Creek derives its name from the creek.
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 Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
in Cape May County
Cape May County, New Jersey
-Climate:Being the southernmost point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the county a popular place to escape the heat. It is in zone 7a/7b, which is the same as parts of...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The name "West Creek" is derived from the Lenape
Lenape language
The Delaware languages, also known as the Lenape languages, are Munsee and Unami, two closely related languages of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family...
word "westeconk," meaning "place of fat meat." It rises in the swamps to the west of Halberton, in Maurice River Township, and flows southward towards Belleplain State Forest
Belleplain State Forest
Belleplain State Forest is a New Jersey State Forest in northern Cape May County and eastern Cumberland County. It has many young pine, oak and Atlantic white cedar trees, having better soil than the northern Pine Barrens...
. It was formerly dammed at Hoffman's Mill, but the pond is now drained. Southward, two dams still intact form Hands Millpond and Pickle Factory Pond. Below Pickle Factory Pond, it forms part of the boundary between Cape May and Cumberland Counties
Cumberland County, New Jersey
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population is 156,898. Its county seat is Bridgeton. Cumberland County is named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland....
. It enters the tidal marshes, passing along the west side of the Stipson Island peninsula, near the south end of which is located an old landing, and empties into the bay.
The village of West Creek derives its name from the creek.