TheTug Fork is atributary of theBig Sandy River, 159 miles (256 km) long,[4] in southwesternWest Virginia,southwesternVirginia, and easternKentucky in theUnited States. Via the Big Sandy andOhio rivers, it is part of thewatershed of theMississippi River.
It is also known as theTug Fork River or theTug River. TheUnited States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Tug Fork" as the stream's official name in 1975.[1]
The Tug Fork rises in theAppalachian Mountains of extreme southwestern West Virginia, in southernMcDowell County, near the Virginia state line. It flows in ameandering course through the mountains generally northwest, pastWelch. Approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Welch, it briefly forms approximately 4 miles (6 km) of the state line between West Virginia (northeast) and Virginia (southwest). For the remainder of its course it forms part of the boundary between West Virginia (east) and Kentucky (west), flowing northwest pastWilliamson, West Virginia. It joins theLevisa Fork atLouisa, Kentucky to form the Big Sandy.
The river flows through an especially remote mountainous region in its upper course. The river valley betweenPike County, Kentucky andMingo County, West Virginia was the scene of the infamousHatfield–McCoy feud in the late 19th century.
ToponymistGeorge R. Stewart writes about the origin of the name "Tug Fork". In 1756 a small army of Virginians and Cherokees conducted theSandy Creek Expedition against theShawnee. At one point they killed and ate two buffaloes and hung their hides on a tree. Later they returned and, being out of provisions, took the hides and cut them into thin strips called "tugs". These they roasted and ate.[5]: 218–223 For this reason, the story goes, the stream was given the name "Tug." Stewart also points out another possible origin. Even if the story is true, the second explanation may have reinforced the name. In the Cherokee language "tugulu" refers to the forks of a stream, as in theTugaloo River and other streams in former Cherokee lands named "tug".[6][7]
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