Where Do Streams Begin? -- Tracing the 'Blue Lines'

Whitewater River - West Fork at the Whitewater Canal Feeder Dam near Laurel, Indiana

Last week, I was traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for my annual Servant Leadership training event with the Ohio Public Safety Leadership Academy. For the last 12-13 years I have shared the philsophy, principles, and practices of Servant Leadership with 25-30 experienced police officers from across the state. As you can imagine, driving I-70 to get there is not my chosen route. In fact, I don't have one, but have traveled many routes through the years. On this trip, I was searching for the headwaters of the Whitewater River's two branches.

Hoosier Hill, the highest point in Indiana is in Wayne County, just south of its county line with Randolph County and just two miles west of the Ohio border. You wouldn't guess it is the state's highest elevation. But get the map out and you'll find that water flows downhill (After That, It's All Down Hill!). This part of Indiana and Ohio, gives rise to a lot of Indiana's significant streams. The mighty Wabash and its Mississinewa tributary begin in Ohio but quickly become claimed by Hoosiers. The Salamonie flows NW to the Wabash River near Lagro. The West Fork of White River circles north then WSW through Muncie, Anderson, Noblesville, Indianapolis and south to the Wabash River near Vincennes. Flat Rock River courses SW to Columbus and merges with the Driftwood River to become the White River - East Fork heading west to the Wabash River near Vincennes. Many smaller ones start here as well.

Having worked in the Whitewater Valley for more than 20 years, I have learned and written a lot about the river, the valley, its people, and their history. I even authored the successful application to designate the Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway a national scenic byway. I know where it goes, but where does it begin? I wanted to find out. The Whitewater River runs north to south through eastern Indiana. It has two forks - West Fork and the East Fork. They flow parallel through the valley and come together in Brookville. Then the 'mother stream' flows another 30+ miles joining the Great Miami River west of Cincinnati. From there it is just five more miles before its confluence with the Ohio River.

Whitewater River - West Fork at it beginning near Modoc and downstream near Metamora

Today was the day. I drove from central Indiana to eastern Indiana on US36. One mile east of Modoc in Randolph County, I turned north on S. Indian Trail Road that abuts Cates’ Shorthorn cattle operation where I had visited several years ago. I topped a hill and ahead at the bottom was the culvert over the West Fork Whitewater River. The stream begins in a grove of trees just west of the stream crossing. This is the headwater of this branch. From here it flows 69.5 miles to its confluence with the East Fork in Brookville. It was on this stream that the Whitewater Canal was built from Hagerstown through Cambridge City, Laurel, Metamora, and Brookville ending at the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. I took a picture of the stream flowing toward me, easterly in this picture.

I then circled back to US36 on county roads and continued nearly due east for 20 miles to Palestine, Ohio and then south for eight more to New Madison. On the southwest edge of town there was a culvert over a stream - the East Fork Whitewater River. This stream flows SSW 59.5 miles into Indiana and then through Brookville Lake to Brookville where it merges with the West Fork. I stopped for a picture and the air was so cold that it began to spit snow! I took a picture looking downstream, less than a 1/4 mile from its source.

Whitewater River - East Fork at New Madison, Ohio and downstream at Brookville Lake

 It is amazing to see these two headwaters pictures and realize that they form the fastest flowing river in Indiana with the most significant drop in elevation to the Ohio River. The stream is 101 miles long and the river falls an average of six feet per mile (1.1 m/km)! In retrospect, this stream, which flows SSE to the Great Miami and the Ohio River is just 9.6 miles from the headwaters of White River which flows NNW across the state then SSW to the Wabash and Ohio River - an entirely different direction!

When I cross streams or see interesting bridges, I recall my boyhood experiences playing in Little Potato Creek (properly pronounced 'Crick') near my family's farm in Clinton County. We would move rocks around and throw rocks at crawdads while splashing in the water. When I was six years old we moved six miles due east to my mother's family farm. This farm was bisected by the same crick. Actually, it was the Miller Drain which started less than a quarter-mile from our farm and dumped into Little Potato Creek between our new farm and the old one. So I grew up fascinated by streams. They rise and fall with rainfall, they teem with wildlife, they drain excess water from farm fields, and some are recreational such as Sugar Creek. Drains like ours often dry up in August. Natural streams grow and grow becoming transportation arteries for corn and soybeans heading south toward the ports and terminals near the Gulf while other products migrate north to the inland ports. This is the heart and soul of international trade.

Little Potato Creek at its source near Manson, Indiana and the Miller Drain upstream on our farm in Clinton County

Years ago, Beth and I were in a bookstore in New Harmony, Indiana, and I purchased a book called The Rivers of Indiana by Richard S. Simons. The author profiled 30 streams that flow through Indiana and empty into Lake Michigan or the Mississippi River system. There are themes -- geographical, cultural, and historical -- that provide greater context than a map and their routes. I return to the book often as I wander Indiana. My curiosity was valuable while serving as the executive director of three agricultural trade associations and another in community development for 23 years. I sat through a lot of planning, policy, regulatory, and hearings about water, especially streams. I even argued about what is fishable, drinkable, and swimmable... our Miller Drain was not!

In the past several years, I have gone searching for the sources of other streams and blogged about them – the Wabash (After That, It's All Down Hill!); the Salamonie and White River West Fork (Sometimes Wandering is More 'Why' than 'What'), and there are many more to go. The scenery may be stunning or not, but after our heavy rains over the last month, we can see the unbridled power of streams pushed beyond their channels.

So grab a map --paper or digital -- and find the blue lines of a stream. Then trace that blue line upstream to find out where it begins. Once that is done, go and see it in person. It's just one more way to enjoy Life Off The Highway!