page_title: Little Fishing Creek
section_title: History, industries, and etymology
hierarchical_section_title: Little Fishing Creek / History, industries, and etymology
caption_attribution_description: English: Wanich Covered Bridge No. 69 in late spring
context_page_description: Little Fishing Creek is a tributary of Fishing Creek in Sullivan County, Lycoming County, and Columbia County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 23.5 miles long and flows through eight townships. The watershed of the creek has an area of 68.1 square miles. The creek has six named tributaries, of which the largest are Spruce Run and West Branch Run.
  There are at least two major rock formations in the watershed of Little Fishing Creek: the Chemung Formation and the Hamilton Group. The creek's watershed includes part of the Greenwood Valley. Much of the watershed is forested and major roads in it include Pennsylvania Route 42. The first European settler first arrived in the vicinity of the creek during the 1760s or 1770s, with other settlers arriving in the 1790s. A number of sawmills, woolen mills, and tanneries historically operated on the creek. A number of covered bridges have also been built over it and there were historically some railroads in the watershed.
  Little Fishing Creek is considered to be an Exceptional Value stream for part of its length.
context_section_description: Little Fishing Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1179545. The creek is named for the fact that it is smaller than Fishing Creek, which it is a tributary of. Little fishing Creek is also known as Hemlock Creek. This variant name appears in a 1982 map of Columbia County published by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
  John Eves likely settled in the valley of Little Fishing Creek before 1774 and possibly as early as 1769. In 1778, Moses Van Campen led a scouting part past from Fort Wheeler to Chillisquaque Creek via Little Fishing Creek. The headwaters of Little Fishing Creek were uninhabited considerably after the valleys of Greenwood and Jerseytown were inhabited.
  Several covered bridges cross Little Fishing Creek. The Creasyville Covered Bridge (formerly known as the Derr Bridge) is a Queenpost truss covered bridge that was built over Little Fishing Creek in 1881 for a cost of $301.25. It is 44.5 feet (13.6 m) long and crosses the creek north of Millville and Iola. The Jud Christie Covered Bridge No. 95, which is also a Queenpost truss bridge, crosses the creek between Jackson Township and Pine Township. It is 53 feet (16 m) long and was built in 1876 for $239.00. The Sam Eckman Covered Bridge No. 92 crosses the creek between Pine Township and Greenwood Township and was built in 1876 for $498.00. It is 66 feet (20 m) long. The Wanich Covered Bridge No. 69 was built in 1844 for $500.00 and is 98 feet (30 m) long.
  Other bridges have also been built over Little Fishing Creek. A steel truss bridge was built over it in 1896. A bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 254 over the creek was built in 1930 and a bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 42 over the creek was built in 1939, as was one other bridge. Five other bridges were built in the 1940s and 1950s, including another bridge built in 1955 and carrying Pennsylvania Route 42. Several more bridges were built in the 1960s. The newest bridges over the creek were constructed in 1974, 1990, and 2009.
  John Mordan settled on Little Fishing Creek in Mount Pleasant Township in the 1790s. He also built the first sawmill in Mount Pleasant Township on Little Fishing Creek. When numerous other settlers arrived in the vicinity of Mordan's mill, the area became known as Mordansville. There was also once an obscure gristmill on an island on the creek. The Catawissa Railroad historically went up the valley of the creek.
  Little Fishing Creek serves as a water supply source for nearby communities such as Millville. Slate has been quarried on the creek and limestone has also been produced there. In the early 1900s, there were woolen mills and tanneries in the watershed and agriculture was also practiced. The creek also powered several small gristmills. The Susquehanna, Bloomsburg, and Berwick Railroad historically crossed the watershed and followed the creek between its mouth and Millville.
caption: Wanich Covered Bridge No. 69
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