Loyalhanna Creek

Loyalhanna Creek Tributary to Kiskiminetas River
Loyalhanna Lake and Dam on Loyalhanna Creek in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania looking upriver toward the west-northwest
Location of Loyalhanna Creek mouth Show map of Pennsylvania Loyalhanna Creek (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Westmoreland
City	Latrobe
Borough	Ligonier
Physical characteristics
Source	Indian Creek divide
• location	about 2 miles northwest of Kregar, Pennsylvania[2]
• coordinates	40°07′45″N 079°20′20″W / 40.12917°N 79.33889°W / 40.12917; -79.33889[1]
• elevation	1,750 ft (530 m)[2]
Mouth	Kiskiminetas River
• location	Saltsburg, Pennsylvania[2]
• coordinates	40°29′07″N 079°27′16″W / 40.48528°N 79.45444°W / 40.48528; -79.45444[1]
• elevation	827 ft (252 m)[1]
Length	47.89 mi (77.07 km)[3]
Basin size	298.66 square miles (773.5 km2)[4]
Discharge
• location	Kiskiminetas River
• average	550.80 cu ft/s (15.597 m3/s) at mouth with Kiskiminetas River[4]
Basin features
Progression	northeast then northwest
River system	Allegheny River
Tributaries
• left	Twomile Run Fourmile Run St. Clair Hollow Ninemile Run Monastery Run Unity Run Crabtree Creek Whitethorn Creek Serviceberry Run Getty Run
• right	White Oak Run Phoebe Run Linn Run Rolling Rock Creek Laughlintown Run Zimmerman Run Mill Creek Coalpit Run Rock Hollow Miller Run Saxman Run Union Run Keystone Run
Waterbodies	Loyalhanna Lake

Loyalhanna Creek is a 50-mile (80 km) long tributary of the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.^[5] The stream is a popular destination for canoeing and recreational trout fishing.

The creek derives its name from the eighteenth-century village of Layalhanning, an important Delaware Indian crossroads settlement located at the site where Fort Ligonier was built, in present Ligonier, Pennsylvania. The village was settled shortly after the Delaware left the Susquehanna River area in 1727. Layalhanning means "the middle stream" in the Delaware language— "lawel" or "lawell" (middle); "hanna" (a river or stream); "ing" (at the place of).^[6]

According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as:^[1]

• Leyelhanna Creek
• Loyal Hanna Creek

Loyalhanna rises from Laurel Ridge in southeastern Westmoreland County, north of Donegal and flows NNE, along the southeastern side of Chestnut Ridge. Approximately 5 mi (8 km) northwest of Ligonier it turns northwest, cutting through Chestnut Ridge and passing through Latrobe. From Latrobe, it flows NNW, passing through Loyalhanna Lake reservoir and joins with the Conemaugh River to form the Kiskiminetas River at Saltsburg. The creek lies about midway between the Juniata River to the east and the Ohio River to the west, and about halfway between the Conemaugh River to the north and the Youghiogheny River to the south.^[7]

Decades before the 2000s, the lower end of the creek, beginning above Latrobe, was colored red due to acid from local mines. Rocks in the area are still stained red from the effects. In subsequent years, with the growth of environmental sensitivity, a remediation pond was installed near Saint Vincent College that removes 90 percent of the iron oxide from the water.^[8]

Sam Sherry, of Wilpen, claimed to have encountered a Bigfoot while night fishing along Loyalhanna Creek on May 17, 1987. Sherry gained notice from Bigfoot enthusiasts and spent much of his life investigating the phenomenon in the area.^[9]

• List of rivers of Pennsylvania
• List of tributaries of the Allegheny River

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Loyalhanna Creek.

• U.S. Geological Survey: PA stream gaging stations
• Loyalhanna Dam pictures
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Loyalhanna Lake