watershed noun - definition: A region of land within
which water flows down into a specified body, such as a river,
lake, sea, or ocean; a drainage basin or catchment basin. The
topographical boundary dividing two adjacent catchment basins.
Three Rivers Rise
The mound of the Three Rivers Rise can be thought of as sort of a
three sided geological pyramid with it's point reaching elevations
of 2,400 - 2,500 feet above sea level. According to the USGS, it's
the only Triple Divide east of the Mississippi River. It has been
called an eastern continental divide because from this two square
mile area, water can travel in three different directions down
three major waterways to the ocean. The western slope contains the
origin of the Allegheny River which drains it's watershed to
Pittsburgh, Pa. There it meets the Monongahela River and they form
the Ohio River. The Ohio eventually turns into the Mississippi
River which emptys into The Gulf of Mexico. The northern slope of
the pyramid contains the origin of the Genesee River and it's
watershed which flows north thru New York State to Rochester and
Lake Ontario. From there, the water flows down The St. Lawrence
River to the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The
southern slope contains the origin of Pine Creek, whose watershed
eventually flows into the Susquehanna and then on to the Chesapeake
Bay and the Atlantic.
Legend - An ancient Indian legend tells the story of boy
meets girl, they fall in love and build their lodge here on the
rise to start their life together. Years later the wife dies
leaving the indian brave alone with three daughters. An evil spirit
arrives, and lures each of the daughters one by one from their
father's lodge. Under the spells of the evil spirit, each of the
daughters were turned into springs - the Allegheny, the Genesee,
and the Tiadaghton (Pine Creek).In the end the brave was rewarded
in the afterlife because his daughters had become the rivers of
life for the whole area.
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River,
which it forms with the Monongahela River at downtown Pittsburgh's
Golden Triangle "point." The river is approximately 325 mi (523 km)
long, running through the U.S. states of New York and Pennsylvania.
It drains a rural dissected plateau of 11,580 sq mi (29,992 km²) in
the northern Allegheny Plateau, providing the northeastern most
drainage in the watershed of the Mississippi River. Origin:
Raymond, PA Mouth: Ohio River Basin countries: USA Length: 325
miles (523 km) Source elevation: ~2,490 feet (759 m) Avg. discharge
16,700 cubic feet/s (1,503 m³/s) at Natrona Basin area 11,580
square miles (29,992 km²)
The Genesee River flows northward through western New York State
from its source in Pennsylvania and empties into Lake Ontario north
of the City of Rochester, New York. The river drains about 2500
square miles (6,500 km²). Origin: near Ulysses, Pennsylvania Mouth:
Lake Ontario Basin countries: USA Length: 157 miles (253 km) Source
elevation: ~2,240 feet (683 m) Avg. discharge 1,010 cubic feet/s
(30 m³/s), Portageville Basin area 2,500 square miles
Pine Creek flows south and forms part of the border between
Lycoming and Clinton Counties. Its confluence with the West Branch
Susquehanna River is at this border. Pine Creek's watershed covers
979 mi² (2536 km²), the largest watershed of all tributaries of the
West Branch Susquehanna River. Origin: Ulysses Township Mouth: West
Branch Susquehanna River between the boroughs of Avis and Jersey
Shore Basin countries: USA Length: 86.5 mi (139 km) Source
elevation: 2420 ft (730 m) Basin area 979 mi² (2536 km²)
Take the tour: Rt. 49 east to Gold, take Rt. 449 South, turn right
on Rooks Rd. follow Rooks Rd. to apex, then back on Rooks
Rd. 3/4 mile to Kidney Rd. turn left and follow Kidney Rd. back to
Rt. 49
To log this earthcache you are required to visit each of the
waypoints and email the cache owner the answers to two of the
three following questions:
1 - What is the name of the missionary on the nearby historical
marker and what was he noted for?
2 - What is the distance between the Allegheny watershed marker and
the Genesee watershed marker? (Use your GPS)
3 - Which of the three rivers' source is closest to the apex
(highest altitude) of the Rise?
It is asked also that you post a photograph of yourself and your
party with GPS at one of the markers which contain the words
"Triple Divide".