French Creek Facts

View a map of French Creek

• With nine tributaries, the watershed comprises 1,235 square miles; 93 percent of French Creek is in Pennsylvania.
  
• Young George Washington named French Creek in 1753 as he journeyed to Fort LeBoeuf (now Waterford, Erie County) to warn the French that they were on British territory. The French knew the stream as “Riviere aux Boeuf” or “river of cow” due to the bison in the valley.
  
• With few dams along French Creek, it is a free-flowing river consisting of sections of pools (slow flowing water) and riffles (faster flowing water).
  
• Recreation is important along French Creek. Residents and visitors enjoy boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, viewing wildlife and camping along the waterway.
  
• The landscape surrounding French Creek includes farmland, woodland, meadows, wetlands and towns, all of which influence stream quality.
  
• More than 80 different species of fish, including 14 species of darters, are found in French Creek. Some are rare, like the Pennsylvania-endangered eastern sand darter and spotted darter (a small fish in the perch family).