Jewell County has at least 58 named creeks

Jewell County has at least 58 named creeks. The 1884, 1908 and 1921 Jewell County Atlases were used to locate and identify named creeks.

However, flowing water in Jewell County isn't confined to creeks.  There is also the Republican River which moves through and along the northern borders of Montana and Jackson Townships in the northeastern part of Jewell County.  Some remember major flooding on the Republican River in 1935 and 1947.

Another Jewell County River is noted on the 1921 Jewell County Atlas map of Limestone Township. That map shows the Middle Branch of the Limestone as a "River." This seems to be the only place the Limestone is referred to as a river.

However, White Rock Creek has been referred to as White Rock River multiple times. The creek (river) was named for the "immense quantity of white magnesia limestone along this stream." (Kansas Farmer, May 13, 1878)

A dozen or more articles and items in various newspapers, refer to the "White Rock River." Newspapers in 1878, carried articles about the proposed railroad which would "follow the valley of the White Rock River."  (May 15, 1878, Atchison Daily Champion)

The White Rock was nothing to scoff at. The June 5, 1885, Atchison Daily Globe, noted Henry White, his driver and team all drowned "attempting to cross the White Rock river, near Salem, Kansas, in Jewell County." The team was later found but White and his driver both drowned.

Near the historic town of Ruebens, St John Creek joined the White Rock. This area is now under the waters of Lovewell Lake. But it was in that vicinity early settler Sanford Wright noted the strength and flow of the White Rock. He built the first water powered mill in Jewell County. Later, he and Andrew Ritterbush formed Rubens Mill. By 1881, their mill had three burrs and was said to run 24 hours a day. (March 10, 1881, Jewell County Review)

Back to the 58 creeks in Jewell County. They cross through every township before ultimately flowing into Republic, Cloud or Mitchell counties. Plus, there are a few, short and generally unnamed flows moving north to dump into the Republican River.

Some of Jewell County's creeks are multi-branched and drain a good deal of area. Those are the White Rock, Buffalo, Marsh and Limestone creeks. Browns Creek and Little Oak Creek were also considered principal water ways by a "Timber and Water" article in the Jewell County Monitor on Jan. 11, 1877.

Many have heard of those creeks but how many have heard of Korb, Bachelor, Dry, Elm, Troublesome, Bean, Porcupine, Corey, Plum or Disappointment Creeks? Or what about Ash, Dog or Wolf Creeks?

Then there is Spring Creek, rather Spring Creeks. There are three of them in Jewell County. If you have heard of Spring Creek, is it the one in Buffalo or Holmwood or Jackson Township?

With all those creeks meandering through the county, there must be a lot of bridges. And there are. To be exact, according to Jack Tyler, Jewell County bridge superintendent, there are 276 bridges. Those are "official" bridges. To be considered a bridge, the structure must have a span of 20 feet or longer. 

Then there are the many "box culverts" or "boxes" that are shorter than 20 feet but span creeks all over Jewell County.  There are some 1,500 of them! Additionally, there are a myriad of places where a tube or round culvert handles the water flow.

Having lots of bridges and lots of creeks also means the bridges get damaged or washed-out during times of heavy rainfall. This was especially true in the early history of the county. Or bridges simply wear out from use. In the early days of Jewell County, items about bridges were common in newspapers.

A bridge over Big Timber washed out in 1888 (The Jacksonian, May 13, 1888) and the bridge north of Star Church was washed out in 1889 (The Jewell County Republican, June 21, 1889). The iron bridge over Marsh Creek near "old Omio" washed out because the creek was "four foot deep a half mile from its regular channel" (Western Advocate, May 15, 1903)

Building bridges was no easy task.  When building an iron truss bridge two miles east of Ruebens, three men were injured, one seriously. A stringer broke and the pile driver along with the men were dumped into the White Rock. The George E. King Bridge Company was building the bridge.

The same company had built a similar bridge over the Buffalo near Randall two weeks before. During that construction, two other workmen were injured.  The article suggested the foreman was at fault.  (The Exponent, Jan. 16, 1891)

In 1879, the bridge over Middle Buffalo Creek on the road south from Jewell was considered "the best bridge in the county." Capt. Jennings was the road-overseer for the project.  (Jewell County Monitor, Aug. 7, 1879). That bridge was the subject of an earlier newspaper item in the April 15, 1876, Jewell County Diamond. The paper declared "We cannot afford to get along without a bridge across that stream much longer if we expect to amount to anything."

The Jewell County Monitor from Sept. 7, 1917, announced the letting of bids for 19 bridges to be constructed over a few of the 58 creeks in Jewell County. Bridges continue to be a topic of discussion for Jewell County Commissioners as evidenced by the commission's minutes.

But it is wondered if there might be even more creeks than those named at the end of this article. Anyone knowing of a creek with a name not listed, Please contact Kerma Crouse at 620-272-7160.

1. Amity Creek

2. Antelope Creek

3. Ash Creek

4. Bachelor Creek

5. Bean Creek

6. Bellows Branch

7. Big Cheyenne Creek

8. Big Timber Creek

9. Browns Creek

10. Burr Oak Creek

11. Corey Creek

12. Crosby Creek

13. Disappointment Creek

14. Dog Creek

15. Dry Creek

16. East Buffalo Creek

17. East Branch Limestone Creek

18. East Marsh Creek

19. East Oak Creek

20. East Walnut Creek

21 . Elm Creek

22. Granite Creek

23. Johns Creek

24. Korb Creek

25. Limestone Creek

26. Little Cheyenne Creek

27. Little Oak Creek

28. Long Branch

29. Marsh Creek

30. Middle Buffalo Creek

31 . Middle Branch Limestone

32. Middle Marsh Creek

33. Montana Creek

34. Mulberry Creek

35. North Fork White Rock

36. Norway Creek

3 7. Oak Creek

38. Plum Creek

39.Porcuoine Creek

40. Prairie Creek

41. Smith Creek

42. Spring Creek (Buffalo)

43. Spring Creek (Holmwood)

44. Spring Creek (Jackson)

45.Spring Branch Middle Marsh

46. Star Creek

47. Swallow Creek

48. Taylor Creek

49. Timber Creek

50. Troublesome Creek

51. Walnut Creek

52. Webb Creek

53. West Buffalo Creek

54. West Branch Limestone

55. West Branch Marsh Creek

56. West Walnut

57. White Rock Creek

58. Wolf Creek