Nimishillen Creek

Nimishillen Creek is a tributary of Sandy Creek, 24.5 miles (39.4 km) long, in northeastern Ohio. Via Sandy Creek and the Tuscarawas, Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 187 square miles (480 km²), including the city of Canton.^[1]

Nimishillen Creek
West Branch Nimishillen Creek in a city park in Canton in 2006
Location
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Canton, Ohio, confluence of East and Middle Branches[1]
• coordinates	40°48′24″N 81°21′14″W[2]
Mouth
• location	Sandy Creek in Tuscarawas County, Ohio[1]
• elevation	938 ft (286 m)[2]
Length	24.5 mi (39.4 km)[3]
Basin size	187 sq mi (480 km2)[4]
Discharge
• location	USGS gauge at North Industry
• average	211.1 cu ft/s (5.98 m3/s), water years 1922-2019[5]

Geography

Nimishillen Creek flows on both glaciated (in the north) and unglaciated (in the south) portions of the Allegheny Plateau,^[6] in Stark and Tuscarawas Counties.^[1] It is formed in Canton by the confluence of the East Branch Nimishillen Creek^[7] and the Middle Branch Nimishillen Creek.^[8] The East Branch is 10.4 miles (16.7 km) long and flows through Louisville; the Middle Branch is 16.6 miles (26.7 km) long.^[3][6] Shortly downstream of this confluence, the stream collects the West Branch Nimishillen Creek,^[9] which is nine miles (14 km) long^[3] and flows through North Canton and Canton.^[1][6] From Canton, Nimishillen Creek flows generally southwardly, past East Sparta, into northern Tuscarawas County, where it flows into Sandy Creek from the north.

Names

According to one tradition, the name "Nimishillen" is derived from a Native American word meaning "black alder".^[10]

According to the Geographic Names Information System, Nimishillen Creek has also been known historically as:^[2]

• Memenshehelas Creek
• Nanashehelas Creek
• Nemenshehela Creek
• Nemenshehelas Creek
• Nenenchelus Creek
• Nimishillen Run
• Nine Shilling Creek

See also

• List of rivers of Ohio