Bear Creek (Red Bird River tributary)

Bear Creek is a creek that is a tributary of the Red Bird River in Clay County, Kentucky.

Bear Creek received its name after a bear was shot there, according to local history.

Tributaries and post offices
The mouth of Bear Creek is 6.25 mile upstream on Red Bird River at an altitude of 752 ft above sea level.


 * Its major tributaries are:
 * a left branch 1 mile upstream at altitude 765 ft
 * a left branch 1.5 mile upstream at altitude 780 ft
 * a left branch 2.25 mile upstream at altitude 825 ft
 * a left branch 2.75 mile upstream at altitude 860 ft
 * a left branch 3 mile upstream at altitude 875 ft
 * Bowling Branch 3.75 mile upstream at altitude 925 ft
 * three forks 4.5 mile upstream at (where 2 of the forks meet) altitude 950 ft

Barcreek post office
Barcreek was established on 1900-03-07 by Elijah Herd, and remained in operation until March 1969. It was half a mile upriver on Bear Creek from its confluence with the Red Bird River. Its name was most likely a corruption of Bear Creek, but could also have been a reference to a large local sandbar. Herd's first choice of his own name had been rejected by the USPS because it clashed with an already existing postoffice in Boyd County.

Green L. Langdon moved it upriver in 1914, close to, or possibly at, the site of what was later to be Spurlock post office. It was relocated back to Bear Creek in the 1920s, and was 1/2 mi up the creek when it closed in March 1969.

Spurlock post office
Spurlock post office was established on 1928-10-02, Silvania Herd's first choice of "Herd" similarly being rejected by the USPS because it then clashed with an already existing postoffice by that name in Jackson County. Named after the Spurlock family, descendants of settler William Spurlock (1815–1855) from North Carolina who had arrived at Bear Creek in 1835, it lasted until July 1988. It was located 1 mile upstream of the mouth of Banks Branch, a tributary of Red Bird River to the south of Bear Creek, to replace Barcreek post office after it moved back to Bear Creek.

General
Across a ridge lies Laurel Creek.

In 1918, Daniel Bowling had a mine 0.5 mile upstream on Bowling Branch.