Middle Fork Kentucky River

Middle Fork Kentucky River is a river in Kentucky in the United States. It is a fork of the Kentucky River that it joins just upstream of Beattyville.

Floods
The Kentucky River basin, including Middle Fork and its tributaries, suffered a major flood in January and February 1957. Peak flood levels were higher by 5.0 ft at Buckhorn and 2.83 ft at Tallega than the previous record peak levels in 1939. One person was drowned in Cutshin Creek.

Most of the urban damage was at Buckhorn, with properties under up to 10 ft of water, and at Hyden. In Bockhorn 10 homes were destroyed, and in Hyden 30% of the homes were damaged in some way. 20 commercial buildings in Hyden were flooded, and the local lumber company had a lot of its stock swept away.

Tributaries and other locations

 * Its major tributaries include:
 * Hell-for-Certain Creek 9 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 780 ft, mouth at 37.24581°N, -83.38189°W headwaters at 37.19553°N, -83.47641°W.
 * Mill Branch 1.375 mile upstream at altitude 848 ft, mouth at 37.23464°N, -83.3954°W headwaters at 37.21599°N, -83.40409°W
 * Big Fork
 * Devils Jump Branch 2.25 mile upstream, mouth at 37.23234°N, -83.41529°W headwaters at 37.24193°N, -83.42779°W
 * Oldhouse Branch 8.5 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 785 ft, mouth at 37.2456°N, -83.3746°W headwaters at 37.2439°N, -83.36047°W
 * Polly Morril Branch 7.25 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 795 ft, mouth at 37.22962°N, -83.37352°W headwaters at 37.22757°N, -83.35403°W
 * Bull Creek 6.5 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 800 ft, whose name anecdotally comes from pioneer settler John Amis having shot a bull buffalo on its banks, mouth at 37.22026°N, -83.37615°W headwaters at 37.16486°N, -83.45511°W
 * Lower Field Branch 1.125 mile upstream at altitude 830 ft,
 * Wolf Pen Branch 3 mile upstream at altitude 890 ft, mouth at 37.19339°N, -83.40896°W headwaters at 37.1777°N, -83.40523°W
 * Thousand Sticks Branch 5.125 mile upstream at altitude 940 ft, mouth at 37.18579°N, -83.42604°W headwaters at 37.16°N, -83.41599°W at the foot of Thousandsticks Mountain
 * Henry Fork (a.k.a. Osborne Fork)
 * Davidson Fork 5.5 mile upstream at altitude 1015 ft, mouth at 37.17418°N, -83.43822°W headwaters at 37.15839°N, -83.44503°W
 * Cutshin Creek 6.5 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 880 ft, mouth at 37.21941°N, -83.37513°W, whose further tributaries and locations are in its article
 * Mile Branch 4.75 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 800 ft, mouth at 37.20003°N, -83.3809°W headwaters at 37.19508°N, -83.39139°W
 * Nighwaw Branch 4.5 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 805 ft,
 * Elic Branch 3.75 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 805 ft, mouth at 37.19283°N, -83.36729°W headwaters at 37.1752°N, -83.35189°W
 * Asher Branch 2.25 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 815 ft, mouth at 37.18269°N, -83.38258°W headwaters at 37.17067°N, -83.40519°W
 * Betty Branch 1.75 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 815 ft,
 * Owls-Nest Branch 0.5 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 815 ft, mouth at 37.16988°N, -83.36617°W
 * a left branch 0.125 mile upstream,
 * Banger Branch 1.25 mile upstream at altitude 915 ft, mouth at 37.16693°N, -83.34951°W headwaters at 37.16216°N, -83.33833°W
 * Roberts Branch 0.5 mile downstream of Hyden at altitude 815 ft,
 * Rockhouse Creek at Hyden at altitude 820 ft,
 * Tantrough Branch 0.375 mile upstream at altitude 830 ft,
 * Big Lute Branch 2 mile upstream at altitude 876 ft,
 * Shack Branch 3.5 mile upstream at altitude 921 ft,
 * Potato Knob Branch 4.5 mile upstream at altitude 950 ft,
 * Puncheon Camp Branch 5.25 mile upstream at altitude 988 ft,
 * Road Fork 5.5 mile upstream at altitude 1000 ft,
 * Left Branch 5.5 mile upstream at altitude 1000 ft,
 * Laurel Creek 0.5 mile upstream at altitude 1010 ft,
 * Hurst Creek 0.5 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 825 ft,
 * Round Hole Branch 0.75 mile upstream at altitude 900 ft,
 * Rough Branch 1.375 mile upstream at altitude 1105 ft,
 * Davis Branch (a.k.a. Mart's Branch) 1.375 mile upstream at altitude 1160 ft,
 * Short Creek 2 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 835 ft,
 * a right branch 1.125 mile upstream at altitude 935 ft,
 * a right branch 1.375 mile upstream,
 * a right branch 1.75 mile upstream at altitude 960 ft,
 * Munsey Creek 3.25 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 845 ft,
 * Right Fork 1.5 mile upstream at altitude 965 ft,
 * Hurricane Creek 4.25 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 848 ft,
 * a left branch 1.25 mile upstream at altitude 1030 ft,
 * Wolf Fork 1.5 mile upstream at altitude 1070 ft,
 * a right branch 2 mile upstream,
 * Burnt Camp Creek 5.25 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 850 ft,
 * Morgan Branch at Burnt Camp mouth at altitude 856 ft,
 * Left Fork 0.5 mile upstream at altitude 875 ft,
 * Big Branch 2 mile upstream at altitude 1045 ft,
 * Camp Branch 2.25 mile upstream at altitude 1075 ft,
 * Johns Creek 7.75 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 870 ft,
 * Right Fork 0.25 mile upstream at altitude 910 ft,
 * Lower Bad Creek,
 * Bonnet Rock Branch 3.25 mile upstream at altitude 1255 ft,
 * Marion Fork 4.875 mile upstream at altitude 1325 ft,
 * Stinnett Creek 10.25 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 900 ft,
 * Little Stinnett Creek 0.875 mile upstream at altitude 956 ft,
 * Lick Fork 3.875 mile upstream at altitude 1285 ft,
 * Big Branch 4.75 mile upstream at altitude 1350 ft,
 * Greasy Creek 11.25 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 900 ft,
 * Saltwell Branch 12.75 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 915 ft,
 * Trace Branch (a.k.a. Harmon Branch 12.875 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 915 ft,
 * Martor Fork 1.25 mile upstream at altitude 1070 ft,
 * Beech Fork 15 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 950 ft, whose further tributaries and locations are in its article
 * Lower Bad Creek 15.75 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 963 ft,
 * Pinch Hollow 17.125 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1002 ft,
 * Upper Bad Creek 18.5 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1042 ft,
 * Sang Branch (a.k.a. Ginseng Branch) 20.125 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1070 ft,
 * White Oak Creek 20.5 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1085 ft,
 * War Branch 22.25 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1180 ft,
 * Rye Cove Branch 22.625 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1200 ft,
 * Roark Branch 23.5 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1240 ft,
 * Turkey Branch 25 mile upstream of Hyden,
 * Spruce Pine Creek 25.5 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1325 ft,
 * Dry Fork 0.25 mile upstream at altitude 1325 ft,
 * two forks 1.5 mile upstream,
 * Long Fork 1.25 mile upstream at altitude 1495 ft,
 * Mazie Branch 26.5 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1435 ft,
 * Rough Branch 27.25 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1570 ft,
 * Rainbow Branch (a.k.a. Meadow Branch) 28.5 mile upstream of Hyden at altitude 1675 ft,

The confluence of Bull Creek, the main Middle Fork, and Cutshin Creek was known in the 19th century in Kentucky as a "turkeyfoot".

Hell-For-Certain Creek and Osha, Omarsville/Kaliopi post offices
The name of Hell-For-Certain Creek comes, anecdotally, from the bad experience of a pair of travellers navigating its waters. It is a common favourite name to use in stories about travelling in Kentucky, although the eye dialect pronunciation of "Hell For Sartin" that is employed by storytellers is incorrect and considered offensive and insulting by native Kentuckyans.

The Osha post office was established by postmaster William C. "Short Buckel Bill" Begley on 1906-09-15. Begley had originally wanted the name Hell For Certain after the creek, but this was rejected by the USPS, so his second choice was the name of his daughter (1893–1990). It was located at the mouth of Hell-for-Certain Creek, and closed in December 1907.

The Omarsville post office was established on 1929-02-27 by postmaster Lilbern W. Woods. It was named after Omar Huff, the son of Republican Party official Elmer Huff. Originally located at the mouth of Mill Branch, it moved around several times over the years. It was at several sites on Big Fork, then in 1942 postmasters Ethel Pilatos (née Woods and Lilbern's sister) and her husband Sam Pilatos (an immigrant from Greece) moved it to the site of Sam's store that, then was and still now is, located at the mouth of Devils Jump and called The Mouth of Devils Jump Branch. Because of other similarly named post offices and mail being misdirected, on 1945-03-01 Omarsville was renamed Kaliopi after Sam's mother (c.f. Calliope). It closed in July 1981.

Dryhill and Gad/Thousandsticks post offices on Bull Creek
The Dryhill post office was established on 1897-09-30 by postmaster Dan McDaniel. It was located on a literally dry hill just above the "turkeyfoot" confluence of Bull Creek, Middle Fork, and Cutshin Creek, where the Daniel Boone Parkway and Kentucky Route 257 now cross Middle Fork. Like Omarsville, it served a store located at the mouth of Bull Creek and called The Mouth of Bull Creek. It closed in July 1908, and McDaniel tried to reestablish it on 1910-08-13, this time using his own surname. However, that name was taken in Breckenridge County so he continued with the original Dryhill. It became a rural branch of Hyden post office in 1964.

The Gad post office was established on 1905-03-01 by postmaster Polly Osborne. She had originally wanted the name Bull Creek but that was taken and so she chose Gad after the Tribe of Gad or Gad. It was originally located a slight distance upstream on Henry Fork, and on 1924-05-31 moved to Bull Creek itself at the mouth of Thousandsticks Creek, after which it was at the same time renamed. It closed in November 2004.

Thousandsticks post office, the creek it was renamed after, a school, church, the local weekly newspaper in Hyden, and Thousandsticks Mountain after which they all were named, have two different origin stories for their names. The first is that early settlers found a large number of old dead trees in the area and so named it after the "thousand sticks", i.e. tree trunks. The second is that early travellers discovered the aftermath of a forest fire in the area and so named it after the "thousand sticks", i.e. charred tree stumps.

Kentucky Route 118, which joins the Daniel Boone Parkway at Thousandsticks, is called the "Hyden Spur" as it is the access road for Hyden.

General
In 1918, Howard Asher and Rene Asher had mines on Red Bird just downstream of the ford that is downstream of Asher Branch. Andrew Asher had one on Banger Branch; and Hughes Asher one on Roberts Branch.

Nathanial Roberts's mine was on Roberts Branch.