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Big Sandy River
Big Sandy River
	Confluence of Levisa Fork and Tug Fork, forming the Big Sandy River
	Map of the Big Sandy River watershed, with its Levisa Fork (left) and Tug Fork (right) tributaries shown
Location
Country	United States
State	Kentucky, West Virginia
Counties	Lawrence KY, Wayne WV, Boyd KY
Physical characteristics
Source	Tug Fork
• location	Big Stone Ridge, McDowell County, WV
• coordinates	37°16′38″N 81°26′06″W / 37.27722°N 81.43500°W
• elevation	2,604 ft (794 m)
2nd source	Levisa Fork
• location	Gap of Sandy, Buchanan County, VA
• coordinates	37°09′06″N 81°54′04″W / 37.15167°N 81.90111°W
• elevation	2,657 ft (810 m)
Source confluence
• location	Louisa, KY
• coordinates	38°07′05″N 82°36′06″W / 38.11806°N 82.60167°W
• elevation	545 ft (166 m)
Mouth	Ohio River
• location	Catlettsburg, KY
• coordinates	38°24′58″N 82°35′45″W / 38.41611°N 82.59583°W
• elevation	525 ft (160 m)
Length	29 mi (47 km)
Basin size	4,280 sq mi (11,100 km2)
Discharge
• location	mouth
• average	5,006.74 cu ft/s (141.775 m3/s) (estimate)

The Big Sandy River, called Sandy Creek as early as 1756, is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 29 miles (47 km) long,^[7] in western West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky in the United States. The river forms part of the boundary between the two states along its entire course. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.

It is formed between Louisa, Kentucky, and Fort Gay, West Virginia, by the confluence of the Tug Fork and Levisa Fork. It flows generally northwardly in a highly meandering course, between Lawrence and Boyd counties in Kentucky and Wayne County in West Virginia. It joins the Ohio between Catlettsburg, Kentucky and Kenova, West Virginia, 8 miles (13 km) west of Huntington, West Virginia, at the common boundary between West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.

The river is navigable and carries commercial shipping, primarily coal mined in the immediate region.

The name of the river, originally called Sandy Creek by 1756, comes from the presence of extensive sand bars. The Native American names for the river included Tatteroa, Chatteroi, and Chatterwha.^[8] The name "Big Sandy" was in use no later than February, 1789.^[9]

George Washington surveyed land at the mouth of the river between 1768 and 1772.^[10]

First Americans

Some Native American groups have links to the area and region, such as the Shawnee, Cherokee, Tutelo, Issa, and others.

Sandy Creek Expedition

In 1756, as part of the French and Indian War, the Sandy Creek Expedition occurred in the valley.

Early Anglo settlement

The tombstone of David White, an early settler along the river in Kentucky, marks his passing in 1817 with the note that he lived many years near the Mouth of the Big Sandy.^[11]

Civil War

Several notable personalities relating to the Civil War hailed from the Big Sandy Valley. Likewise, the valley hosted important war-time events.

Hatfield-McCoy Feud

The Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River is the site of the Hatfield-McCoy feud.

Martin County sludge spill

On October 11, 2000, the Martin County sludge spill polluted hundreds of miles of the Ohio River, the Big Sandy River and its tributaries. The accident was caused when a coal sludge impoundment owned by Massey Energy in Kentucky broke into an abandoned underground mine below. Toxic pollutants including heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, copper and chromium were found in the sludge that spilled into these waterways.^[12]

The spill was 30 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill (12 million US gallons (45,000 m³)) and one of the worst environmental disasters ever in the southeastern United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Popular culture

Two well-known fiddle tunes take their name from the Big Sandy River: "Sandy River Belle" and the "Big Sandy River". Loretta Lynn's "Van Lear Rose" and Dwight Yoakam's "Bury Me" also mention the river.