Why "The"?

afishinado

afishinado

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The Delaware

Spring Creek

The Letort

Big Spring

The Yough

French Creek

The Bushkill

Yellow Creek

The Little J

Spruce Creek

The Conodoguinet

Opossum Creek

The Brandywine

White Clay

The Pennypack

Valley Creek

The Tionesta

Oil Creek
 
It just sounds better... like The Ohio State University.
 
I've sometimes pondered this too. I suppose it isn't worth over analyzing - probably just tradition or local convention. Some of the streams on this list go both ways. Locals in the Cumberland Valley often refer to The Big Spring and Conodoguinet often lacks the "the" part unless, it is "The Connie."

New York and New England waters seem to use "The" a bit more(?)
 
Which Spring Creek?
The Spring Creek.
 
Depends whether you put on Creek or River at the end.

Pennypack Creek is ok. So is The Pennypack. But The Pennypack Creek is a little much. Almost redundant, because in context, "the" refers to a body of water, as does "creek".

Beyond that, I think whether the name could mean something else has a lot to do with whether it's ok to use "the ____." For instance, if I say I'm goin to the Letort, pretty much everyone would understand exactly what I mean. But if I say I'm goin to the valley, well...
 
tradition.

generally used when there's only one of.

 
Looks pretty much like the full two-word waters drop the "The"....

(The The... now there was a band!)
 
That certainly doesn't work with "The Pine". I think there's a Pine Creek in nearly every county!

And calling it by it's proper name, like "Pine Creek" doesn't distinguish it anymore than "The Pine" does.

But to be fair, when I use "The" on that one, I usually say "The Big Pine" or something similar, to distinguish it from all the rest.
 
You obviously have missed that running gag, pcray!
 
generally 'is on fire' added after anything that starts w/ 'The'.

Also, someone said 'The Oak' in another thread. #censor# that. It's Oak Orchard #censor# Creek. It's barely worthy of the title creek let alone 'The'.
 
WE ARE



SPRING CREEK
 
wsender wrote:
generally 'is on fire' added after anything that starts w/ 'The'.

Also, someone said 'The Oak' in another thread. #censor# that. It's Oak Orchard #censor# Creek. It's barely worthy of the title creek let alone 'The'.

The Orchard...
 
No list like this would be complete without "The Tully" - finest tailwater in the east. lol
 
I wondered the same thing, I guess through repetition it sounds right. Take Kishacoquillas Creek, or just the "Kish".
 
Excellent thread question...

Other than the times when the flow of a sentence or the grammar calls for one or the other, I always just figured that the main purpose of the "the" was as an affectation, one of many that plague the sport. Sort of like one of those scarlet kerchiefs patterned with the C&R logo...
 
What makes a river, a river and what makes a creek , a creek. Most rivers are bigger than creeks, but some creeks are bigger than some rivers. Anyone got an answer?
 
I would guess it may have to do with the name coming from the formal name of something else. The Delaware was most likely named after a city or the Indian tribe, same with Letort or Brandywine, or Tionesta, The are all formal names for a person , place or group.

The other refer to maybe just a creek or rivers name based on its description. We made add the "The" to some in a perhaps unconcious attempt to personify the water. There by giving it the respect it deserves.
 
it's Mt. Everest and Mont Blanc but why The Eiger and The Matterhorn?
 
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