Bowman's Creek is a medium size freestone stream that flows in a northeast direction for nearly 30 miles before it empties into the much larger Susquehanna River. Both are part of the huge Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Restoring water quality in our watershed will have a positive influence on the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. Visit the Chesapeake Bay Program website: Chesapeake Bay

It begins with South Branch Bowman's Creek and increases its volume with the addition of Cherry Run before it flows into Mountain Springs Lake. The lake is the result of a dam constructed in the late 19th century for harvesting ice. I became the property of the Pa. Fish Commission in 1957. Today the dam is in disrepair and the water level lowered as a result.

From there it flows toward the Susquehanna being fed along the way by many small streams. In its upper reaches streams such as Beth Run and Wolf Run contribute water to the creek. In the lower part streams such as Leonard's Creek and Sugar Hollow Creek add to the flow before its confluence south of Tunkhannock. Here it passes the baton in the form of water to the Susquehanna for the final leg of its journey to the Chesapeake Bay.

Geology plays an important part in the conditions and make up of the streams in a watershed. Geological formations found in the Bowman Creek watershed are characterized by sandstone and shale along with some conglomerate and siltstone beads (PA Department of Environmental Resources, 1980). The formations are almost devoid of any limestone or calcium containing rock. Soils on the surface of the ground are primarily glacial till. As a result the soils, groundwater, and surface water are poorly buffered and have limited alkalinity.

The Bowman Creek watershed contains many unique and special features. One of the most important is the presence of a wild trout population in Bowman Creek and several of the other watershed tributaries. 12 of the 19 streams listed as containing wild trout in Wyoming County and four (4) of the 36 streams listed as containing wild trout in Luzerne County are found in the Bowman Creek watershed. Several of these streams (Butternut Run, Stone Run, and Sugar Hollow Run) are listed as Class A Wild Trout waters. Class A waters generally contain at least 40 kilograms of wild trout per hectare of water and are considered the highest wild trout ranking possible. In addition, the watershed contains wild populations of all three species of trout (brook, brown, and rainbow)

Several areas in the Bowman Creek watershed have been noted for their historical relevance to the region. Two areas in particular are the dam at Mountain Springs Lake and the Noxen Train Station. Mountain Springs Lake was an important source of ice for the Scranton Wilkes Barre area. The ice was cut from the lake during the winter months and stored in icehouses on-site. During the rest of the year the ice was shipped via rail line to be sold for use in iceboxes prior to the advent of the refrigerator. After the refrigeration became widely used, the natural ice industry quickly folded. The dam and some building foundations are all that is left of the industry in the area.

The Noxen Train Station was constructed in 1893 to serve the coal, lumber, tanning and ice industries of the region. The station was closed in the early 1960's. Its significance is the unique architecture of the depot that is more closely related to Central New York train depots than Pennsylvania style depots. North Branch Land Trust is in the process of restoring this landmark.