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Balls Fork is a stream that is mainly in Knott County, Kentucky in the United States.[1] It a fork of the Troublesome Creek tributary of the North Fork Kentucky River that it joins over the county line in Perry County.[1] It is 19.5 miles (31.4 km) long.[2]
It is not known where its name comes from.[2] Unlike many other locations in Kentucky, there are no local families recorded with the surname Balls for whom it could have been named.[2]
The mouth of Balls Fork is 23.875 miles (38.423 km) upstream on Troublesome at an altitude of 835 feet (255 m).[3]
- Its major tributaries are:
- Lick Branch 0.75 miles (1.21 km) upstream at an altitude of 840 feet (260 m)[3]
- Georges Branch 1.25 miles (2.01 km) upstream at an altitude of 850 feet (260 m)[4]
- Roaring Branch 3.875 miles (6.236 km) upstream at an altitude of 900 feet (270 m)[5]
- Elisha Fork 0.25 miles (0.40 km) upstream at an altitude of 985 feet (300 m)[6]
- Big Branch 4.75 miles (7.64 km) upstream at an altitude of 915 feet (279 m)[7]
- Beech Creek 0.375 miles (0.604 km) upstream at an altitude of 935 feet (285 m)[7]
- Sand Lick Branch 1.5 miles (2.4 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,030 feet (310 m)[8]
- Road Branch 2.625 miles (4.225 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,110 feet (340 m)[8]
- Right Fork 3.75 miles (6.04 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,160 feet (350 m)[9]
- Zach Branch 5.75 miles (9.25 km) upstream at an altitude of 930 feet (280 m)[10]
- Rattlesnake Branch (also Cutoff Branch) 8 miles (13 km) upstream at an altitude of 955 feet (291 m)[10]
- Laurel Creek 11.625 miles (18.709 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,010 feet (310 m)[11]
- Hard Branch 12.75 miles (20.52 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,020 feet (310 m)[12]
- Old Trace Branch (also John S. Combs Branch) 13.25 miles (21.32 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,030 feet (310 m)[12]
- Old-house Branch 13.375 miles (21.525 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,030 feet (310 m)[13]
- Trace Branch 13.75 miles (22.13 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,035 feet (315 m)[13]
- Pond Branch 14.75 miles (23.74 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,045 feet (319 m)[14]
- Knob Bottom Branch 15 miles (24 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,050 feet (320 m)[15]
- Garden Branch 15.375 miles (24.744 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,055 feet (322 m)[16]
- Sand Lick Branch 15.75 miles (25.35 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,060 feet (320 m)[16]
- Stewart Fork (also Terry Fork) 16 miles (26 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,065 feet (325 m)[17]
- Gearhart Branch (also Mill Branch) 17 miles (27 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,080 feet (330 m)[18]
- Conley Branch (also Little Branch) 0.125 miles (0.201 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,095 feet (334 m)[18]
- Buck Branch 17.75 miles (28.57 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,090 feet (330 m)[19]
- Wiley Branch 18.25 miles (29.37 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,100 feet (340 m)[20]
- Bowling Fork 18.875 miles (30.376 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,140 feet (350 m)[22]
- Long Fork 19.75 miles (31.78 km) upstream at an altitude of 1,200 feet (370 m)[23]
General
The current Ary post office at the mouth of Balls Fork is actually on Troublesome Creek itself,[24] as was the original site of the earlier Troublesome post office that served Balls Fork from 1882.[25]
Balls Fork had six post offices in its history actually on the fork itself or its tributaries.[2] Three of them were refused the name Ball by the USPS because it had already been taken.[26]
The Talcum post office, an attempted Ball, was established on 1903-02-25 by postmaster Levi Collins.[26] It was located at the mouth of Cutoff Branch.[26] After closing in February 1913 it was reëstablished by postmaster Mrs Ida Francis on 1917-04-21.[26] It moved along Balls Fork several times in its lifetime, ending up 3.5 miles (5.6 km) downstream from where it started.[26] It closed in 1994.[26]
The Yellow Mountain post office was established on 1909-03-30 by husband and wife postmasters Reece F. and Louelzia Bolen.[26] It was on Mill Branch, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) upstream and named after the Yellow Mountain there.[26] It closed in 1951.[26]
In 1918, Bud Dobson's mine was on a minor branch 11 miles (18 km) upstream on Balls itself.;[11] and William Messer's 1.5 miles (2.4 km) upstream on Old Trace Branch.[12]
Joseph Sutton's mine was on a minor fork of Trace Branch, 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream;[27] John Ooten's on a minor branch of Pond Branch, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) upstream;[14] Lewis Evans's 0.275 miles (0.443 km) upstream on Pond itself;[14] and Joseph Patten's Balls itself, 17.5 miles (28.2 km) upstream;[19]
Richard Smith had a mine one on Wiley Branch, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) upstream;[20] and John Smith one on Wiley Branch, 2.75 miles (4.43 km) upstream.[28]
Grant Moore had a mine on Wiley Branch, 0.625 miles (1.006 km) upstream;[28] and Solomon Sloane one 0.25 miles (0.40 km) upstream on Hurricane Branch.[28]
William Stewart had a mine on Stewart Fork, 0.875 miles (1.408 km) upstream;[17] and John Conley one on Conley Branch, 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream.[18]
Georges Branch is across a ridge from the Coles Branch of Troublesome Creek.[6]
Vest and the Grigsby family mines and post offices
A Balls Fork post office was on the Fork itself, 7 miles (11 km) upstream.[1] It was established on 1879-09-11 by postmaster William G. Grigsby, and closed in December 1881.[1][2] Although it would have been in Knott County today, it predated the creation of that county.[1]
James M. Grigsby's mine was on Old House Branch, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) upstream.[13]
The Vest post office, an attempted Ball, was established on 1886-01-31 by postmaster William Grigsby.[26] Anecdotally, although there is no record of such a person, it was named after a USPS official who validated the requirement for a post office.[26] It still exists today, and around it are a consolidated school, a store, and a crafts centre.[26]
Combs family mines and post offices
The Bearville post office was established in 1952 by postmaster Lucinda Combs.[29] The name was a nickname of one of the members of a sprawling local family on Troublesome Creek and North Fork Kentucky River, one "Bear" Combs.[29] It was on Big Branch, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) upstream.[29] It closed in 1984.[29]
Henry Combs's mine was 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream on Roaring Branch;[7] J. S. Combs's was 0.25 miles (0.40 km) upstream on Hard Branch.[12]
Triplett family mines and post offices
The Soft Shell post office, an attempted Ball, was established on 1926-05-04 by postmaster Sarah Triplett.[26] It was named for the local Soft Shell church, a subgroup of Regular Baptists that differentiated themselves from the Hard Shell Baptists, and located on the mouth of Wiley Branch.[26] It closed in 1983.[29]
John L. Triplett had a mine one on Balls itself, 18.75 miles (30.18 km) upstream;[22] and Thomas Triplett's land was 100 yards (91 m) farther up.[22]
Richie/Ritchie family mines
Jason Richie had a mine on Beech Creek, 0.375 miles (0.604 km) upstream;[7] Hiram Richie had one on a minor branch of a minor branch of Balls itself, 5.625 miles (9.053 km) upstream;[22] and Peyton Richie one 13.25 miles (21.32 km) upstream on Balls.[12]
Fugate family mines
In the Fugate family two brothers had mines on Georges Branch, 0.125 miles (0.201 km) and 0.25 miles (0.40 km) upstream;[4] Daniel Fugate had a mine on a minor branch of Trace Branch, 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream;[27] and Samuel Fugate had a mine 3.125 miles (5.029 km) upstream on Balls Fork itself.[5]
Gearhart family mines
W. F. Gearheart had a mine on a minor branch of Laurel Creek, 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream;[12] Lewis Gearhart one on Sand Lick Branch just over 1.75 miles (2.82 km) upstream past a spring; Elhannon Gearhart one on Balls itself, 15.125 miles (24.341 km) upstream;[30] Martha Gearhart one on a minor fork of Balls, 16.25 miles (26.15 km) upstream;[31] and Allen Gearhart one on Buck Branch, 0.25 miles (0.40 km) upstream.[19]
Patrick family mines
Rachel Patrick's mine was on a minor fork of Sand Lick Branch, 0.625 miles (1.006 km) upstream.[8] and James Patrick's was on a minor fork of Road Branch, 0.25 miles (0.40 km) upstream.[8]
Terry family mines
Thomas Terry had a mine on Right Fork of Big Branch, 0.125 miles (0.201 km) upstream;[9] Rebecca Terry one on a minor branch of Pond Branch, 0.75 miles (1.21 km) upstream;[32] Bud Terry one on Pond itself, 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream;[15] and Benjamin Terry one on a minor fork of Wiley Branch, 0.75 miles (1.21 km) upstream.[28]
Bowling family mines
Green Bowling's two mines were on two minor forks of Balls, one 16.875 miles (27.158 km) upstream and the other 17 miles (27 km) upstream.[33] William Bowling's mine was 0.75 miles (1.21 km) upstream on Buck Branch.[20]
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