Big Spring in small town names creek, school district (copy)

Sometimes it takes some serious scuba gear to reach the depths of a waterway’s name.

Big Spring Creek is no such waterway.

The creek simply gets its name from its origin: the Big Spring, named for being the fifth largest spring in Pennsylvania, according to the Cumberland County Visitors Bureau.

While straightforward, the name extends beyond the creek it defines, providing an identity to the hundreds of locals who live within the Big Spring School District. It also carries a big piece of small town Newville’s history along its 6-mile flow.

Part of this history resides in Laughlin’s Mill at 92 E. Main St. The mill serves almost as a gateway into the heart of Newville, though it existed before the establishment of the town in 1790, according to the Big Spring Watershed Association.

Laughlin’s Mill was built between 1760 and 1763, the first of six grist (or grain) mills along the creek. The Cumberland County Historical Society said Laughlin’s Mill is the only one still standing.

Big Spring Creek is known today for housing what the Historical Society describes as a “robust population of brook trout,” however history shows the fish haven’t always thrived there. In 1972, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission began operating a fish hatchery along the stream. The society said when this happened, the previously abundant brook trout population experienced a sharp decline.

A 1997 study determined that effluent, or liquid waste, from the hatchery was responsible for this decrease, and the hatchery closed in 2001, the Historical Society said. By 2008, the brook trout population made a “remarkable comeback,” Big Spring Creek’s website said.

This population, as well as the more than 190 species of birds the visitors bureau said have been identified along the creek since 2000, make the area a popular destination for fishing and bird watching.

Starts: About 8 miles northeast of Shippensburg near Route 11

Ends: Conodoguinet Creek near Newville

Tributaries: Big Spring Creek is a tributary of the Conodoguinet Creek, which flows from Horse Valley, Franklin County, to the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg

Recreation: Fishing, fly fishing, bird watching

• Laughlin’s Mill (92 E. Main St. in Newville)
• Barrel Factory (Junction of Log Cabin Road and Big Spring Road)

• Wading is allowed, but not necessary
• 1.5 mile catch-and-release only fly fishing area
• The creek doesn’t freeze over

Real-time water levels: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?01569460