Georgetown in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Herring Highway
Rock Creek Park
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, February 12, 2011
1. Herring Highway Marker
Each spring a miraculous journey begins in the Atlantic Ocean. Blueback herring, Alewife, and other migratory fish swim to Rock Creek by way of the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Members of the herring family come to Rock Creek to spawn. Since at least 1500 BC until the beginning of European settlement in the 1600s, American Indians reaped the bounty of herring during the spawning season. Over time, this age-old fish migration was hindered by dams, fords, and sewer lines, which blocked movement upstream along the length of Rock Creek. From 2004 to 2006, those obstacles were altered or removed to restore the “Herring Highway”.
Rock Creek meanders 33 miles from its source in Montgomery County, Maryland through suburban and densely populated urban areas until it reaches here, the Potomac River. From this point the water continues to flow southeast 112 miles to the Chesapeake Bay and another 80 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.
Illustrations:
Rock Creek [background]
Indian grill, John White, 1585 [drawing]
Logos:
Chesapeake Bay Gateway Network
Alice Ferguson Foundation
Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these
this page online
Location. 38° 54.051′ N, 77° 3.516′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Georgetown. It is on Virginia Avenue Northwest west of Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Northwest, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2900 Virginia Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20007, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Natural Chaos Scarlet by Arne Quinze (within shouting distance of this marker); Tide Lock and Rock Creek Basin (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); History Preserved and Adapted (about 600 feet away); Tide Lock (about 600 feet away); A Canal to the West (about 600 feet away); Benjamin Banneker and Suter's Tavern (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Watergate Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Duvall Foundry (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
Additional keywords. Ecology
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, February 12, 2011
2. Herring Highway Marker - Rock Creek in background
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 20, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,059 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 20, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 3. submitted on January 6, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
