| Oxon Creek | |
|---|---|
 Anacostia Freeway Crossing Oxon Creek to join the Beltway (2007) - Wilson Bridge is to the left | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Prince George's County, Maryland and Washington, D.C. |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 38°49′00″N 77°00′23″W / 38.8166667°N 77.0063889°W |
| Mouth | |
• location | Potomac River |
• coordinates | 38°48′26″N 77°1′29″W / 38.80722°N 77.02472°W |
• elevation | −3 feet (−0.91 m)[1] |
| Length | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Potomac River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Barnaby Run (Winkle Doodle Run), Forest Heights Tributary, Oxon Hill Tributary |
| • right | Oxon Run |
Oxon Creek is a stream on the Potomac River which feeds a cove that straddles the border between Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland just north of Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway) at Woodrow Wilson Bridge.[2][3] Oxon Creek heads at the confluence of Oxon Run and Barnaby Run, sometimes referred to as Winkle Doodle Run.[4] It starts just inside the boundary of D.C. and then runs 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south and west into Maryland to empty into the Potomac at Goose Island (a sand bar often under water) across from the city of Alexandria, Virginia. Before reaching the Potomac, the creek widens to form Oxon Cove which is partially in Maryland and partially in Washington, D.C. The creek is almost entirely within Oxon Cove National Park, except for the first few feet in D.C. and a portion of the cove on the southside of the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.[5]
Two bridges cross the creek. The Anacostia Freeway crosses it on a bridge where it becomes a tidal stream and the Oxon Hill Farm Trail crosses it where it is still narrow.
The unusual spelling is either historical or a reference to Oxfordshire, England, though it was usually labelled as Oxen Creek on maps prior to 1898. The distinction between Oxon Creek and Oxon Run is often not recognized and so both are frequently referred to as Oxon Run.[6] USGS first started labeling it as Oxon Creek in 1892.[7]
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Oxen Creek
- ^ "Feature Detail Report for: Oxon Creek Stream". usgs. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Feature Detail Report for: Oxon Creek Bay". USGS. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Barnaby Run and Winkle Doodle Run meet just north of Galveston Street at Southern Avenue. Sometimes the combined stream south of that is referred to as Barnaby Run and at others as Winkle Doodle Run, Winkle Doodle is the older, more frequently used name, but Barnaby Run is used by USGS. Barnaby Run used to be called Barnabas Creek, getting its name from St. Barnabas Church which was founded in 1789 near the source of the stream. "Board of Public Works". The Evening Star. 14 September 1871.
- ^ "Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm Map". NPS. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Oxon Run Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP)" (PDF). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^ "Oxon Run Decision Card". Retrieved 29 January 2019.