# Broadkill River

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Broadkill_River
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Broadkill_River.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadkill_River
> Source revision: 1273411316
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

The **Broadkill River** is a river flowing to [Delaware Bay](/source/Delaware_Bay) in southern [Delaware](/source/Delaware) in the [United States](/source/United_States). It is 13.3 miles (21.4 km) long and drains an area of 110 square miles (280 km2) on the [Atlantic Coastal Plain](/source/Atlantic_Coastal_Plain).

The Broadkill flows for its entire length in eastern [Sussex County](/source/Sussex_County,_Delaware). It issues from Wagamons Pond in the town of [Milton](/source/Milton,_Delaware); the pond is fed by two tributaries known as Ingram Branch[3] and Pemberton Branch.[4] From Milton, the Broadkill River flows generally eastwardly, passing through [wetlands](/source/Wetland) and [salt marshes](/source/Salt_marsh) in the [Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge](/source/Prime_Hook_National_Wildlife_Refuge).[5] After approaching to within 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) of Delaware Bay, the river parallels the shoreline a short distance inland for approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) before flowing into the bay in northwest of [Lewes](/source/Lewes,_Delaware). The [United States Coast Guard](/source/United_States_Coast_Guard) maintains a station near the mouth of the Broadkill at Green Hill. The mouth is connected to [Rehoboth Bay](/source/Rehoboth_Bay) by the [Lewes and Rehoboth Canal](/source/Lewes_and_Rehoboth_Canal), which forms part of the [Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway](/source/Atlantic_Intracoastal_Waterway).[6]

In the 19th century the river was the center of a regional [shipbuilding](/source/Shipbuilding) industry, arising from the access it furnished to inland forests; the industry fell into decline in the 1890s.[7]

A footpath known as the Governors Walk follows the Broadkill in central Milton. [The Nature Conservancy](/source/The_Nature_Conservancy) established a preserve along the river downstream of Milton in 1998.[8] As of 2005, an annual canoe and kayak race was being held on the river in Milton.[9]

## Variant names and spellings

The [United States Board on Geographic Names](/source/United_States_Board_on_Geographic_Names) issued an opinion clarifying "Broadkill River" as the stream's name in 1961. According to the [Geographic Names Information System](/source/Geographic_Names_Information_System), it has also been known historically as:[2]

- Broad Creek
- Broad [Kill](/source/Kill_(body_of_water))
- Broad Kill Creek
- Broadkill Creek
- Broadkiln Creek
- Lewis Creek

## See also

- [List of Delaware rivers](/source/List_of_Delaware_rivers)
- [Thomas Winsmore (schooner)](/source/Thomas_Winsmore_(schooner))

## References

1. DeWitt, Piet & Daiber, Franklin C. (March 1973). ["The Hydrography of the Broadkill River Estuary, Delaware"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070711081550/http://estuariesandcoasts.org/cdrom/CPSC1973_14_1_28_40.pdf). *Chesapeake Science, Vol. 14 No. 1*. Archived from [the original](http://estuariesandcoasts.org/cdrom/CPSC1973_14_1_28_40.pdf) on 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-02-04.

1. Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Broadkill River (Feature ID #213715)". Retrieved 2007-02-04.

1. Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Ingram Branch (Feature ID #214147)". Retrieved 2007-02-04.

1. Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Pemberton Branch (Feature ID #214434)". Retrieved 2007-02-04.

1. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. ["Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge"](http://www.fws.gov/northeast/primehook/). Retrieved 2007-02-04.

1. [DeLorme](/source/DeLorme) (2004). *Maryland Delaware Atlas & Gazetteer*. pp.44-45. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-279-X.

1. State of Delaware. ["Shipbuilding on the Broadkill"](http://www.state.de.us/sos/dpa/markers/sc/SHIPBUILDING%20ON%20THE%20BROADKILL%20SC%20143.shtml). Retrieved 2007-02-04.

1. State of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Division of Parks and Recreation. ["Greenways & Trails"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071028030925/http://www.destateparks.com/greenway/traillist/traillist3.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.destateparks.com/greenway/traillist/traillist3.htm) on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2007-02-04.

1. ["Milton Fairs and Festivals"](http://www.miltonde.com/milton/festivals.html). Retrieved 2007-02-04.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Broadkill River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadkill_River) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadkill_River?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.