Sturgeon Creek - Virginia Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Following is an entry from a Manuscript of Byrd's diary of his expedition to the "Dividing Line Twixt Virginia and North Carolina," which has an interesting story about a Native American catching a sturgeon and how the creek got its name:

"...we came to Sturgeon creek, so called from the dexterity an Occanechy Indian showed there in catching one of those royal fish, which was performed after the following manner. In the summer time it is no unusual thing for sturgeons to sleep on the surface of the water, and one of them having wandered up into this creek in the spring, was floating in that drowsy condition. The Indian, above-mentioned, ran up to the neck into the creek a little below the place where he discovered the fish, expecting the stream would soon bring his game down to him. He judged the matter right, and as soon as it came within his reach, he whipped a running noose over his jole. This waked the sturgeon, which being strong in its own element darted immediately under water and dragged the Indian after him. The man made it a point of honour to keep his hold, which he did to the apparent danger of being drowned. Sometimes both the Indian and the fish disappeared for a quarter of a minute, and then rose at some distance from where they dived. At this rate they continued flouncing about, sometimes above and sometimes under water, for a considerable time, till at last the hero suffocated his adversary, and hauled his body ashore in triumph."

And now we know why it's call Sturgeon Creek. Looking at the photo of the creek above today, it's hard to imagine these huge fish in this small creek.

The website listed below is a brief account of the expedition from one of it's members that also mentions Sturgeon Creek.