Many industries located along the Connoquenessing Creek soon after the railroad came to Zelienople on New Year's Day 1879. Lava Crucible is pictured along the creek in this 1965 aerial photo.

The Connoquenessing Creek has served as many things to residents of Butler County since the local Seneca tribe bestowed the 50-mile waterway with its unusual name, which translates to “long way straight.”

In early years, natives and settlers used the creek for hunting and fishing, and as a water source for the crops and homes in the county's first farms.The flow of the “Connie” and its tributaries has also powered many gristmills in days gone by.

While the creek is remembered by old-timers as a place to swim, splash around and cool off in the days before air conditioning, many industries eventually located along the Connie's banks — and they weren't always the best neighbors.Fish and aquatic life suffered over the years from runoff from industry, development and old mines, and the creek in 1999 was named the second most polluted waterway in the United States.

The state Department of Environmental Protection keeps a close eye on the creek and has declared it is gradually improving, but continued development could harm the creek.Today, the Connie is a recreation venue for anglers, canoeists and kayakers as a result of the Allegheny Aquatic Alliance's mission to clear debris from the creek and install boat launches along its shores.

A horse and buggy was able to drive on the ice-covered Connoquenessing Creek in 1907. Harper’s Mill, one of many mills that dotted the creek’s banks before the turn of the 20th century, can be seen in the rear of the photo. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1912.

Detmar Passavant, the great-grandson of Zelienople founder Detmar Basse, stands at the remains of the Bassenheim Iron Furnace, which was built in 1813 along the banks of the Connoquenessing Creek. Industry and recreation has been part of the creek’s history from the beginning settlements in the area.submitted photos

Young rowers enjoy the Connoquenessing Creek in the 1930s at the former Brashear Camp near the present-day Hartmann's Deep Valley Golf Course.