Big Muddy River the sides of hills, exposing coal deposits. The first coal mine in Illinois is believed to have been opened in 1810 on the banks of the Big Muddy in Jackson County. The Big Muddy cuts through the Shawnee Hills south of Murphysboro near the confluence with its smaller tributary, Kinkaid Creek. From there, it runs southward roughly twenty miles and meets the Mississippi directly south of Grand Tower. Near its mouth, a small portion of the Big Muddy acts as the dividing line between Jackson and Union counties. Major tributaries of the Big Muddy include Beaucoup Creek, the Little Muddy
Big Sandy River (Ohio River tributary) It joins the Ohio between Catlettsburg, Kentucky and Kenova, West Virginia, west of Huntington, West Virginia, at the common boundary between West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The river is navigable and carries commercial shipping, primarily coal mined in the immediate region. The name of the river comes from the presence of extensive sand bars. The Native American names for the river included "Tatteroa", "Chatteroi", and "Chatterwha" which had similar meaning to the English name. It was known to the Lenape as "Sikeacepe", meaning "Salt River", from the presence of salt licks on the river ("see": Licking River). The name "Big