Big Sandy River Cannel Coal Mining and Oil Manufacturing Co. - 1858 dated Mining and Oil Stock Certificate - Ohio and Virginia

Stock. "Cannel" - A bituminous coal that burns brightly. The Big Sandy River, known as Sandy Creek as early as 1756, serves as a tributary to the Ohio River, extending approximately 29 miles (47 km) through western West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky in the United States. This river delineates the boundary between the two states for its entire length and is part of the Mississippi River watershed via the Ohio River.

The river originates from the confluence of the Tug Fork and Levisa Fork, situated between Louisa, Kentucky, and Fort Gay, West Virginia. It generally flows northward in a winding path, traversing between Lawrence and Boyd counties in Kentucky and Wayne County in West Virginia. The Big Sandy River empties into the Ohio River between Catlettsburg, Kentucky, and Kenova, West Virginia, approximately 8 miles (13 km) west of Huntington, West Virginia, at the intersection of the borders of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.

The river is navigable and facilitates commercial shipping, predominantly transporting coal extracted from the surrounding area. The designation of the river, initially referred to as Sandy Creek by 1756, is attributed to the numerous sandbars present along its course. Native American names for the river included Tatteroa, Chatteroi, and Chatterwha. The term "Big Sandy" was already in use by February 1789. George Washington conducted land surveys at the river's mouth between 1768 and 1772.