Dye Branch is a small creek that runs from Duke University's East Campus, through the Trinity Heights, Walltown, and Old West Durham neighborhoods of Durham, North Carolina. From its headwaters near the Food Lion grocery store on Hillsborough Road, Dye Branch (also known as South Ellerbe Creek) flows for three miles (5 km) through some of Durham's oldest and most densely developed neighborhoods: Old West Durham, Walltown, Northgate Park, and Trinity Park. South Ellerbe joins Ellerbe Creek in a small forest—just northwest of the I-85/Roxboro Road interchange. Along some wooded stretches, the creek quietly flows over rocks and is as scenic as any in western North Carolina. In other areas, South Ellerbe is a troubled creek. Its history is marred by rampant pollution and devastating abuse. Though community organizations have arisen to advocate on behalf of the small drainage in recent years, future developments pose significant challenges. Natural history The pre-colonial Dye Branch likely meandered widely throughout the gently rolling woodlands of present-day Durham, NC on its way to Ellerbe Creek. The tiny brook possibly served as a natural center for thirsty flora and fauna. In any case, at the time of European discovery, the native Eno and Occoneechi tribes had already settled the region, and altered the landscape somewhat. Patches of land around the creek were cleared for agriculture and some of the forest burned to increase game. These alterations likely had some impact on Dye Branch, though such limited and disparate deforestation likely had little effect on the health of the Branch as a whole. European colonization altered the landscape surrounding Dye Branch significantly. By the 18th century, small family farms replaced the forests in North Carolina, as harvested timber became a precious commodity—while streams like Ellerbe Creek were dammed to run newly built mills. Tobacco’s emergence as a major cash crop transformed small subsistence farming operations into a disparate association of for-profit tract owners. However, the poor soil quality of the Dye Branch region insulated the creek from large land-owners. Dye Branch did not suffer extensive alteration directly by these large farming operations, but its location at the crossroads of these major operations invited the early urbanization that led to Durham’s formation. By 1880, local businessmen reaped huge profits through the packaging and production of finished tobacco. The Duke family, capitalizing on the “relatively cheap” labor in the south, invested in the development of a massive textile