A tributary of the Trinity River, Bethea Creek (pronounced Buh-thay) is named for John and Elizabeth Bethea, pioneer settlers of the area. John settled in present-day Walker County in the 1830s and was an early gristmill operator and postmaster in the nearby riverport settlement of Newport, now a ghost town. Soon after Riverside was established along a rail line in the early 1870s, the Betheas moved to the town and operated a gristmill. This stream, which bears their name, remains as a symbol of the contributions made by the area's earliest settlers.