MCLAUGHLIN CREEK. McLaughlin Creek rises just northwest of McDade in northeastern Bastrop County (at 30°17' N, 97°15' W) and flows first southwest, then west for 5½ miles to its mouth at Big Sandy Creek (at 30°16' N, 97°19' W). The majority of the creek's course runs within the Camp Swift Military Reservation, the undeveloped sections of which consist of stream terraces and uplands with loamy surface soils. The primary vegetation in the area consists of post oak woods. Some of the land that has not been developed for military purposes has been cultivated. The stream may have been named to honor William McLaughlin, who patented the land through which most of the stream's course runs.