Obion River

Last updated
Obion River
Obion River.jpg
The Obion River near Obion
Location
CountryUS
StateTennessee
Physical characteristics
Mouth  
 • location
 Mississippi River on the border of Dyer and Lauderdale counties.
 • coordinates
 35°54′27″N89°38′20″W / 35.90750°N 89.63889°W / 35.90750; -89.63889 Coordinates: 35°54′27″N89°38′20″W / 35.90750°N 89.63889°W / 35.90750; -89.63889
 • elevation
230 ft (70 m)

The Obion River system is the primary surface water drainage system of northwestern Tennessee, United States. [1]

Contents

Description

Local swimming hole on Obion River in West Tennessee, February 2012 Obion River swimming hole.jpg
Local swimming hole on Obion River in West Tennessee, February 2012
CSX railroad bridge crossing Middle Fork of Obion River northwest of Gleason, February 2012 Obion river train bridge.jpg
CSX railroad bridge crossing Middle Fork of Obion River northwest of Gleason, February 2012

The Obion has four major forks, the North Fork, Middle Fork, South Fork and Rutherford Fork (which is named after Henry Rutherford an early surveyor of the area). [2] The confluences of these forks are a few miles above the mouth of the Obion's discharge into the Mississippi River. For the greater parts of their lengths, the forks exist as separate streams.

In the mid-20th century, the Obion system was largely channelized for agricultural purposes, under the auspices of the Obion-Forked Deer Basin Authority, a Tennessee state agency that coordinated this work with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Some of the adverse effects of channelization included increasing erosion of land, loss of wildlife habitat, and increased flooding downstream. But with the restoration of wetlands along the river in the 21st century, this process has now been halted and – in a few places – somewhat reversed. [3]

The origin of the name "Obion" is obscure. Some say that it is derived from a Native American word [4] and others that it represents a corruption of the name of an Irish fur trapper, O'Bion or, perhaps, O'Brien.

Obion County, Tennessee, is named after the Obion River.

After the 1818 Chickasaw cession of West Tennessee (known in Kentucky as Jackson Purchase), explorer Davy Crockett moved to the South Fork Obion River in Weakley County (present-day Gibson County after restructuring of the county in 1837). There he built a log cabin along the River, where he and his family resided until his trip to Texas in 1835. [5] [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Weakley County, Tennessee County in Tennessee, United States

Weakley County is a county located in the northwest of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,021. Its county seat is Dresden, and its largest city is Martin, the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The county was established by the Tennessee General Assembly on October 21, 1823, and is named for U.S. Congressman Robert Weakley (1764–1845).

Obion County, Tennessee County in Tennessee, United States

Obion County is a county located in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,807. The county seat is Union City. The county was formed in 1823 and organized in 1824. It was named after the Obion River.

Gibson County, Tennessee County in Tennessee, United States

Gibson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,683. Its county seat is Trenton. The county was formed in 1823 and named for John H. Gibson, a soldier of the Natchez Expedition and the Creek War.

Dyer County, Tennessee County in Tennessee, United States

Dyer County is a county located in the westernmost part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,801. The county seat is Dyersburg.

Puryear, Tennessee City in Tennessee, United States

Puryear is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 671 at the 2010 census.

Forked Deer River

The Forked Deer River system is the main drainage of the central portion of West Tennessee. Locals pronounce the first word of the river's name in a French-style with two syllables, as in “Forkéd”.

Big Cypress Tree State Park is a state park in Weakley County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. The park is named after a large and old bald cypress tree that once stood on the park's grounds. The tree was approximately 1,350 years old when it was killed by lightning in 1976.

Robert Weakley American politician (1764–1845)

Robert Weakley was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives from 1809 to 1811.

U.S. Route 45E (US 45E) is a 61.23-mile-long (98.54 km) state highway in West Tennessee, connecting Jackson with South Fulton via Milan and Martin. For the majority of its length, it runs concurrently with unsigned State Route 43 (SR 43) for most of that highway’s length except for short segments at Martin and South Fulton, where it is cosigned with SR 216 and SR 215, respectively.

Tennessee State Route 43

State Route 43 is a south to north highway in Tennessee that is 56.79 miles (91.39 km) long. It begins in Madison County and ends in Obion County. State Route 43 is little-known by the general public by this designation as it is overlain by U.S. Route 45E for most of its length; the "43" designation is seen largely on mileposts. Two short sections of this route at Martin and South Fulton is fully signed. SR 43 from its southern terminus to Milan is designated as a Strategic Highway Network connector route servicing the Milan Arsenal.

The Union City Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of Obion County, Tennessee; anchored by the city of Union City, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the μSA had a population of 32,450.

The South Fork of the Forked Deer River is formed at the confluence of Huggins Creek and Tar Creek in the southern part of Chester County, Tennessee, United States. It flows in a generally northern direction and passes just to the east of Henderson. It then runs in a northwesterly direction and enters Madison County and passes near Pinson. Flowing still generally north it passes through Jackson. It continues across Madison County and enters Crockett County, It flows in a northwest direction through the following counties sometimes passing in and out of a county several times. Haywood County, Lauderdale County and Dyer County where it joins with the North Fork. The Forked Deer then empties into the Obion River which in turn flows into the Mississippi River.

State Route 89 is a north-south state highway in the farmland of West Tennessee. The route is 51.24 miles (82.46 km) long.

State Route 140 is a west-east state highway located entirely in Henry County in northwest Tennessee.

State Route 445 is a 12.6 mile long east-west state highway in West Tennessee. It connects the towns of Rutherford and Greenfield and provides access to Big Cypress Tree State Park.

State Route 190 is a 55.3 mile long north-south state highway that traverses the farmland of West Tennessee. It connects Trezevant and South Fulton via Pillowville, Gleason, Palmersville, and Latham.

State Route 216 is a 17.7 mile long east-west state highway in West Tennessee, connecting Rives with Martin.

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Obion River
  2. ↑ "Sketch of Henry Rutherford".
  3. ↑ "Installing Earth Embankments Improves Water Quality" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  4. ↑ "Tennessee Encyclopedia: Obion County" . Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  5. ↑ Ullrich, Dieter C. (2000-04-03). "Weakley County: A Virtual History". University of Tennessee Martin. Archived from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  6. ↑ Ullrich, Dieter C. (2000-04-03). "David Crockett, Weakley County: A Virtual History". University of Tennessee Martin. Archived from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2022-04-01.

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