Obey River
Encyclopedia
The Obey River is a 47.8 miles (76.9 km) tributary of the Cumberland River
in the U.S. state
of Tennessee
. It joins the Cumberland River near the town of Celina
, which is generally considered to be the Cumberland's head of navigation
. Via the Cumberland and Ohio
rivers, the Obey River is part of the Mississippi River
watershed.
Near its mouth, the Obey is impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Dale Hollow Reservoir
, site of a fish hatchery run by the federal government. This dam impounds the Obey for essentially its entire length, causing slack water well up both major tributaries, the East and West Forks. This lake is relatively deep due to the height of the dam and the depth of the gorges through which the Obey and its tributaries flowed; the impoundment also enters Kentucky
in its Wolf River
and Sulphur Creek embayments.
Below the dam the stream makes two sharp bends before entering the Cumberland. The only major bridge
on the Obey, on State Route 53, is located just below the second of these, Peterman Bend.
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It joins the Cumberland River near the town of Celina
Celina, Tennessee
Celina is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,379 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Celina is located at ....
, which is generally considered to be the Cumberland's head of navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
. Via the Cumberland and Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
rivers, the Obey River is part of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
watershed.
Near its mouth, the Obey is impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
Dale Hollow Reservoir
Dale Hollow Reservoir
The Dale Hollow Reservoir is a reservoir situated on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The lake is formed by the damming of the Obey River, 7.3 miles above its juncture with the Cumberland River at river mile 380. Portions of the lake also cover the Wolf River...
, site of a fish hatchery run by the federal government. This dam impounds the Obey for essentially its entire length, causing slack water well up both major tributaries, the East and West Forks. This lake is relatively deep due to the height of the dam and the depth of the gorges through which the Obey and its tributaries flowed; the impoundment also enters Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in its Wolf River
Wolf River (Middle Tennessee)
The Wolf River is a river in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Kentucky that rises at the base of the Cumberland Plateau in Fentress County, Tennessee and flows westward for several miles before emptying into the Obey River at the Dale Hollow Reservoir. The river is part of the Cumberland River...
and Sulphur Creek embayments.
Below the dam the stream makes two sharp bends before entering the Cumberland. The only major bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
on the Obey, on State Route 53, is located just below the second of these, Peterman Bend.
External links
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dale Hollow Dam
- Obey River Tennessee tourism website