Obion River
Encyclopedia
The Obion River system is the primary surface water
drainage system of northwestern Tennessee
.
The Obion has four major forks, the North Fork, Middle Fork, South Fork and Rutherford Fork (the last being named for the town of Rutherford
). The confluences of these forks are only a few miles above the mouth of the Obion's discharge into the Mississippi River
. For the majority 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 which coordinated this work with the United States Army
Corps of Engineers
. Some of the results of channelization included increasing erosion, loss of wildlife habitat, and increased flooding downstream. Now this process has been halted, and, in a few places, even somewhat reversed, with the restoration of wetlands.
The origin of the name "Obion" is obscure, with some contending that it derives from a Native American
word and others that it represents a corruption of the name of an Irish
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
) Davy Crockett
moved to the South Fork Obion River, until his later move to Texas
.
Surface water
Surface water is water collecting on the ground or in a stream, river, lake, wetland, or ocean; it is related to water collecting as groundwater or atmospheric water....
drainage system of northwestern 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...
.
The Obion has four major forks, the North Fork, Middle Fork, South Fork and Rutherford Fork (the last being named for the town of Rutherford
Rutherford, Tennessee
Rutherford is a town in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. At the 2000 census, its population was at 1,272.-Geography:Rutherford is located at ....
). The confluences of these forks are only a few miles above the mouth of the Obion's discharge into 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...
. For the majority of their lengths, the forks exist as separate streams
STREAMS
In computer networking, STREAMS is the native framework in Unix System V for implementing character devices.STREAMS was designed as a modular architecture for implementing full-duplex I/O between kernel or user space processes and device drivers. Its most frequent uses have been in developing...
.
In the mid-20th century, the Obion system was largely channelized for agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
purposes, under the auspices of the Obion-Forked Deer Basin Authority, a Tennessee state agency which coordinated this work with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
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...
. Some of the results of channelization included increasing erosion, loss of wildlife habitat, and increased flooding downstream. Now this process has been halted, and, in a few places, even somewhat reversed, with the restoration of wetlands.
The origin of the name "Obion" is obscure, with some contending that it derives from a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
word and others that it represents a corruption of the name of an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
trapper, O'Bion or, perhaps, O'Brien.
Obion County, Tennessee, is named after the Obion River.
After the 1818 Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
cession of West Tennessee
West Tennessee
West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the State of Tennessee. Of the three, it is the one that is most sharply defined geographically. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River on the west and the Tennessee River on the east...
(known in Kentucky as Jackson Purchase
Jackson Purchase
The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until 1818, when...
) Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
moved to the South Fork Obion River, until his later move to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.