Tallahatchie River
Encyclopedia
The Tallahatchie River flows 85 miles (136.8 km) from Tippah County, Mississippi
to Leflore County, Mississippi
, where it joins the Yalobusha River
to form the Yazoo River
.
name meaning "rock of waters".
Though best known from the song "Ode to Billie Joe
" and the film
(spelled differently) Ode to Billy Joe
, which has the refrain
, Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge, the river has historical significance due to the murder of Emmett Till
, an African American
youth
who was beaten, shot, and sunk in the river by a cotton gin
fan tied around his neck by barbed wire
. This event is mentioned in another song, "Freedom Highway," by The Staple Singers
, in the lines, "Found dead people in the forests, Tallahatchie River and lakes", "Whole world is wondering, what's wrong with the United States?"
A third song that mentions the Tallahatchie river is "Tallahatchie River Blues," recorded by Mattie Delaney
in 1930. This blues
song records the devastation caused in the local African American community by a flood on the normally shallow river. The river is 50 feet deep with very sharp rocks that would impale you upon impact.
As part of the Flood Control Act of 1936
, an earth-filled flood control dam was constructed on the Tallahatchie near the town of Sardis, Mississippi
, creating Sardis Lake.
The bridge, which was most famously the focus of Bobbie Gentry
's 1967 hit song "Ode to Billie Joe
", collapsed in June 1972. It crossed the Tallahatchie River at Money
, about ten miles north of Greenwood, Mississippi
, and has since been replaced. The November 10, 1967 issue of Life Magazine contained a photo of Gentry crossing the original bridge.
Tippah County, Mississippi
-Demographics:At the 2000 census, there are 20,826 people, 8,108 households and 5,910 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 per square mile . There were 8,868 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
to Leflore County, Mississippi
Leflore County, Mississippi
-National protected area:*Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 37,947 people, 12,956 households, and 8,887 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile...
, where it joins the Yalobusha River
Yalobusha River
The Yalobusha River is a river, long, in north-central Mississippi in the United States. It is a principal tributary of the Yazoo River, via which it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River....
to form the Yazoo River
Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi.The Yazoo River was named by French explorer La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth. The exact meaning of the term is unclear...
.
History
Tallahatchie is a ChoctawChoctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
name meaning "rock of waters".
Though best known from the song "Ode to Billie Joe
Ode to Billie Joe
"Ode to Billie Joe" is a 1967 song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry , a singer-songwriter from Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The single, released in late July, was a number-one hit in the United States, and became a big international seller. The song is ranked #412 on Rolling Stones list of...
" and the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
(spelled differently) Ode to Billy Joe
Ode to Billy Joe (film)
Ode to Billy Joe is a 1976 film with a screenplay by Herman Raucher, inspired by the 1967 hit song by Bobbie Gentry, titled "Ode to Billie Joe" ....
, which has the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge, the river has historical significance due to the murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till
Emmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Till was from Chicago, Illinois visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta region when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the married...
, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
youth
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
who was beaten, shot, and sunk in the river by a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
fan tied around his neck by barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
. This event is mentioned in another song, "Freedom Highway," by The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
, in the lines, "Found dead people in the forests, Tallahatchie River and lakes", "Whole world is wondering, what's wrong with the United States?"
A third song that mentions the Tallahatchie river is "Tallahatchie River Blues," recorded by Mattie Delaney
Mattie Delaney
Mattie Delaney was an American delta blues singer and guitarist. She was active in the 1930s with only two known recordings: "Down the Big Road Blues," and "Tallahatchie River Blues."-Career:...
in 1930. This blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
song records the devastation caused in the local African American community by a flood on the normally shallow river. The river is 50 feet deep with very sharp rocks that would impale you upon impact.
As part of the Flood Control Act of 1936
Flood Control Act of 1936
The Flood Control Act of 1936, , was an Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on 22 June 1936. It authorized civil engineering projects such as dams, levees, dikes, and other flood control measures through the United States Army Corps of...
, an earth-filled flood control dam was constructed on the Tallahatchie near the town of Sardis, Mississippi
Sardis, Mississippi
Sardis is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,038.-Geography:Sardis is located at ....
, creating Sardis Lake.
The bridge, which was most famously the focus of Bobbie Gentry
Bobbie Gentry
Roberta Lee Streeter , professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is a former American singer-songwriter notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material...
's 1967 hit song "Ode to Billie Joe
Ode to Billie Joe
"Ode to Billie Joe" is a 1967 song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry , a singer-songwriter from Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The single, released in late July, was a number-one hit in the United States, and became a big international seller. The song is ranked #412 on Rolling Stones list of...
", collapsed in June 1972. It crossed the Tallahatchie River at Money
Money, Mississippi
Money is an unincorporated Mississippi Delta community in Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, near Greenwood. It has a population of less than 100, down from 400 circa 1950 when a cotton mill operated in the community. It is on a railroad line and lies on the Tallahatchie River...
, about ten miles north of Greenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta approximately 96 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, and 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The population was 15,205 at the 2010 census. It is the...
, and has since been replaced. The November 10, 1967 issue of Life Magazine contained a photo of Gentry crossing the original bridge.