Tennessee River
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What is the Tennessee River?
The Tennessee River is a major waterway in the southeastern United States and a central component of one of the worldâs largest irrigation and hydropower systems. It is formed by the joining of the Holston and French Broad rivers just east of Knoxville, Tennessee.
The river flows 886 miles (1,426 km) in a U-shape through Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky, and its drainage basin covers about 40,910 square miles (105,960 square km). The Tennessee River joins the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky. Since 1933, a system of dams, locks, and reservoirs has been developed on the Tennessee River for navigation, power, and flood control.
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Where does the Tennessee River flow?
The Tennessee River originates east of Knoxville, Tennessee, from the merging of the Holston and French Broad rivers. It flows south-southwest towards Chattanooga, Tennessee, before turning west through the Cumberland Plateau into northeastern Alabama. The river then traverses northern Alabama and curves north along the Alabama-Mississippi border. Continuing northward through Tennessee and Kentucky, it ultimately joins the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky, tracing a U-shaped path of 886 miles (1,426 km).
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Why is the Tennessee River important in the United States?
The Tennessee River is a major waterway in the southeastern United States and a central component of one of the worldâs greatest irrigation and hydropower systems. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was established in 1933 to manage the river for flood control, navigation, and power generation.
The river's system of dams and locks improved navigation and spurred industrial development by providing cheap electricity, transforming a chronically depressed regional economy. The dams also created the "Great Lakes of the South," which became boating, fishing, and recreational areas. The Tennessee River is a vital component of the stateâs transportation complex with a high level of barge traffic. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, a canal that connects to the Tombigbee River, created a direct route from the state to the Gulf of Mexico.
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What states does the Tennessee River pass through?
The Tennessee River flows through four states. It begins when the Holston and French Broad rivers meet just east of Knoxville, Tennessee. The river flows south-southwest to Chattanooga, Tennessee, then turns west into northeastern Alabama, continuing across northern Alabama. It bends north on the boundary between Alabama and Mississippi, then continues north through Tennessee and Kentucky, joining the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky.
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How has the Tennessee River been used for transportation and industry?
The Tennessee River serves as a major waterway in the southeastern United States. Development of the river system began in 1933 with the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which constructed dams for navigation, power, and flood control. The TVA has built navigation locks into each of its nine main dams, deepened and otherwise improved the channel, and encouraged the development of port facilities along the river.
The Tennessee River has a high level of barge traffic and was connected to the Tombigbee River in 1985 by the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, creating a direct route to the Gulf of Mexico. The cheap electricity provided by the new dams spurred the industrial development of what had been a chronically depressed regional economy.
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How does the Tennessee River affect the environment and people living nearby?
The Tennessee River significantly influences the environment and people in the surrounding areas. Since the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933, the river has been extensively managed for flood control, navigation, and power generation.
The TVA's dam construction led to the creation of slack-water lakes, known as the "Great Lakes of the South," which are now prime recreational areas. These dams provide hydroelectric power, spurring industrial development by providing cheap electricity and improving living standards. The river supports barge traffic, facilitated by the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which connects the state to the Gulf of Mexico.
However, the TVA's activities, particularly the production of electric power, have faced resistance from private power companies.
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Tennessee River, central component of one of the worldâs greatest irrigation and hydropower systems and a major waterway of the southeastern United States. It is formed by the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers, just east of Knoxville, Tennessee, and flows south-southwest to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Turning west through the Cumberland Plateau into northeastern Alabama, it continues across northern Alabama and bends north on the boundary between Alabama and Mississippi. Continuing north through Tennessee and then Kentucky, it joins the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky, after a U-shaped course of 886 miles (1,426 km). Its drainage basin covers about 40,910 square miles (105,960 square km).
The name of the river may have come from a Cherokee Indian village located on the Little Tennessee River and spelled variously Tanase, Tennassee, Tanasi, or Tinasse. The Tennessee was explored during the period of rivalry between the French and the English for the territory west of the Appalachians, and a few small forts and posts were established on its banks. Earlier, explorers and fur traders had entered the lower course of the river from the Ohio River. Although the Tennessee served as a route for settlers moving southwestward, its role as a westward passage was negligible compared with that of the Ohio.
Originally, the Tennessee could be navigated only by flatboats. Its upper course was shallow and filled with short rapids. Its middle course, through the Cumberlands, contained whirlpools and was interrupted by Muscle Shoals (rapids, now submerged by reservoirs) in Alabama. Only its lower course was easily navigable, but the advent of the railroads in the Tennessee River valley after the 1840s kept river traffic from assuming the significance it had on other western and more easily navigated rivers.
The riverâs north-flowing lower course was strategically important during the American Civil War, for its valley offered an invasion route into the western Confederacy. Part of the course downstream is paralleled by the Cumberland River. The Confederate forts Henry (on the Tennessee) and Donelson (on the Cumberland) were only 12 miles (19 km) apart. General Ulysses S. Grantâs Federal army, accompanied by gunboats, struck southward in the Tennessee River valley in February 1862. The Confederate forces fell back to Corinth, Mississippi, and the Federal troops moved almost to Tennessee stateâs southern boundary, where the Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburgh Landing) was fought (April 6â7, 1862).
The development of the river system as an important inland waterway began in 1933 with the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The Tennessee now has a series of locks and reservoirs impounded by multipurpose dams for navigation, power, and flood control. The mainstream dams include the Kentucky (1944); Pickwick Landing (1938) in Tennessee; Wilson (1925), Wheeler (1936), and Guntersville (1939) in Alabama; and Hales Bar (1913), Chickamauga (1940), Watts Bar (1942), and Fort Loudoun (1943) in Tennessee. Its chief tributaries, besides the Holston and French Broad, are the Little Tennessee, Hiwassee, Paint Rock, Duck, and Ocoee (Toccoa) rivers, all entering from a southerly direction; and the Clinch, Flint, Sequatchie, and Elk rivers from a northerly direction. The main riparian cities are Chattanooga and Knoxville in Tennessee and Florence in Alabama.