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| Obion River | |
|---|---|
 The Obion River nearObion | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | US |
| State | Tennessee |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | |
• location | Mississippi River on the border ofDyer andLauderdale counties. |
• coordinates | 35°54′27″N89°38′20″W / 35.90750°N 89.63889°W /35.90750; -89.63889 |
• elevation | 230 ft (70 m) |
TheObion River system is the primarysurface water drainage system of northwesternTennessee, United States.[1]
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 theMississippi River. For the greater parts of their lengths, the forks exist as separatestreams.
In the mid-20th century, the Obion system was largelychannelized foragricultural purposes, under the auspices of theObion-Forked Deer Basin Authority, a Tennessee state agency that coordinated this work with theUnited 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 ofwetlands 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 aNative American word[4] and others that it represents a corruption of the name of anIrish fur trapper, O'Bion or, perhaps, O'Brien.
Obion County, Tennessee, is named after the Obion River.
After the 1818Chickasaw cession ofWest Tennessee (known in Kentucky asJackson Purchase), explorerDavy Crockett moved to the South Fork Obion River inWeakley 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 toTexas in 1835.[5]
On February 16th, 2025 a levee along the Obion River failed, resulting in widespread flooding in multiple counties in West Tennessee. The entire town of Rives was completely flooding resulting in water rescues.wpsd[6]
Media related toObion River at Wikimedia Commons
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