Localwaters

The Hatchie River in Tennessee is remarkable as the longest free-flowing tributary of the lower Mississippi, and contains the largest forested floodplain in Tennessee. Because it has remained undammed and unchannelized, the natural flood processes that drive the ecosystem are intact, sustaining the river and wetland habitats that support a rich ecological diversity.

Biological Diversity
The Hatchie River ecosystem is a complex interconnected ecological system encompassing bottomland hardwood forests, canebrakes, swamps, and sloughs, rivers and lakes. These habitats support more than 100 species of fish and 35 species of mussels. With 11 species of catfish, the Hatchie probably contains more species of catfish than any other river in North America. About 250 species of birds use the Hatchie’s forests at some point during the seasons. Swainson’s and cerulean warblers are some of the rarer birds found in its forests. Other wildlife found along the Hatchie include turtles, river otters, beavers, and deer. Credit for description above: The Nature Conservancy

The Hatchie River is a 238-mile-long (383 km)^[1] stream in northern Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee. It is of considerable geographic, cultural, and historic significance. In large measure this is because it is the only major stream ofWest Tennessee that has never been impounded, channelized, or otherwise modified by human activity to any major degree, although several of its tributaries have. Its environs are indicative of what much of West Tennessee must have resembled prior to the time of white settlement in early 19th century.

The Hatchie rises in northern Mississippi and crosses into Hardeman County, Tennessee, near the community ofPocahontas. After a short jog into adjoining McNairy County, Tennessee, the Hatchie flows north, in a serpentine fashion, then turns northwest toward Bolivar. While there is usually a discernible main channel, the Hatchie at this point is largely a zone of wetlands approximately one mile (1.6 km) wide. Supposedly Bolivar was the head of navigation for small, shallow-draught steamboats in the 19th century.

From Bolivar, the Hatchie continues generally northwest, crossing into Haywood County and the southwestern corner ofMadison County. it then enters Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge. The rest of the stream course generally trends west. There is a “bow” to the north in the final part of the stream course, which forms the line between Tipton County andLauderdale County. The Hatchie enters the Mississippi River just north of the Hatchie Towhead and just south of theLower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge. The Hatchie is designated as a “scenic river” under the Tennessee Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

The name “Hatchie River” is in a way a redundancy, as the word “hatchie” means “river” in many Native Americanlanguages of the southeast.

Variant names of the Hatchie River include Arteguet River and Big Hatchie River.

Credit for second description above, other than that of the Nature Conservancy: Wikipedia

Please consider showing your appreciation of The Hatchie River by picking up some litter during your next visit, many hands make light work.