The Collins River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed June 8, 2011 stream in the east-central portion of
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the s ...
in the United States. It is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Caney Fork
The Caney Fork River is a river that flows through central Tennessee in the United States, draining a substantial portion of the southwestern Cumberland Plateau and southeastern Highland Rim regions. It is a major tributary of the Cumberland River ...
, and is part of the
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
and
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
watersheds. The river drains the scenic Savage Gulf area, located just below the river's source, and empties into Great Falls Lake at
Rock Island State Park.
The Collins River passes through
Grundy and
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...
counties.
McMinnville,
Altamont,
Gruetli-Laager and
Beersheba Springs
Beersheba Springs is a town in Grundy County, Tennessee, Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 477 at the 2010 census. A resort town in the 19th century, Beersheba Springs was the summer home of author Mary Noailles Murfree. ...
are among the communities located within its watershed. The Savage Gulf section of the Collins River has been designated a "scenic river" by the State of Tennessee.
[Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation]
Scenic Rivers Program
. Retrieved: 6 July 2013.
Course
The Collins River rises near the town of
Palmer
Palmer may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land
* Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Palmer (surname), including a list of people and ...
atop the
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...
, where the Middle Prong Collins River (which descends from a nearby ridge) joins Mill Creek (which flows northward from Palmer). Flowing northwestwardly, the Collins passes under
State Route 399 (Barkertown Road) before entering Savage Gulf, a scenic gorge where the river gradually descends 800 feet to the
Highland Rim
The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions.
Geologically, the Central Basin is a dome. The Highland Rim is a cuesta surround ...
. The town of Beersheba Springs straddles the edge of the Plateau overlooking the river valley.
State Route 56 crosses the Collins twice as it follows the river's valley out of the gorge.
[U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000 topographical maps: Collins, TN, Altamont, TN, Irving College, TN, Cardwell Mountain, TN, Campaign, TN, and Doyle, TN.]
Crossing into Warren County, the river veers northward along a meandering route, passing under
State Route 8 (Harrison Ferry Road) and
State Route 127 (Shellsford Road). Just east of McMinnville, the river absorbs its key tributary,
Barren Fork, and passes under
U.S. Route 70S. After winding its way northward for several miles, the river eventually turns eastward, passing under
State Route 288 (Hennessee Bridge Road) as it enters the slack waters of Great Falls Lake.
At Rock Island State Park, the river enters an
oxbow bend, nearly joining the Caney Fork before abruptly turning southward, then eastward, then northward again before finally emptying into the Caney Fork just upstream from Great Falls Dam. The oxbow creates a peninsula that contains much of the state park.
Two bridges — an older truss bridge no longer in use, and a newer bridge that carries
State Route 287 — cross the mouth of the Collins River.
Watershed
The Collins River watershed covers , and drains parts of
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...
,
Grundy,
Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...
,
Sequatchie,
Coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
, and
Cannon
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
counties.
[Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water Pollution Control]
Description of the Collins River Watershed
, Collins River Watershed Water Quality Management Plan, 12 December 2003. Retrieved: 5 July 2013. The watershed contains of streams and 69 lake acres.
Over half the watershed is forested, and just over a third is used for either pastures or row crops.
The upper parts of the river along the Cumberland Plateau flow along
Pennsylvanian-era siltstone, shale and sandstone. Along the river's Highland Rim portion,
Mississippian-era limestone is more common.
Karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
features such as sinkholes and caves are not uncommon in this area. One of the state's largest caves,
Cumberland Caverns
Cumberland Caverns is a national natural landmark and show cave located in McMinnville, Tennessee. It is the second longest cave in Tennessee and makes the list of longest caves in the United States and in the world.
History
The main entrance was ...
, is located within the Collins watershed.
The
Barren Fork empties into the Collins east of McMinnville. Other tributaries include Big Creek and Savage Creek, which join the river at Savage Gulf, Hills Creek and Scott Creek, which empty into the Collins just north of the Warren-Grundy line, and Charles Creek, which empties into the river downstream from McMinnville.
History
![Collins-river-bridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Collins-river-bridge.jpg)
During the late 18th century, the Old Kentucky Road, which roughly followed an old Indian path, crossed the Collins River at Shells Ford, near modern McMinnville. A string of other commonly used fords were located just above the mouth of the river, including Flat Shoals Ford, near modern
Campaign
Campaign or The Campaign may refer to:
Types of campaigns
* Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed
*Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme
* Bl ...
. Reed's Ferry, later known as Black's Ferry, operated near the modern U.S. Highway 70S crossing throughout much of the 19th century.
In the late 19th century, businessman Asa Faulkner constructed a wooden bridge across the mouth of the river as part of his Falls City development. Around 1900, Warren County built four bridges over the river: the Hennessee Bridge (approximately 8 miles above the river's mouth), the Lusk Bridge (near McMinnville), and Martin's Ferry Bridge and Harrison's Ferry Bridge, both located on the upper part of the river. A flood in late March 1902 destroyed Faulkner's bridge and two of the county's bridges– the Hennessee and the Lusk– along with bridges over Barren Fork and Charles Creek.
[Crouch, ''Caney Fork of the Cumberland'', pp. 28-33.]
The
Tennessee Electric Power Company
The Chattanooga and Tennessee Electric Power Company was formed in 1905 by Josephus C. Guild, Charles E. James and Anthony N. Brady to produce hydroelectric power and improving the navigation of the Tennessee River.
Josephus Guild, a young engin ...
built the truss bridge which still spans the mouth of the river as part of its
Great Falls Dam project in 1916, and rebuilt and raised the bridge in the mid-1920s.
The current vehicle bridge, which runs adjacent to the truss bridge, was built by the Tennessee Department of Transportation in the 1980s.
Recreation
Most of the Collins River was designated a "scenic river" as part of the state's Scenic Rivers Program. The lower of the river were removed from this designation in 1983, however, and the scenic designation now applies only to the upper parts of the river at Savage Gulf.
A scientific state natural area now protects the Savage Gulf area. This area is also part of
South Cumberland State Park
South Cumberland State Park is a state park in the middle and southeast portions of Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau.
The park is one of Tennessee's newer state parks, established in 1978. It is a collection of nine discrete tracts scattered ...
. The Collins Gulf Trail at Savage Gulf follows a portion of the river as it descends from the Cumberland Plateau.
The lower portion of the Collins River is part of Great Falls Lake, the reservoir created by Great Falls Dam near the river's confluence with the Caney Fork. The oxbow peninsula between the Collins and Caney Fork is part of
Rock Island State Park. Part of the Collins River Trail, maintained by the park, passes along the wooded embankment above the shore of the river along this peninsula.
The Collins River is one of the few rivers in Tennessee with a good population of muskie (
muskellunge
The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae.
Origin of name
The name "muskellun ...
). Muskie were stocked in various watersheds throughout Tennessee, including the Collins River from 1982 through 2006.
See also
*
Rocky River (Tennessee)
*
List of rivers of Tennessee
This is a list of rivers of the U.S. state of Tennessee:
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name. All rivers in Tennessee ultimately flow to the Gulf of Mex ...
References
External links
{{authority control
Rivers of Tennessee
Rivers of Grundy County, Tennessee
Rivers of Warren County, Tennessee
Rivers of White County, Tennessee
Tributaries of the Cumberland River