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The Sunflower River (also known as the Big Sunflower River) is one of the main tributaries of the
The Sunflower River (also known as the Big Sunflower River) is one of the main tributaries of the Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...
in the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of 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 ...
. It is navigable by barge for 50 miles. It rises in De Soto County, Mississippi
DeSoto County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 161,252, making it the third-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seat is Hernando.
DeSoto Cou ...
near the Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
border and flows south for 100 miles to the Yazoo River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. At Clarksdale, the county seat of Coahoma County
Coahoma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,151. Its county seat is Clarksdale.
The Clarksdale, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Coahoma County. It is lo ...
, the annual Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival is held.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers
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maintains a navigation channel, thirty miles in length. Built in 1976, the channel is used by barges and pleasure craft.
According to the USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
, variant names include Hushpuckaman Creek. The Hushpuckena River Hushpuckena River is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is a tributary of the Sunflower River, splitting off just north of Mississippi Highway 32's bridge over the Sunflower near the Mississippi State Penitentiary, flowing through the ...
drains the northwestern part of the Sunflower River Basin, Quiver River
Quiver River is a river in Mississippi, United States.
The source of Quiver River is the Upper Quiver River and Lower Quiver River, located northwest of Sumner, Mississippi.
Quiver River flows south, passing through Tallahatchie County, Leflor ...
drains the northeastern portion, and Bogue Phalia Bogue Phalia is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is a tributary to the Big Sunflower River.
''Bogue Phalia'' is a name derived from the Choctaw language
The Choctaw language (Choctaw: ), spoken by the Choctaw, an Indigenous people ...
drains the west central portion of the watershed, all of which lies in the alluvium soil of the Yazoo Delta.
At Sunflower, Mississippi
Sunflower is a town in Sunflower County, Mississippi. The population was 1,159 at the 2010 census.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 964 people, 424 households, and 278 families residing in the town.
2000 ...
, the river flow measures approximately 1,099 cubic feet per second.
Water quality
Like the Yazoo, this river is silt laden. The river collects mud from runoff in the bayous and small streams that feed it. The river has a distinct "Clear-Mud Line" where it meets the Yazoo, showing that the Big Sunflower is muddier than the Yazoo at their confluence.Archaeology
Early investigators of Native American culture identified many mound sites along the river. With what is now known of the cultures in the Southeast, scholars believe these earthwork mounds to have been built by cultures that existed before the emergence of the Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples. Clarence B. Moore conducted notable studies of the earthworks on the river near Holly Bluff, about a half a mile from the entrance to Lake George.Brown, Calvin S. (1926). ''Archeology of Mississippi.'' 1992 ed. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 73.Wildlife refuges
Land use along the river and in the watershed is predominantly agricultural, with many large-scale, industrial-style farms. From the antebellum period into the 20th century, cotton was the major commodity crop. Three forested areas have been designated as national wildlife refuges, theHolt Collier National Wildlife Refuge
The Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge is one of seven refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex and is a National Wildlife Refuge located on Bogue Phalia near Darlove, Mississippi. The Refuge was named after Holt C ...
, the Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge
Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge is located southwest of Cleveland, Mississippi, and east of the settlement of Dahomy. It was established in 1990 when the Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased and leased the land back to the United States Fish an ...
, and the Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is one of seven refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Mississippi. Established in 1978, Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge encompasses . Included in those acres is one of ...
; all are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
.
See also
*List of Mississippi rivers
The list of rivers in Mississippi includes any rivers that flow through part of the State of Mississippi. The major rivers in Mississippi are the Mississippi River, Pearl River, Pascagoula River and the Tombigbee River, along with their main trib ...
References
Rivers of Mississippi Landforms of DeSoto County, Mississippi Landforms of Sunflower County, Mississippi Landforms of Coahoma County, Mississippi Landforms of Bolivar County, Mississippi Landforms of Yazoo County, Mississippi {{Mississippi-river-stub