Cumberland River
Cumberland River is formed on the Cumberland Plateau by the confluence of Poor and Clover forks in Harlan County, Kentucky. Looping through northern Tennessee, it joins the Ohio River after a course of 687 miles at Smithland, KY, 12 miles upstream from the mouth of the Tennessee River. From its headwaters to the Cumberland (or Great) Falls, in Whitley County, Kentucky, the river is a mountain stream that is of little volume during late summer but is subject to heavy floods during winter and spring. From Williamsburg, Kentucky, above the falls, to the Kentucky-Tennessee state line, the Cumberland crosses a highland bench in the Cumberland Plateau and flows in a gorge between cliffs 300-400 feet high. Then the river enters the central limestone basin of Tennessee and, turning north, crosses the plain of western Kentucky to the Ohio River. At one point it is less than 2 miles from the lower Tennessee River. The Cumberland’s drainage area is 18,080 square miles.
The Cumberland’s chief tributaries, all entering downstream from the falls, are the Laurel, Rockcastle, and South Fork in Kentucky; the Obey, Caney Fork, Stones, Harpeth, and Red in Tennessee; and the Little River in western Kentucky. Nashville, Tennessee is the largest city along the river. Other centers include Pineville, Barbourville, and Williamsburg in eastern Kentucky; Carthage, Clarksville, and Dover in Tennessee; and Eddyville in western Kentucky.
The development of a series of lakes on the Cumberland took place as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) system. Wolf Creek Dam (1952) for flood control and power, in Russell County, Kentucky, created Lake Cumberland, which extends to the base of Cumberland Falls and Cordell Hull Dam in Smith County, Tennessee upstream from Carthage. Large power dams are in operation on two tributaries: Dale Hollow Dam (1953) on the Obey River near Celina, Tennessee; and Center Hill Dam (1951) on Caney Fork, southeast of Carthage. Old Hickory Dam, upstream from Nashville, ponds the water to Carthage, the head of navigation on the river. Cheatham Dam is upstream from Clarksville. Barkley Dam (in operation since 1966) controls the lower river.
Caney Fork River
Caney Fork River is formed by the confluence of the Collins and Rocky rivers in central Tennessee. It flows for 144 miles in a northwesterly direction to the Cumberland River, near Carthage. On the river are two dams: Center Hill Dam (completed in 1951), impounding Center Hill Lake; and the Great Falls Dam (1925), creating Great Falls Reservoir, part of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Cordell Hull Lake
Cordell Hull Lake is located on the Cumberland River in Smith, Jackson, and Clay counties of Tennessee. It is operated and managed by the Nashville District of the US Army Corps of Engineers. The lake is named in honor of one of America’s outstanding statesmen, Cordell Hull, in recognition of his contributions to the people of the United States and the world. The dam is located at river mile 313.5, about 5 miles upstream from Carthage in Smith County. The project is one of the multipurpose projects in the Corps of Engineers’ coordinated plan for development of the water resources of the Cumberland River Basin.
The project was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 1946. Construction of the project, designed and supervised by the US Army Corps of Engineers, began in May 1963 and was completed for full beneficial use in November 1973. Cordell Hull Dam impounds a 72-mile reservoir with 381 miles of shoreline when the lake is at the power pool elevation of 504 feet above mean sea level. Its reservoir is a run-of-the-river type without a regulating storage other than for incidental flood control and for creating an impoundment for power generations and lockages. Cordell Hull Dam is one of the few dams in Tennessee that have navigation locks which allow water vessels to pass to and from the reservoir above the dam and river below the dam.
The project is operated for the primary purposes of navigation, hydropower generation, and recreation. It provides an adequate river channel depth and modern lock facilities for thru-river traffic from above Nashville, TN to the head of navigation near Celina, TN. The power plan produces clean, safe, and efficient hydroelectric power. The lake provides an abundance of recreational opportunities.
Each year Cordell Hull Lake provides recreational opportunities to millions of visitors. Because of the temperate climate and relatively long recreation season, visitors have many opportunities to fish, hunt, camp, picnic, boat, canoe, hike, ride horseback, and enjoy the outdoors in many other ways. The lake and/or river contain Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Catfish, White Bass, Striped Bass (Rockfish), Sauger, Trout, and Bream. Fishing and hunting licenses are required by the State of Tennessee and may be purchased at the County Clerk’s office, lake concessionaires, and many commercial establishments in Tennessee.
The Cordell Hull visitor centers are located at the Resource Managers Office and the Power plant at Cordell Hull Dam. The Resource Management Office visitor center includes exhibits about wildlife management and animals native to middle Tennessee. It is open year round on weekdays from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The Power plant visitor center offers visitors the opportunity to learn how hydroelectric power is produced. It is open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm – seven days a week – from Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) to Labor Day (the first Monday in September). For group tours or special programs, contact the Cordell Hull Resource Managers Office at 615-735-1034 or the Power plant Superintendent’s Office at 615-735-1023.
