The Yazoo River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in the
U.S. states of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
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 ...
. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yaz ...
, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
. It has continued to be devoted to large-scale agriculture.
History
The Yazoo River was named by French explorer
La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the
Yazoo tribe
The Yazoo were a tribe of the Native American Tunica people historically located along the lower course of the Yazoo River in an area now known as the Mississippi Delta. They were closely related to other Tunica-language-speaking peoples, espe ...
living near the river's mouth at its confluence with the Mississippi. The exact meaning of the term is unclear. One long held belief is that it means "river of death".
The river is 188 miles (303 km) long and is formed by the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of the
Tallahatchie and the
Yalobusha rivers, where present-day
Greenwood developed. The river parallels the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
in the latter's
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
for some distance before joining it north of
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856.
Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vi ...
. Natural
levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually earthen and that often runs parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastli ...
s which flank the Mississippi prevent the Yazoo from joining it before Vicksburg. A "
yazoo stream
A Yazoo stream (also called a Yazoo tributary) is a geologic and hydrologic term for any tributary stream that runs parallel to, and within the floodplain of a larger river for considerable distance, before eventually joining it. This is especial ...
" is a
hydrologic term that was coined to describe any river or major stream with similar characteristics. Potamologists believe the Yazoo River had its origins as the lower Ohio River.
The French (and later European Americans) historically called the surrounding area of Mississippi and Alabama the
Yazoo lands, after the river. This became the basis for naming the
Yazoo Land Scandal of the late 18th and early 19th century.
The river was of major importance during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
. The Confederates used the first electrically detonated underwater
mine in the river in 1862 near Vicksburg to sink the Union
ironclad USS ''Cairo''. The last section of the ''Cairo'' was raised on December 12, 1964. It has been restored and is now on permanent display to the public at the
Vicksburg National Military Park. There are 29 sunken ships from the Civil War beneath the waters of the river. The steamer ''Dew Drop'' was reportedly sunk near Roebuck Lake as an obstruction to the United States Navy, but
Union sources claim the vessel was captured and burned.
Variant names of the Yazoo River include Zasu River, Yazous River, Yahshoo River, ''Rivière des Yasoux'', and ''Fiume del Yasous''.
In 1876, the Mississippi River changed its course, shifting west several miles and leaving
Vicksburg without a river front. In 1902, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
, battles =
, battles_label = Wars
, website =
, commander1 = ...
diverted the Yazoo River into the old river bed, forming the Yazoo Diversion Canal. The modern-day port of Vicksburg is still located on this canal. Commercial navigation of the Yazoo River has declined considerably since the 1990s and is mainly concentrated on the section from Vicksburg to
Yazoo City
Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's ...
.
At
Long Lake, MS
Long may refer to:
Measurement
* Long, characteristic of something of great duration
* Long, characteristic of something of great length
* Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate
* Longa (music), note value in early music men ...
, the river measures 18,486 cubic feet per second.
Gallery
File:Mississippi Yazoo Delta.jpg, Outline of the Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yaz ...
region, through which the Yazoo River runs
File:Vicksburg December 2018 07 (Yazoo River).jpg, Yazoo River in Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856.
Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vi ...
File:Yazoo River control structure.jpg, One of many control structures constructed to control flooding and the flow of water in the Yazoo River basin
See also
*
List of rivers of Mississippi
*
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yaz ...
*
Flood Control Act of 1937
*
Yazoo stream
A Yazoo stream (also called a Yazoo tributary) is a geologic and hydrologic term for any tributary stream that runs parallel to, and within the floodplain of a larger river for considerable distance, before eventually joining it. This is especial ...
*
*
Yazoo land scandal
References
External links
;Geology
Yazoo Basin - Engineering Geology Mapping ProgramPDF files of publications about and maps of the geology of the Yazoo River region.
;Ecoregions
{{authority control
Rivers of Mississippi
Tributaries of the Mississippi River
Bodies of water of Humphreys County, Mississippi
Bodies of water of Yazoo County, Mississippi
Bodies of water of Leflore County, Mississippi
Bodies of water of Warren County, Mississippi
Mississippi Valley Division