Big Hill Pond State Park
Encyclopedia
Big Hill Pond State Park is a state park
in the southwestern part of McNairy County in southwestern Tennessee
.
The park has an area of approximately 5,000 acres (20 km²) and is forested with timberland and hardwood
bottomland. Cypress Creek and the Tuscumbia River
border the property. The park's central feature is 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) Big Hill Pond. The pond was formed by excavation in 1853 as a borrow pit that was a source for soil used to build a levee
across the Tuscumbia and Cypress Creek bottoms for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad
. In addition, the floodplain
s of the Tuscumbia River and Cypress Creek contain small oxbow lake
s and slough
s that provide desirable habitat for waterfowl, other wildlife, and fish. A large stand of cypress tree
s has grown up in and around Big Hill Pond, which is accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicle
s.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
in the southwestern part of McNairy County in southwestern Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
The park has an area of approximately 5,000 acres (20 km²) and is forested with timberland and hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
bottomland. Cypress Creek and the Tuscumbia River
Tuscumbia River
The Tuscumbia River is a tributary of the Hatchie River in northern Mississippi and western Tennessee in the United States. It rises in Prentiss County, Mississippi, near Booneville...
border the property. The park's central feature is 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) Big Hill Pond. The pond was formed by excavation in 1853 as a borrow pit that was a source for soil used to build a levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
across the Tuscumbia and Cypress Creek bottoms for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad
Memphis and Charleston Railroad
The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River. Chartered in 1846 the railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee to Stevenson, Alabama through the towns of Corinth, Mississippi and Huntsville,...
. In addition, the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s of the Tuscumbia River and Cypress Creek contain small oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
s and slough
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s that provide desirable habitat for waterfowl, other wildlife, and fish. A large stand of cypress tree
Taxodium
Taxodium is a genus of one to three species of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae...
s has grown up in and around Big Hill Pond, which is accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicle
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
s.