Collins River
Encyclopedia
The Collins River is a 67 miles (107.8 km) tributary of the Caney Fork of the Cumberland River
in the U.S. state
of Tennessee
. Via the Cumberland and Ohio
rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River
watershed.
It rises on the Cumberland Plateau
in Grundy County near the town of Gruetli-Laager
. The plateau is here capped largely by resistant Pennsylvanian
Period sandstone
s. The Collins drains the Savage Gulf
, a State Natural Area administered by the Department of Conservation and generally regarded as one of Tennessee's finest wilderness
areas. This portion has been designated a State Scenic River.
Initially flowing roughly westward, the Collins then turns more northwest and then largely northward, flowing into Warren County. Flowing near Cardwell Mountain, it receives the surface drainage which emanates from Cumberland Caverns
. This cave
, which developed in Mississippian Period limestone
, is one of the most extensive cavern systems in North America
. It is open to the public during the travel season as a tourist attraction. Just below this point is the confluence with the Barren Fork, a major tributary.
Several miles downstream, the waters become slack as they begin to reach the embayment caused by Great Falls Dam. This dam
is now operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority
— the only dam which it currently operates directly which is not on the Tennessee River
or a Tennessee River tributary (although the dams on the Cumberland River
system which are owned and operated by the United States Army
Corps of Engineers
are integrated into the TVA power system). This dam project well predates TVA; it was part of the assets of the former Tennessee Electric Power Company that TVA acquired in the late 1930s.
The Great Falls Dam creates a very deep reservoir
; it floods the confluence of the Collins and the Rocky River
with the Caney Fork. This reservoir was a popular travel destination and site of cabins and cottages prior back in the period when there were few such developments in the southeastern United States
; when other, much larger reservoirs were developed it fell largely into disuse as a recreational area, although a few of the old cabins remain and there are a few boat docks. Although very deep, the Great Falls Reservoir is quite small; all of the rivers flowed through relatively deep and narrow valleys at this point and the dam served largely to flood those valleys rather than much adjoining bottom land as has been the case with most of the reservoirs subsequently developed in the area.
At one time a considerable portion of the Collins was protected under the Tennessee Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, but area farmer
s succeeded in having much of this protection removed, except from the part in Savage Gulf, because some provisions of the act regulate or prohibit certain agricultural
practices immediately adjacent to the river bank. In the upper reaches there are a considerable number of springs opening directly into the sides of the bluffs along the river and flowing directly into it. Apparently there are more springs doing so below where the water surface is typically located. The Collins is a very important scenic and natural resource.
The Collins River is known for its fishing, including being one of the few rivers in Tennessee that have a good population of muskie (muskellunge). Muskie have been stocked in various watersheds throughout Tennessee, including the Collins River from 1982 through 2006
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. Via the Cumberland and Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
watershed.
It rises on the Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
in Grundy County near the town of Gruetli-Laager
Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee
Gruetli-Laager is a city in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,813 at the 2010 census. As its name implies, Gruetli-Laager consists of two communities— Gruetli and Laager— incorporated as a single city.-Geography:...
. The plateau is here capped largely by resistant Pennsylvanian
Pennsylvanian
The Pennsylvanian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the younger of two subperiods of the Carboniferous Period. It lasted from roughly . As with most other geochronologic units, the rock beds that define the Pennsylvanian are well identified, but the exact date of the start and end are uncertain...
Period sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s. The Collins drains the Savage Gulf
South Cumberland State Park
South Cumberland State Park is a state park in middle Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau.The park is one of Tennessee's newer state parks. It is a collection of several areas in four counties. Distinct areas contained within the park include:...
, a State Natural Area administered by the Department of Conservation and generally regarded as one of Tennessee's finest wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
areas. This portion has been designated a State Scenic River.
Initially flowing roughly westward, the Collins then turns more northwest and then largely northward, flowing into Warren County. Flowing near Cardwell Mountain, it receives the surface drainage which emanates from Cumberland Caverns
Cumberland Caverns
Cumberland Caverns is the second to third longest cave in Tennessee, USA. It has a surveyed length of 27.616 miles , which makes it the 14th longest cave in the United States and the 64th longest cave in the World....
. This cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
, which developed in Mississippian Period limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, is one of the most extensive cavern systems in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is open to the public during the travel season as a tourist attraction. Just below this point is the confluence with the Barren Fork, a major tributary.
Several miles downstream, the waters become slack as they begin to reach the embayment caused by Great Falls Dam. This dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
is now operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
— the only dam which it currently operates directly which is not on the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
or a Tennessee River tributary (although the dams on the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
system which are owned and operated by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
are integrated into the TVA power system). This dam project well predates TVA; it was part of the assets of the former Tennessee Electric Power Company that TVA acquired in the late 1930s.
The Great Falls Dam creates a very deep reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
; it floods the confluence of the Collins and the Rocky River
Rocky River (Tennessee)
The Rocky River is a tributary of the Caney Fork of the Cumberland River in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Via the Caney Fork and the Cumberland and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed....
with the Caney Fork. This reservoir was a popular travel destination and site of cabins and cottages prior back in the period when there were few such developments in the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; when other, much larger reservoirs were developed it fell largely into disuse as a recreational area, although a few of the old cabins remain and there are a few boat docks. Although very deep, the Great Falls Reservoir is quite small; all of the rivers flowed through relatively deep and narrow valleys at this point and the dam served largely to flood those valleys rather than much adjoining bottom land as has been the case with most of the reservoirs subsequently developed in the area.
At one time a considerable portion of the Collins was protected under the Tennessee Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, but area farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s succeeded in having much of this protection removed, except from the part in Savage Gulf, because some provisions of the act regulate or prohibit certain agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
practices immediately adjacent to the river bank. In the upper reaches there are a considerable number of springs opening directly into the sides of the bluffs along the river and flowing directly into it. Apparently there are more springs doing so below where the water surface is typically located. The Collins is a very important scenic and natural resource.
The Collins River is known for its fishing, including being one of the few rivers in Tennessee that have a good population of muskie (muskellunge). Muskie have been stocked in various watersheds throughout Tennessee, including the Collins River from 1982 through 2006