Kentucky Bend
Encyclopedia
The Kentucky Bend, variously called the New Madrid Bend, Madrid Bend, Bessie Bend, or Bubbleland, is an exclave of Fulton County
, Kentucky
, in the United States
.
Kentucky Bend is a piece of land on the inside of an oxbow loop meander
of the Mississippi River
. It is completely surrounded by the states of Tennessee
and Missouri
. Because it is surrounded by two (rather than one) 'foreign' states, Kentucky bend is not (as it is sometimes called) an enclave.
Kentucky Bend is the extreme southwestern corner of Kentucky. As of the 2000 census
the population was 17 persons in this area, officially known by the United States Census Bureau
as Fulton County West Census County Division (CCD), a subdivision of Fulton County. The peninsula
includes the lowest point in the state of Kentucky, at the banks of the Mississippi River. The only highway into the area is Tennessee State Route 22
, whose continuation into Kentucky Bend at one time was signed as Kentucky State Route 313.
The mailing address of the area is Tiptonville, Tennessee
.
In 1812, this area of the river was highly disrupted and was reported to even flow backwards because of the 1811–1812 New Madrid series of earthquakes, some of the largest ever felt in the United States.
Due to its extremely fertile soil, Kentucky Bend was once a major cotton
-producing area. The 1870 census found more than 300 residents. In The West Tennessee Farm edited by Marvin Downing (University of Tennessee at Martin Press, 1979), Norman L. Parks reports that in 1880 there was a population of 303, of whom 18 were African American
. By 1900, there were "large numbers of Negroes in the Bend" to plant and harvest the cotton.
This area of the Mississippi River, from just east at "Island Number Ten
" around to the town of New Madrid, Missouri
, was the site of a Civil War
battle from February 28 to April 8, 1862, the Battle of Island Number Ten
.
In Mark Twain
's book Life on the Mississippi
, he reports on the six-decade long feud between the Darnell and Watson families and other elements of life in the Bend. "In no part of the South has the vendetta flourished more briskly, or held out longer between warring families, than in this particular region,” he wrote. Twain continues:
Fulton County, Kentucky
Fulton County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1845 from Hickman County, Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 7,752. Its county seat is Hickman. The county is named for American inventor Robert Fulton...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Kentucky Bend is a piece of land on the inside of an oxbow loop meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
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...
. It is completely surrounded by the states 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...
and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Because it is surrounded by two (rather than one) 'foreign' states, Kentucky bend is not (as it is sometimes called) an enclave.
Kentucky Bend is the extreme southwestern corner of Kentucky. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
the population was 17 persons in this area, officially known by the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
as Fulton County West Census County Division (CCD), a subdivision of Fulton County. The peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
includes the lowest point in the state of Kentucky, at the banks of the Mississippi River. The only highway into the area is Tennessee State Route 22
Tennessee State Route 22
State Route 22 is a south to north highway in Tennessee that is 156.5 miles long, not counting its alternate and bypass sections...
, whose continuation into Kentucky Bend at one time was signed as Kentucky State Route 313.
The mailing address of the area is Tiptonville, Tennessee
Tiptonville, Tennessee
Tiptonville is a town in and the county seat of Lake County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 2,439 as of the 2000 census. It is also home to the Northwest Correctional Complex, a maximum security prison, known for once housing mass murderer Jessie Dotson, Jr.-History:According to the...
.
Geography
The Kentucky Bend covers a land area of 45.472 km² (17.6 sq mi), according to the Census Bureau. Surveyors marking the boundary between Kentucky and Tennessee had only estimated where their line would meet the Mississippi; later, more detailed surveys revealed the location of this line to pass through north-south bends in the river, creating a division of the peninsula. The western border of Kentucky is designated as the Mississippi River, as is the eastern border of Missouri—thus the creation of a "notch" for Kentucky, but not for Tennessee.History
The state of Tennessee contested the inclusion of the Kentucky Bend in the state of Kentucky, and it was legally part of Obion County, Tennessee, until at least 1848, but Tennessee eventually dropped its claim.In 1812, this area of the river was highly disrupted and was reported to even flow backwards because of the 1811–1812 New Madrid series of earthquakes, some of the largest ever felt in the United States.
Due to its extremely fertile soil, Kentucky Bend was once a major cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
-producing area. The 1870 census found more than 300 residents. In The West Tennessee Farm edited by Marvin Downing (University of Tennessee at Martin Press, 1979), Norman L. Parks reports that in 1880 there was a population of 303, of whom 18 were African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. By 1900, there were "large numbers of Negroes in the Bend" to plant and harvest the cotton.
This area of the Mississippi River, from just east at "Island Number Ten
Island Number Ten
Island Number Ten was a former island in the Mississippi River near Tiptonville, Tennessee and the site of a major eponymous battle in the American Civil War....
" around to the town of New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, 42 miles south by west of Cairo, Illinois, on the Mississippi River. New Madrid was founded in 1788 by American frontiersmen. In 1900, 1,489 people lived in New Madrid, Missouri; in 1910, the population was 1,882. The population was 3,334 at...
, was the site of a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
battle from February 28 to April 8, 1862, the Battle of Island Number Ten
Battle of Island Number Ten
The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River during the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. The position, an island at the base of a tight double turn in the course of the river, was held by the Confederates...
.
In Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's book Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain, of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War, and also a travel book, recounting his trip along the Mississippi many years after the War....
, he reports on the six-decade long feud between the Darnell and Watson families and other elements of life in the Bend. "In no part of the South has the vendetta flourished more briskly, or held out longer between warring families, than in this particular region,” he wrote. Twain continues: