Beech River facts for kids
The Beech River is a stream about 38 miles (61 km) long in West Tennessee, United States. It starts about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Lexington, Tennessee. Near its start, two other rivers also begin: the Big Sandy River and the Middle Fork of the Forked Deer River. The Beech River and the Big Sandy River both flow into the Tennessee River. The Forked Deer River, however, flows into the Mississippi River.
The river got its name because of the many beech trees growing along its banks.
How the Beech River Flows
The Beech River flows southeast through Lexington. Then it mostly turns and flows eastward. Like many rivers in West Tennessee, parts of the Beech River were changed in the mid-1900s. This process is called channelization. It means making the river straighter and deeper. This was done to help with farming. However, it caused many important wetland areas to disappear.
The river then flows into Decatur County. It passes between the towns of Parsons and Decaturville. Where the Beech River meets the Tennessee River, there is a large embayment. This is like a wide, deep bay. It was formed by the water backing up from the Kentucky Dam. This dam is many miles downstream on the Tennessee River.
Dams on the Beech River
The Beech River system is special because it has many dams. All of its main branches, eight in total, have dams. One branch even has two dams! These dams were built in the mid-1900s. They were part of the Beech River Project by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
The dams are there to help control floods and for fun activities like boating. The lakes they create are not very big. So, they don't help much with boats moving on the Tennessee River. Unlike most TVA dams, these dams do not make electricity. The rivers are too small and don't drop enough in height for that to work well.
Some of the lakes created by these dams are found in Natchez Trace State Park. This is one of the largest Tennessee state parks. Even though it's far from the historic Natchez Trace Parkway, the area is named after a part of the old Trace that ran through there.
