Chickasaw Bluff facts for kids
The Chickasaw Bluffs are high areas of land that rise above the Mississippi River. They are found in western Tennessee, between the towns of Fulton and Memphis. These bluffs are between 50 and 200 feet (15 to 60 meters) tall.
There are four main bluffs, and they are named after the Chickasaw people. The Chickasaw were a Native American tribe. They were known as one of the "Five Civilized Nations" in the Southeast. The Chickasaw people lived in this area for a long time. By controlling these bluffs, they could stop French boats on the river during wars in the 1700s.
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Where are the Chickasaw Bluffs?
River travelers gave numbers to the Chickasaw Bluffs. They started numbering from the north, going south.
| Bluff | Location (north to south) | County | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Above Fulton | Lauderdale | 90 meters (295 feet) |
| Second | At Randolph | Tipton | 96 meters (315 feet) |
| Third | Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park | Tipton and Shelby | 68 meters (223 feet) |
| Fourth | Near the Wolf River at Memphis | Shelby | 103 meters (337 feet) |
How the Bluffs Were Formed
The Chickasaw Bluffs are quite new in terms of geology. They were made from a type of soil called loess. Loess is very fine, wind-blown silt. This silt can be as thick as 70 feet (21 meters) in some places. It gets thinner as you go east.
This loess built up on top of older river deposits. These older layers are mostly gravel from ancient glaciers. Because of how they are made, the bluffs can be prone to landslides. This is especially true during earthquakes. The bluffs have very steep valleys. Their streams flow faster than in areas nearby. Along the western side, facing the river, the bluffs can look like tall, straight cliffs. In downtown Memphis, these steep edges have been smoothed out over time.
The Chickasaw Bluffs are a bigger geological feature. They stretch from Hickman, Kentucky all the way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They are not one continuous line of hills. Rivers like the Obion River and Wolf River cut through them.
Scientists believe that Crowley's Ridge in Arkansas was once part of the Chickasaw Bluff formation. This was before the last ice age. Back then, ancient paths of the Ohio River and Mississippi River carved a path between them. Crowley's Ridge is made of the same materials and looks similar to the Chickasaw Bluffs.
History of People at the Bluffs
The fourth Chickasaw Bluff was an important place in history. The French built a fort there called Fort Assumption. They used it as a base during a war against the Chickasaw people in 1739.
This bluff was very important for the city of Memphis. It protected Memphis from river floods. Also, a rare flat area of sandstone below the bluff made it a safe place for boats to land. This made it the best spot for trade between the Ohio River and Vicksburg, Mississippi. This location was also where French explorers and Native American leaders met before a battle against the Chickasaw in 1736.
Fort Prudhomme: A French Outpost
The French built another fort called Fort Prudhomme in 1682. This fort was on one of the Chickasaw Bluffs. A famous French explorer named René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle led an expedition. He was exploring the Mississippi River basin in canoes.
One day, the group landed to hunt. One of their members, an armorer named Pierre Prudhomme, went missing. Everyone thought he had been captured by the Chickasaw people. La Salle decided to stay and look for him. He ordered his men to build a stockade, which is a fence made of strong posts. He named it Fort Prudhomme after the missing man. This was the first building the French ever built in Tennessee.
A few days later, Pierre Prudhomme found his way back to the group. He had simply gotten lost while hunting. The expedition then continued and reached the mouth of the Mississippi River on April 6, 1682.
The exact spot where Fort Prudhomme was built is still a mystery. Historians agree it was on the Chickasaw Bluffs. However, they disagree on which bluff it was. Some think it was on the first Chickasaw Bluff in Lauderdale County. Others suggest it was on the second bluff near Randolph. Some research points to the third bluff, near the border of Tipton and Shelby counties. The fourth Chickasaw Bluff in Memphis is also a possible location for Fort Prudhomme.
