Sunflower River

2025-03-05T02:13:34Z

2600:1702:51A4:6F2F:8CC8:858F:5A6E:5435:

[[File:Sunflower River.jpg|thumb|right|Sunflower River west of Ruleville, Mississippi.]]
The '''Sunflower River''' (also known as the '''Big Sunflower River''') is one of the main tributaries of the [[Yazoo River]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Mississippi]]. . The Sunflower follows an old channel of the Mississippi River as it winds between farms, neighborhoods, wetlands and abandoned
sharecropper shacks. It is navigable by barge for 50 miles. It rises in [[DeSoto County, Mississippi]] near the [[Tennessee]] border and flows south for 100 miles to the Yazoo River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. At [[Clarksdale, Mississippi|Clarksdale]], the county seat of [[Coahoma County, Mississippi|Coahoma County]], the annual [[Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival]] is held.

The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] maintains a navigation channel, thirty miles in length. Built in 1976, the channel is used by barges and pleasure craft.

According to the [[USGS]], variant names include Hushpuckaman Creek.<ref>{{GNIS|692611|Big Sunflower River}}</ref><ref>La Tourette, John. ''An Accurate Map or Delineation of the State of Mississippi, with a Large Portion of Alabama and Louisiana.'' Mobile, Alabama, 1839; and ''Map of the State of Alabama and West Florida.'' Montgomery, Alabama, 1856.</ref> The [[Hushpuckena River]] drains the northwestern part of the Sunflower River Basin, [[Quiver River]] drains the northeastern portion, and [[Bogue Phalia]] drains the west central portion of the watershed, all of which lies in the alluvium soil of the Yazoo Delta.<ref>Speers, Paul et al. (1964). "Low-Flow Characteristics of Streams in the Miss Embayment in Miss. and Ala.: Water Resources of the Mississippi Embayment." ''Geological Survey Professional Paper 448-1.'' Washington: GPO. pp. I-29</ref>
At [[Sunflower, Mississippi]], the river flow measures approximately 1,099 cubic feet per second.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ms/nwis/annual/?format=sites_selection_links&search_site_no=07288500&agency_cd=USGS&referred_module=sw|title = USGS Surface Water data for Mississippi: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics}}</ref>

== Water quality ==
Like the Yazoo, this river is silt laden. The river collects mud from runoff in the bayous and small streams that feed it. The river has a distinct "Clear-Mud Line" where it meets the Yazoo, showing that the Big Sunflower is muddier than the Yazoo at their confluence.

==Archaeology==
Early investigators of Native American culture identified many mound sites along the river. With what is now known of the cultures in the Southeast, scholars believe these earthwork mounds to have been built by cultures that existed before the emergence of the Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples. [[Clarence Bloomfield Moore|Clarence B. Moore]] conducted notable studies of the earthworks on the river near Holly Bluff, about a half a mile from the entrance to Lake George.<ref>Brown, Calvin S. (1926). ''Archeology of Mississippi.'' 1992 ed. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 73. {{ISBN|0-87805-603-3}}</ref>

==Wildlife refuges==
Land use along the river and in the watershed is predominantly agricultural, with many large-scale, industrial-style farms. From the antebellum period into the 20th century, cotton was the major commodity crop.<ref name="USGS" />

Three forested areas have been designated as national wildlife refuges, the [[Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge]], the [[Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge]], and the [[Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge]]; all are managed by the [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]].<ref name="USGS">{{cite journal | last1 = Barlow | first1 = J.R.B. | last2 = Coupe | first2 = R.H. | year = 2014 | title = Occurrence and transport of nitrogen in the Big Sunflower River, northwestern Mississippi, October 2009–June 2011 | doi = 10.3133/sir20145107 | journal = U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report | volume = 5107 | pages = 3–4 | series = Scientific Investigations Report | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2014usgs.rept...79B }}</ref>

In August 2023 the largest state alligator of record was killed in the river.<ref>AP staff (30 August 2023). "Longest alligator in Mississippi history captured by hunters". [https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-alligator-state-record-b5af597aab23f7b7c6233b0fcb5a5696 AP website] Retrieved 20 October 2023.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Mississippi rivers]]

== References ==
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[[Category:Rivers of Mississippi]]
[[Category:Landforms of DeSoto County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Landforms of Sunflower County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Landforms of Coahoma County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Landforms of Bolivar County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Landforms of Yazoo County, Mississippi]]

{{Mississippi-river-stub}}

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Sunflower River