Two Rivers in One: The Story of the Tennessee River

Two Rivers in One: The Story of the Tennessee River. . American Indian canoes, pioneer flatboats, and steamboats once plied the water before you, but just how did the Tennessee River come to be? Nearly 300 million years ago, Africa and North America collided, creating the supercontinent known as Pangaea. As the continents finally drifted apart, Pangaea began to separate into our current continental configuration. The Tennessee River, existing since Pangaea, survives as one of the oldest rivers on the North American continent., Today, the Tennessee River is considered a global hotspot for aquatic species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth., Here, the river doubles back on itself within a few short miles, just before its course becomes constricted by The Narrows of the Tennessee River Gorge, approximately four miles to your right. Like water through a funnel, The Narrows inundated the bend with periodic flooding throughout history., In 1933, the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority brought major changes to the Tennessee River and to Moccasin Bend. Extreme floods are now rare as a result of TVA's dams. The once wild waters of the Tennessee have been effectively tamed by TVA., Now, the wild old Tennessee River, a relic of Pangaea and known only to those who came here before us, is encased within the modern river, its swift currents and its millennia-long history now flowing silently beneath the surface.