The Atchafalaya river is a 137 mile long distributary of the Mississippi River and the Red River. This river is located in the south central parts or Louisiana. It flows south from near Simmesport, Louisiana just west of the Mississippi river

The Atchafalaya river the fifth largest river by discharge in North America. It is navigable and provides significant industrial shipping passage for Louisiana and is found in the heart of the Cajun cultural country.

The Atchafalaya river became a distributary of the Mississippi between 1839 to 1849 when locals removed a huge log jam that was obstructing the river.

The name Atchafalaya is from the Choctaw language words, hachcha and falaya which together means long river. [Choctaw: hachcha, river; and falaya, long.]

Atchafalaya: At-chaf-a-lay-a [uh-chaf-uh-lahy-uh]

Originally, before the Atchafalaya river came to exist, the waterway where it now flows, previously flowed entirely separate from the Mississippi river totally within the basin, swamplands and course of the Red river. The Red river flowed into Louisiana from Arkansas crossing the state line north of the city of Hosston, Louisiana. From the Arkansas state line, it continued in a southward direction to Shreveport, Louisiana. After passing through Shreveport, it then turned slightly eastward and continued southeasterly through Coushatta, Natchioches, Alexandria and as far as the small community of Echo, Louisiana where the river takes a major direction change, of nearly ninety degrees to the northeast. ¹

Then the Red river flow northeast through a very large wetlands area for another thirty or so miles before it merges with the Black river coming down from the north. Then the combined waters of these two river flowed southeast before turning south about five miles from the the Mississippi river. At this locations, the Red river turned back to the south-by-southwest for twenty-five miles distancing itself from Great River and finally turning back to the south-by-southeast for another eighty or ninety miles running somewhat parallel to the Mississippi until it crosses under US 90 in Morgan City, Louisiana. Upon leaving Morgan City, the Red river then meandered mostly south for another fifteen or twenty miles until reaching Atchafalaya Bay an arm of the Gulf of Mexico.

However, westward meandering of the Mississippi river intercepted the Red river causing the upper Red River to become a tributary of the Mississippi river and the lower Red river to become a distributary of the Mississippi river which was thereafter named the Atchafalaya river, however, there was a log jam across the Atchafalaya preventing most of the flow to pass.

The Atchafalaya became a main distributary of the Mississippi in 1839 to 1849 when locals removed a huge log jam (the Great Raft) that was obstructing the Atchafalaya River.

The Atchafalaya river is now considered to be a distributary of the Mississippi river and Red river. It flows south just west of the Mississippi river and by the amount of discharge is the fifth largest river in North America.

The Atchafalaya river is a navigable river and provides much in the way of shipping channels. Too, it lies in the heart of the Cajon country.

The river is located in south central Louisiana, flowing south from the Mississippi River to Atchafalaya Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. a heavily engineered distributary of the Mississippi. 225 miles (362 km).

The Choctaw is a Muskogean language family, and part of the Mississippian Cultures. Muscogee Creeks are associated with multi-mound centers such as the Ocmulgee Mounds, Etowah Mounds, and Moundville sites, all three of which are sites in the Lower Appalachian culture area.

Lower Old River, Whiskey Bay Pilot channel, Atchafalaya Bay, Gulf of Mexico

Red River, Bayou Chene, Bayou Teche, Atchafalaya Bay, Gulf of Mexico