The term Chickasaw Bluff refers to high ground rising about 50 to 200 feet (20–60 m) above the flood plain between Fulton in Lauderdale County, Tennessee and Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee. Composed of eroded Pleistocene loess over Pliocene glacial gravel, they are slide prone. This elevation is named for the Chickasaw, who by their possession of the elevation impeded French river traffic in the 18th Century. The Chickasaw Bluffs were numbered by rivermen from one to four starting from the north.
| Bluff | Location (north to south) | County | Coordinates (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Above Fulton | Lauderdale | 35°37′26″N 89°52′12″W / 35.624°N 89.870°W / 35.624; -89.870 (First Chickasaw Bluff) |
| Second | At Randolph | Tipton | 35°30′58″N 89°53′17″W / 35.516°N 89.888°W / 35.516; -89.888 (Second Chickasaw Bluff) |
| Third | Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park | Tipton and Shelby | 35°22′16″N 90°03′54″W / 35.371°N 90.065°W / 35.371; -90.065 (Third Chickasaw Bluff) |
| Fourth | Below the mouth of the Wolf River at Memphis | Shelby | 35°08′28″N 90°03′18″W / 35.141°N 90.055°W / 35.141; -90.055 (Fourth Chickasaw Bluff) |
The fourth Chickasaw Bluff was the site of the French Fort Assumption, used as a base against the Chickasaw in the abortive Campaign of 1739. The Chickasaw Bluff secured Memphis from river floods, while a rare shelf of sandstone below provided a secure boat landing, making this the "only site for a commercial mart" between the Ohio River and Vicksburg, Mississippi. This location was also the meeting place of d'Artaguette, Chicagou and de Vincennes before their ill fated 1736 attack against the Chickasaw.
Read more about Chickasaw Bluff: Fort Prudhomme
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