Tchefuncte River

Tchefuncte River
River
Tchefuncte River as seen at Madisonville
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parishes Washington, Tangipahoa, St. Tammany
Tributaries
 - left Bogue Falaya
Cities Covington, Madisonville
Source
 - location Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana [1]

 - coordinates 30°54′22″N 90°20′59″W / 30.90611°N 90.34972°W / 30.90611; -90.34972
Mouth Lake Pontchartrain
 - location Madisonville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana [1]

 - coordinates 30°22′36″N 90°09′38″W / 30.37667°N 90.16056°W / 30.37667; -90.16056Coordinates: 30°22′36″N 90°09′38″W / 30.37667°N 90.16056°W / 30.37667; -90.16056
Length 70 mi (113 km) [2]

The Tchefuncte River (/ˈfʌŋktə/ chə-FUNK-tə) drains into Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana in the United States. It is about 70.0 miles (112.7 km) long.[2]

Madisonville's Tchefuncte River Lighthouse stands resolutely on the Saint Tammany northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. This lighthouse was built in 1837.[3]

In the 19th century it was an important commercial waterway, where building materials and other products of the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain were loaded to be shipped across the Lake to New Orleans.

Course

The Tchefuncte rises in northeastern Tangipahoa Parish and initially flows southward; the river is used to define part of the eastern boundary of Tangipahoa Parish and parts of the western boundaries of Washington and St. Tammany Parishes before turning southeastward into St. Tammany Parish, where it passes the city of Covington and the town of Madisonville. It collects its largest tributary, the Bogue Falaya, at Covington and flows into Lake Pontchartrain about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Madisonville, near the lake's northern extremity.

Madisonville's colorful waterfront, viewed here looking north from the drawbridge on LA 22, features outdoor dining along the Tchefuncte River estuary.

The Tchefuncte has been designated by the government of Louisiana as a "Natural and Scenic River." Fairview-Riverside State Park is located along the river, upstream of Madisonville.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Tchefuncte River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. January 1, 2000. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  2. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed June 20, 2011
  3. Brenda Brown Finnegan, Lighthouse Digest.
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