History of Coldwater/Arkabutla

The town of Coldwater, Mississippi is very small.  There is not even an official web site for the town.  It is just a very small town in northwestern Mississippi notable only because it shares the same name as a nearby river.  It is not very large at all, consisting of a few streets, none of which are very lengthy.  It is located about two miles South of the Coldwater River.  The population is 1,611.

It began as the village of Elm Grove in 1856, and eventually grew as a railroad community, becoming officially incorporated in 1872.  It began to grow due to the influx of settlers from Virginia, the Carolinas, Alabama, and others.  According to the 1890 census, there were 397 people living there.  By April, 1951, the time when the first library opened in the town, it was home to 949 people.  In 2003, the more spacious, modern Jesse J. Edwards Public Library was opened there.

Coldwater did face periodic river flooding before the 1940’s.  Then, in 1942, the Arkabutla lake and dam project was built, and the town was moved, with the help of the US government, to a location one and a half miles south of the original.  This is the location where it sits today.

Arkabutla Lake’s history is pretty much the same as the small portion that is described above.  The area where it lies used to be a valley, part of which was occupied by Coldwater, but it was turned into a lake as part of a project to help control flooding problems.  High priority was given to flood control measures after many devastating floods throughout the region.  Flooding was a big problem in the region, due to the headwaters of the Yazoo River.

Now, Arkabutla Lake is a resort for recreational activities.  It resides in a serene and isolated location, but it is only located 30 minutes away from Memphis and Tunica.  Present there are trails for hiking and biking, picnic areas, fishing piers, and more.  There is also around thirty-thousand acres of hunting land.

History of Coldwater, MS: http://www.firstregional.org/coldhist.html

General Facts about Coldwater:  http://www.city-data.com/city/Coldwater-Mississippi.html

All info about Arkabutla Lake: Official Website,  http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/lakes/ms/arkabutla/index.php