Clarkrange, TN

Clarkrange is an unincorporated Fentress County community and census-designated place gathered around US 127 and Tennessee 62 on the western Cumberland Plateau. The name comes from Cyrus Clark, who ran an inn and cattle ranch here in the late nineteenth century; before that, local farmers used the area as free-range ground. A post office has served the community since 1885, and Clarkrange High School is the only public high school in the county school district. The crossroads and the school are the two easiest ways to place Clarkrange in daily life.

Clarkrange High School also carries a strong competitive tradition: its girls’ basketball program has won eight Tennessee Class A state titles, and its chess team took national championships in 2000, 2004, and 2008. Water divides the map just south of town. The south side drains through Clear Creek to the Obed River and then the Emory and Clinch systems, while the northwest side runs through Slate Creek toward the East Fork of the Obey. The local scoop is a crossroads community where school sports, postal service, cattle history, and two river systems meet on the plateau.