Bashi Creek

Bashi Creek
Map
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationBashi, Clarke County
 • coordinates31°53′19″N 87°47′15″W / 31.88848°N 87.78750°W / 31.88848; -87.78750
Mouth 
 • location
Tombigbee River
 • coordinates
31°57′24″N 88°04′22″W / 31.95654°N 88.07279°W / 31.95654; -88.07279
 • elevation
33 ft (10 m)

Bashi Creek, also historically known as Bashai Creek, is a tributary of the Tombigbee River in northern Clarke County in Alabama.[1][2]

Location

Bashi Creek originates near Bashi, at coordinates of 31°53′19″N 87°47′15″W / 31.88848°N 87.78750°W / 31.88848; -87.78750, and discharges into the Tombigbee River near Woods Bluff, at coordinates of 31°57′24″N 88°04′22″W / 31.95654°N 88.07279°W / 31.95654; -88.07279.[1] It is located above the Coffeeville Lock and Dam and is the only inlet off the river for several miles.[3] There is a paved boat ramp located on the creek.[3]

Etymology

The creek first appears on an 1844 map as Bashai Creek. Language scholars believe Bashi to be an adaptation of the Choctaw language word bachaya, meaning "line," "row," or "course".[4]

Bashi Formation

The creek has lent its name to the Bashi Formation, formerly also known as the Woods Bluff Formation, a greensand marl strata dating to the early Eocene.[5] The creek flows through the exposed strata of the formation.[6]

Bashi Skirmish

The Bashi Skirmish in the Creek War was fought near the banks of this creek and took its name from the waterway.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bashi Creek
  2. ^ "Tombigbee Tributary". Alabama Water Watch Association. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b Ayres, Douglas W. (2012). Undaunted Curiosity: Boating America's Coasts and Waterways Volume I British Columbia to New York City. Sedona, Arizona: Trafford Publishing. pp. 218–219. ISBN 9781466919822.
  4. ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780806135984.
  5. ^ "Geologic Unit: Bashi". GEOLEX database. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  6. ^ Report on the Geology of the Coastal Plain of Alabama. Special report (Geological Survey of Alabama), Issue 6. Montgomery, Alabama: Brown Printing Company. 1897. p. 630.
  7. ^ Halbert, Henry Sale (1895). The Creek War of 1813 and 1814. Chicago, Illinois: Donohue & Henneberry. pp. 219–222. Bashi Skirmish.