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

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)

Location

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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

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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

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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

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

References

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  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.