Bahala Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is a tributary of the Pearl River.
| Bahala Creek Big Bahala Creek, Mulberry Creek | |
|---|---|
 The Bahala Creek Bridge over the creek in Oma | |
  Location of the mouth in Mississippi | |
 | |
| Etymology | Likely from Choctaw "bihi," meaning mulberry, and "hieli," meaning "standing"[1] |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| Counties | Lincoln, Copiah, Lawrence |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Hazlehurst, Mississippi |
| • coordinates | 31°52′27.58″N 90°22′47.33″W / 31.8743278°N 90.3798139°W[2] |
| • elevation | 453 ft (138 m)[3] |
| Mouth | Pearl River |
• location | near Monticello, Mississippi |
• coordinates | 31°41′14.60″N 90°06′49.31″W / 31.6873889°N 90.1136972°W[2] |
• elevation | 190 ft (58 m)[2] |
Etymology
edit"Bahala"[a] (pronounced buh-HAY-la or buh-HAL-uh) is most likely derived from the Choctaw language, where "bihi" is defined as mulberry trees and "hieli" is defined as "standing." This is corroborated by an 1818 map, which referred to the creek as "Mulberry Creek."[1] A variant name is "Big Bahala Creek."[2]
Notes
edit- ↑ Alternatively spelled "Behala" or "Bihala" on some early maps
References
edit- 1 2 Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-1-60473-483-6.
- 1 2 3 4 "Bahala Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ↑ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates