Bahala Creek
| 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"[2] |
| 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[1] |
| • 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[1] |
• elevation | 190 ft (58 m)[1] |
Bahala Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is a tributary of the Pearl River.
Etymology
"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."[2] A variant name is "Big Bahala Creek."[1]
Notes
- ^ Alternatively spelled "Behala" or "Bihala" on some early maps
References
- ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bahala Creek
- ^ a b Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-1-60473-483-6.
- ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates