Tensaw River

Last updated
Tensaw River
Tensaw at Blakeley.jpg
The Tensaw River in Blakeley, Alabama
Location
CountryUnited States
State Alabama
County Baldwin County
Physical characteristics
Source 
  coordinates 31°04′05″N87°57′47″W / 31.06795°N 87.96306°W / 31.06795; -87.96306
Mouth  
  coordinates
30°41′07″N88°00′25″W / 30.68519°N 88.00695°W / 30.68519; -88.00695 Coordinates: 30°41′07″N88°00′25″W / 30.68519°N 88.00695°W / 30.68519; -88.00695
Length41 miles (66 km)

The Tensaw River is a river in Baldwin County, Alabama.

Contents

The name Tensaw is derived from the historic indigenous Taensa people. [1]

Overview

It is a distributary of the Mobile River, approximately 41 miles (66 km) long. It is formed as a bayou of the Mobile approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) south of the formation of the Mobile by the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers, at 31°04′05″N87°57′47″W / 31.06795°N 87.96306°W / 31.06795; -87.96306 .

The Tensaw flows alongside the Mobile and Middle rivers, with the Tensaw being the easternmost flowing river. There are numerous back channels extending off the main channel into Baldwin County. It enters Mobile Bay at 30°41′07″N88°00′25″W / 30.68519°N 88.00695°W / 30.68519; -88.00695 , near Blakeley and Pinto islands and approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east of downtown Mobile. [2]

See also

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The Spanish River is a brackish distributary river that forms part of the border between Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama. It is approximately 8 miles (13 km) long and is influenced by tides. It begins at the northernmost tip of Blakeley Island, where it diverges from the Mobile River, at 30.772°N 88.0222°W. From there it flows along the eastern edge of Blakeley and Pinto islands, and discharges into Mobile Bay south of Pinto Island, at 30.665°N 88.021°W.

The Middle River is a distributary river in Baldwin County, Alabama, which forms part of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. It branches off from the Tensaw River at 31.021°N 87.950°W. From there it flows southward for approximately 9.5 miles (15.3 km) before rejoining the Tensaw at 30.923°N 87.913°W.

The Apalachee River is a distributary river in Baldwin County, Alabama that forms part of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. It branches off from the Tensaw River at 30.74333°N 87.93194°W. From there it flows southward for approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) before emptying into Mobile Bay at 30.66074°N 87.95860°W. Apalachee comes from the Hitchiti word apalahchi, which means "on the other side".

The Blakeley River is a distributary river in Baldwin County, Alabama that forms part of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. It branches off from the Apalachee River at 30.69972°N 87.93361°W. From there it flows southward for approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) before emptying into Mobile Bay at 30.64769°N 87.92749°W.

Gravine Island is a small, sparsely populated island in Baldwin County, Alabama. It is found in the Tensaw River about four miles (6.4 km) north of Interstate 10 and Mobile Bay.

Hurricane is an unincorporated community in Baldwin County, Alabama on the Tensaw River about 12 miles (19 km) north of Spanish Fort, Alabama.

References

  1. Swanton, John Reed (1952). The Indian Tribes of North America. US Government Printing Office. p. 210. ISBN   978-0-8063-1730-4.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tensaw River