TOMBIGBEE, river of the United States, in the states of Mississippi and Alabama, rising by nu merous branches in the northeastern angle of the former, interlocking sources with the Yazoo and Big Ilatchee, flowing into the Mississippi and Bear Creek branch of Tennessee. The extreme sources of Tombigbee are in the Chickasaw terri tory, about N. Lat. 30', and 12° W. from W. C. on a rather comparatively elevated plain, from which, flowing a little E. of S. about 100 miles, re ceiving numerous branches to its entrance into Ala bama. For about one hall' of its course in the state of Mississippi, the Tombigbee separates the coun ty of Monroe from the Chickasaw territory.
Entering the state of Alabama, the Tombigbee, already a navigable river, particularly for down stream vessels, deflects to S.S.E. receiving the Sip sey river from the north, and the Oaknoxabee from the west, continues by a very winding channel, but by comparative courses 60 miles to its union with Black Warrior river at Demapolis in Marengo comity. At their junction, the two main branches of Tombigbee are very nearly of equal size, though the name of Tombigbee is continued in the united streams of that river and Black Warrior.
The Black Warrior or Tuscaloosa river rises by two main constituents, Locust Fork, in Blount, and Mulberry in Walker county. Uniting on the wes tern border of Jefferson, after each branch has flown upwards of 70 miles, the now navigable Tuscaloosa continues the course of Locust Fork S.W. 80 miles
to its junction with Tombigbee, as already noticed.
Uniting, the two yanks of Tombigbee and Tus caloosa above their junction yields a surface ap proaching an equilateral triangle of 160 miles each side; but taking in the projecting curves, the area is about 14,000 square miles.
In that part of its course in Alabama above the influx of Tuscaloosa, the main stream of Tombig bee separates the counties of Pickens and Greene from the Choctaw territory. Below Demapolis the Tombigbee, by a slight elliptical curve to the westward, flows by a general comparative course very nearly due south 100 miles, to its junction with the Alabama, to form Mobile river. The entire length by Tombigbee proper is about 270, and by Tuscaloosa 240 miles. These distances are, how ever, comparative bird's eye estimates. The ac tual channel is very tortuous, and may add one third or more to the navigable modes of calculat ing river lengths.
If viewed geographically, the Tombigbee valley extends from N. Lat. 31° 06' to 34° 45', and in Lon, from 9P 24' to 12° 24' W. from W. C. ft has the valley of Yazoo and that of Big Hatchee N. W., Tennessee N., Coosa, Cahaba, and Alabama N.E., E. and S.E.,and those of Pearl and Pascagonla S.W. Entire area 18,000 square miles. DARBY.