Black Mingo Creek

Geobox|Creek
name = Black Mingo Creek
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etymology = from "mingo" or "minko", the Chickasaw word for chief
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country = United States
state = South Carolina
region = Williamsburg County,Georgetown County

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Black Mingo Creek is a tributary to the Black River in coastal South Carolina. It derives its name from "mingo" or "minko" the Chickasaw word for chief. It was a center of the eastern Chickasaws in colonial times, a special hunting preserve.

It is also a blackwater river, whose waters are stained with tannin to make a tea-colored mix. It is relatively untouched by modern development, and is mostly surrounded by wetlands of cypress and tupelo with the adjacent higher lands mostly used for conventional agriculture or tree farming. The waters are a favorite fishing site for largemouth bass and panfish. Beavers are abundant, as well as great blue herons, songbirds and crows. Occasionally a bald eagle can be sighted. Alligators are also present.

The creek drains communities around Indiantown (named in reference to the Chickasaw tribal headquarters), Nesmith, and the communities of Rome and Rose Hill.

History

The lower region is a deep tidal river, navigable by colonial era ships to the former community of Willtown, about half way up the length of the creek. This village once did a thriving business exporting agricultural products such as the indigo plant, which was grown in the area and exported to Britain for use as a dye. After the American Revolution, the British market was closed to American exports, and the resulting loss of commerce led to the dwindling of the Willtown community. After the Georgetown District was split into Georgetown and Williamsburgh Counties in 1804, Willtown found itself on the outer edge of two counties. The decision by the state in 1811 to build the creek bridge for the main north-south road about a mile downstream of Willtown accelerated the decline. Today, very little evidence is visible that there was ever a village there. [ J. W. Nelson Chandler, "Willtown, Black Mingo: The Rise and Fall of and Early Village in the South Carolina Lowcountry" in "The South Carolina Historical Magazine" Vol. 105, No. 2 (April 2004) pp. 107-134]

The area is part of the proposed Francis Marion Trail due to the battle site of the Battle of Black Mingo of the American Revolution, which routed the British from their attempt to fortify and hold the area.

External links

[http://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/800929.htm "The Battle of Black Mingo Creek" My Revolutionary War.com]

References