The Chunky River is a short tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Chickasawhay River

Chickasawhay River

The Chickasawhay River is a river, about long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. It is a principal tributary of the Pascagoula River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The Chickasawhay's tributaries also drain a portion of western Alabama...

 in east-central Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

. Via the Chickasawhay, it is part of the watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Pascagoula River

Pascagoula River

The Pascagoula River is a river, about 80 mi long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. The river drains an area of about 8,800 sq mi and flows into Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexico....

, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...

.

Course

The river is formed between the towns of Hickory

Hickory, Mississippi

Hickory is a town in Newton County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 499 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Andrew Jackson, nicknamed "Old Hickory," who passed through the area on his way to fight the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.-Geography:Hickory is located...

 and Chunky

Chunky, Mississippi

Chunky is a town in Newton County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 344 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chunky is located at , along the Chunky River....

 in southwestern Newton County

Newton County, Mississippi

-History:Newton County was formed in 1836. All sources say it was named in honor of Sir Isaac Newton, including the 1896 history of Newton County.Newton County is adjacent to Jasper County, which was named for Sgt. William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero of the Siege of Savannah in 1779. Sgt. John...

 by the confluence

Confluence (geography)

In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...

 of Chunky Creek and Okahatta Creek. It flows generally southeastwardly through southwestern Lauderdale County

Lauderdale County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 78,161 people, 29,990 households, and 20,573 families residing in the county. The population density was 111 people per square mile . There were 33,418 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile...

 and northwestern Clarke County

Clarke County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,955 people, 6,978 households, and 5,024 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 8,100 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...

, where it joins Okatibbee Creek to form the Chickasawhay River near the town of Enterprise

Enterprise, Mississippi

Enterprise is a town in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 474 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Enterprise is located at...

.

Dunns Falls Water Park is a state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 located along the river north of Enterprise.

Recreation

The Chunky is a very popular canoeing river during the low water level summer months. When the river gauge at Chunky (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?cb_00065=on&cb_00060=on&cb_00045=on&format=gif_default&period=7&site_no=02475500) is at four feet or less, only canoes or tubes can traverse the wide, shallow river.

Variant names

The United States Board on Geographic Names

United States Board on Geographic Names

The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...

 settled on "Chunky River" as the stream's name in 1963. According to the Geographic Names Information System

Geographic Names Information System

The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...

, it has also been known as:

• Chanki River
• Chunkey Creek
• Chunkey River
• Chunky Creek
• Ectchangui River
• Tchanke River

External links

• Dunns Falls Water Park website

Sources

• DeLorme
  DeLorme
  DeLorme is a major vendor of business-to-business and consumer mapping and GPS products and technologies. It is based in Yarmouth, Maine, United States....
  
  (1998). Mississippi Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-346-X.