Tobesofkee Creek
Encyclopedia
Tobesofkee Creek is a 58.9 miles (94.8 km) river in Georgia
. It originates near Barnesville
and flows roughly southeast across Lamar
, Monroe
, and Bibb
counties to join the Ocmulgee River
south of the city of Macon
. A dam on this stream forms Lake Tobesofkee
.
to the English colonial town of Charlestown
, crossed Tobesofkee Creek. The river has been called by several names in the Muskogee language, spoken by Creek Indians. The earliest recorded name is Togosohatchee. In 1776 William Bartram
recorded the river's name as Tobosochte.
The meaning of the name Tobesofkee is unclear, although it appears to contain the word sofkee, a hominy
dish that is considered the forerunner of grits
. The name was first recorded in the 1790s by Benjamin Hawkins
, the United States agent to the Creek Indians, who spelled it variously as Tobosaufkee, Tobe saufe ke, and Tobesauke.
In his 1905 study of U.S. place names, Henry Gannett derived the stream's name (which he spelled "Tobesofka") from the supposed fact that "an Indian lost a dish of meal while crossing it." William A. Read later translated the name as meaning "sofkee stirrer," from atapa (tool for stirring) and safki (corn gruel). Historian John Goff criticized Gannett's interpretation as "open to doubt" and concluded that, with the available historical sources, "it would be mere speculation to attempt to translate Tobesofkee."
Between 1963 and 1967 the U.S. Soil Conservation Service and the Bibb County Commission built a series of dams on Tobesofkee Creek to form flood control reservoirs, including Lake Tobesofkee
and the Javors Lucas Reservoir, also known as "Little Lake Tobosofkee." The Lake Tobesofkee Recreation Area opened in 1969, and private developers built and sold lakefront houses over the following decades. By the turn of the 21st century Lake Tobesofkee was considered one of the most heavily fished lakes in Georgia.
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It originates near Barnesville
Barnesville, Georgia
Barnesville is a city in Lamar County, Georgia, United States. The city is a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,755. The city is the county seat of Lamar County....
and flows roughly southeast across Lamar
Lamar County, Georgia
Lamar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 15,912. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 16,961...
, Monroe
Monroe County, Georgia
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on May 15, 1821. As of 2000, the population was 21,757. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 25,145...
, and Bibb
Bibb County, Georgia
Bibb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 153,887. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 154,709...
counties to join the Ocmulgee River
Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River is a tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi long, in the U.S. state of Georgia...
south of the city of Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
. A dam on this stream forms Lake Tobesofkee
Lake Tobesofkee
Lake Tobesofkee is a reservoir located on Tobesofkee Creek in Bibb County Georgia. Built in the 1960s to control flooding, the lake soon became a site for public recreation and is known as one of the most heavily fished lakes in the state.-History:...
.
History
After 1670 the Lower Creek Trading Path, which linked Creek towns on the Chattahoochee RiverChattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
to the English colonial town of Charlestown
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, crossed Tobesofkee Creek. The river has been called by several names in the Muskogee language, spoken by Creek Indians. The earliest recorded name is Togosohatchee. In 1776 William Bartram
William Bartram
William Bartram was an American naturalist. The son of Ann and John Bartram, William Bartram and his twin sister Elizabeth were born in Kingsessing, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. As a boy, he accompanied his father on many of his travels, to the Catskill Mountains, the New Jersey Pine Barrens,...
recorded the river's name as Tobosochte.
The meaning of the name Tobesofkee is unclear, although it appears to contain the word sofkee, a hominy
Hominy
Hominy or nixtamal is dried maize kernels which have been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization.The English term hominy is derived from the Powhatan language word for maize. Many other Native American cultures also made hominy and integrated it into their diet...
dish that is considered the forerunner of grits
Grits
Grits are a food of American Indian origin common in the Southern United States and mainly eaten at breakfast. They consist of coarsely ground corn, or sometimes alkali-treated corn . They are also sometimes called sofkee or sofkey from the Muskogee language word...
. The name was first recorded in the 1790s by Benjamin Hawkins
Benjamin Hawkins
Benjamin Hawkins was an American planter, statesman, and United States Indian agent . He was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a United States Senator from North Carolina, having grown up among the planter elite...
, the United States agent to the Creek Indians, who spelled it variously as Tobosaufkee, Tobe saufe ke, and Tobesauke.
In his 1905 study of U.S. place names, Henry Gannett derived the stream's name (which he spelled "Tobesofka") from the supposed fact that "an Indian lost a dish of meal while crossing it." William A. Read later translated the name as meaning "sofkee stirrer," from atapa (tool for stirring) and safki (corn gruel). Historian John Goff criticized Gannett's interpretation as "open to doubt" and concluded that, with the available historical sources, "it would be mere speculation to attempt to translate Tobesofkee."
Between 1963 and 1967 the U.S. Soil Conservation Service and the Bibb County Commission built a series of dams on Tobesofkee Creek to form flood control reservoirs, including Lake Tobesofkee
Lake Tobesofkee
Lake Tobesofkee is a reservoir located on Tobesofkee Creek in Bibb County Georgia. Built in the 1960s to control flooding, the lake soon became a site for public recreation and is known as one of the most heavily fished lakes in the state.-History:...
and the Javors Lucas Reservoir, also known as "Little Lake Tobosofkee." The Lake Tobesofkee Recreation Area opened in 1969, and private developers built and sold lakefront houses over the following decades. By the turn of the 21st century Lake Tobesofkee was considered one of the most heavily fished lakes in Georgia.