Chulafinnee, Alabama Explained

Official Name:Chulafinnee, Alabama
Pushpin Map:Alabama#USA
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Alabama
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Cleburne
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:876
Coordinates:33.5453°N -85.6489°W
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:159405

Chulafinnee is an unincorporated community in Cleburne County, Alabama, United States.

History

Chulafinnee was named after the nearby Chulafinnee Creek, which was derived from Creek words chuli meaning "pine" and fina meaning "footlog".[1] Chulafinnee was founded in 1835 when gold was found in the nearby creeks. The population was smaller than that of nearby Arbacoochee (which was also formed after gold was found nearby), but considered by locals to be a more permanent town due to the greater number of brick buildings. Local lore held that the King brothers, (who later founded King Ranch), were prospectors in the area.[2] Remains of some of the mines are located on the Frank Spain Scout Reservation, where participating Scouts are able to learn about the history of the area.[3]

The American geologist Eugene Allen Smith explored the old mines and examined minerals around Chulafinnee in the late 1800s.[4]

A post office operated under the name Chulafinnee from 1842 to 1904.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Read, William A. . 1984 . Indian Place Names in Alabama . . The University of Alabama Press . 20 . 0-8173-0231-X .
  2. Book: Harris, W. Stuart . Dead Towns of Alabama . 1977 . University of Alabama Press . Tuscaloosa, Alabama . 71 . 0-8173-1125-4 .
  3. Web site: Striplin Gold Mine and Carr Creek Placer . Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage . PDF . 7 November 2019.
  4. Book: Aileen Kilgore Henderson. Eugene Allen Smith's Alabama: How a Geologist Shaped a State. 2011. NewSouth Books. 978-1-58838-243-6. 7.
  5. Web site: Cleburne County . Jim Forte Postal History . 7 November 2019 .