Black Warrior River

Black Warrior River
River
The Black Warrior River passes by a park in downtown Tuscaloosa. The Hugh R. Thomas Bridge is seen in the background.
Source	Confluence of the Mulberry and Locust forks
- location	Jefferson and Walker counties, Alabama, United States
- elevation	255 ft (78 m)
- coordinates	33°33′25″N 87°11′9″W / 33.55694°N 87.18583°W / 33.55694; -87.18583
Mouth	Tombigbee River
- location	Demopolis, Alabama, United States
- elevation	125 ft (38 m)
- coordinates	32°31′55″N 87°51′11″W / 32.53194°N 87.85306°W / 32.53194; -87.85306Coordinates: 32°31′55″N 87°51′11″W / 32.53194°N 87.85306°W / 32.53194; -87.85306
Length	178 mi (286 km)
Basin	6,275 sq mi (16,252 km2)
Map of the Black Warrior River watershed

The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west-central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles (286 km) to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary. The river is named after the Mississippian paramount chief Tuskaloosa, whose name meant 'Black Warrior' in Muskogean. The Black Warrior is impounded along nearly its entire course by a series of locks and dams to form a chain of reservoirs that not only provide a path for an inland waterway, but also yield hydroelectric power, drinking water, and industrial water.

The river flows through the Black Warrior Basin, a region historically important for the extraction of coal and methane. The cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport grew at the historical head of navigation at the Fall Line between the Appalachian Highlands (specifically, the Cumberland Plateau) and the Gulf Coastal Plain. Birmingham, though not directly on the river, became a manufacturing hub and one of the largest cities in the South through use of the Black Warrior River in a small part for the transportation of goods. Birmingham actually grew up around a major junction of north-south and east-west railroads, just as Atlanta, Georgia, did.