Guinn Terrell Williams (April 22, 1871 – January 9, 1948) was an American banker and politician. A Democrat , he served in the Texas State Senate , and is most notable for his service in the U.S. representative from Texas. His son was the actor Guinn "Big Boy" Williams .
31-657: Born near Beulah, Mississippi , Williams was the son of farmer and Confederate veteran William Washington Williams and Minerva Jane (Thompson) Williams. He moved with his parents to Nocona, Texas in 1876, and they soon relocated to Decatur in Wise County . He attended the public schools of Wise County, and then received his qualification as a school teacher. He taught for several terms, and attended Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky . After his 1890 graduation, Williams became active in ranching and farming, and also pursued
62-558: A humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of the census of 2000, there were 473 people, 139 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,027.5 inhabitants per square mile (396.7/km ). There were 151 housing units at an average density of 328.0 per square mile (126.6/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 2.54% White , 95.98% African American , 0.85% Asian , 0.21% Pacific Islander , and 0.42% from two or more races. There were 139 households, out of which 46.8% had children under
93-472: A U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether or not it is cut off from the main stream. In South Texas , oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called resacas . In Australia , oxbow lakes are called billabongs . An oxbow lake forms when a meandering river erodes through the neck of one of its meanders . This takes place because meanders tend to grow and become more curved over time. The river then follows
124-563: A career in banking. After gaining his initial experience as cashier of the State National Bank in Fort Worth , he was an incorporator of Decatur's City National Bank, and served as its vice president. His later ventures included establishing and serving as president of banks in cities and towns including Mineral Wells , Perrin , Bridgeport , and Paradise . A Democrat , Williams served as Wise County Clerk from 1898 to 1902. In 1919, he
155-662: A large event by the Southern Female Rights Union. Part of the movie Crossroads was filmed in Beulah. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km ), all land. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Beulah has
186-474: A plantation. Beulah was one of its villages. Mississippi River boats landed at points in the community, and there was a noted river trade. Freshwater clam harvesting – "clammin" – enabled a thriving pearl button industry. In 1863, Union soldiers altered the course of the river by constructing a channel to avoid Beulah Bend, and the town became shut off from river commerce. The pearl button industry declined, as freshwater clams tend to concentrate in
217-555: A river channel is straightened artificially to improve navigation or for flood alleviation. This occurred notably on the upper Rhine in Germany in the nineteenth century. An example of an entirely artificial waterway with oxbows is the Oxford Canal in England. When originally constructed, it had a very meandering course, following the contours of the land, but the northern part of the canal
248-419: A shorter course that bypasses the meander. The entrances to the abandoned meander eventually silt up, forming an oxbow lake. Because oxbow lakes are stillwater lakes, with no current flowing through them, the entire lake gradually silts up, becoming a bog or swamp and then evaporating completely. When a river reaches a low-lying plain, often in its final course to the sea or a lake , it meanders widely. In
279-495: Is because rivers with high sinuosity have larger meanders, and greater opportunity for longer lakes to form. Rivers with lower sinuosity are characterized by fewer cutoffs and shorter oxbow lakes due to the shorter distance of their meanders. Oxbow lakes serve as important wetland ecosystems. In the United States, oxbow lakes serve as the primary habitat for water tupelo and the iconic bald cypress . The numerous oxbow lakes of
310-541: Is named after the Christian hymn Beulah Land , a favorite of Frank A. Montgomery , an early settler to western Bolivar County. The land southwest of Beulah was owned by a Choctaw family in the 1830s. A series of lawsuits caused them to lose their land, and Charles Clark took ownership. Clark established the Doro Plantation during the late 1840s and early 1850s, which grew to over 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) and became
341-480: Is partly downstream and partly across the river toward the convex bank. As it flows along the floor of the river, it sweeps loose material toward the convex bank. This flow of the boundary layer is significantly different from the speed and direction of the primary flow of the river, and is part of the river's secondary flow . River flood plains that contain rivers with a highly sinuous platform are populated by longer oxbow lakes than those with low sinuosity . This
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#1732883404724372-532: The Amazon River are a favorable habitat for the giant river otter . Oxbow lakes may also be suitable locations for aquaculture . Oxbow lakes contribute to the health of a river ecosystem by trapping sediments and agricultural runoff, thereby removing them from the main river flow. However, this is destructive of the oxbow lake ecosystem itself. Oxbow lakes are also vulnerable to heavy metal contamination from industrial sources. Oxbow lakes may be formed when
403-460: The Great Migration north by railroad to Chicago and other northern industrial cities, but others remained, with strong local ties. Blues musician W. C. Handy once invited Charley Patton to watch his band perform in Beulah. Patton got in free, and when he observed that Handy's musicians were all strict score-reading performers, he gave up all ambition of playing with their band. Beulah
434-918: The Insular Affairs , Expenditures in the Executive Departments , and Territories committees. Williams was chairman of the Committee on Territories in the 72nd Congress. He was an advocate of independence for the Philippines , and statehood for Hawaii . Williams did not run for reelection in 1932. After leaving the House in March 1933, he was appointed to manage the Regional Agricultural Credit Corporation in San Angelo, Texas . In addition, he
465-413: The boundary layer across the floor of the bowl is inward toward the center. The primary flow might be expected to fling the dense particles to the perimeter of the bowl, but instead the secondary flow sweeps the particles toward the center. The curved path of a river around a bend makes the water's surface slightly higher on the outside of the bend than on the inside. As a result, at any elevation within
496-781: The Masonic Orphanage in Fort Worth to attend college each year. Williams died in San Angelo, Texas on January 9, 1948. He was interred in Decatur Cemetery in Decatur, Texas . A street in Manila , Philippines is named for Williams in recognition of his work on the Committee on Territories. In 1893, Williams married Minnie Leatherwood (1873-1966). They were the parents of three daughters and one son, actor Guinn "Big Boy" Williams . [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of
527-610: The United States Congress Beulah, Mississippi Beulah is a town in Bolivar County , Mississippi , United States. Per the 2020 census , the population was 242. Beulah is served by Mississippi Highway 1 . Lake Beulah , an oxbow lake formerly connected to the Mississippi River , is west of the town. The Illinois Central Railroad had a station in Beulah, but the line is now abandoned. Beulah
558-420: The age of 18 living with them, 28.1% were married couples living together, 38.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 3.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 38.9% under
589-459: The age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 12.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 24,861, and the median income for a family was $ 25,341. Males had a median income of $ 22,500 versus $ 19,205 for females. The per capita income for
620-488: The bends of rivers, though many families still participate in clam harvesting at places they can access the river. Altering the river's course also destroyed the nearby towns of Prentiss and Napoleon . In 1866, Montgomery donated the village of Beulah to the county, and gave $ 1,600 to build a courthouse. A two-room log jail was also built. Beulah became the first county seat, and had a Masonic Lodge, church, school, bank, stores, and post office. The Bolivar Times newspaper
651-408: The bowl. Set the water into circular motion with one hand or a spoon. The dense particles quickly sweep into a neat pile in the center of the bowl. This is the mechanism that leads to the formation of point bars and contributes to the formation of oxbow lakes. The primary flow of water in the bowl is circular and the streamlines are concentric with the side of the bowl. However, the secondary flow of
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#1732883404724682-433: The concave bank and transporting them to the convex bank is the work of the secondary flow across the floor of the river in the vicinity of a river bend. The process of deposition of silt, sand and gravel on the convex bank is clearly illustrated in point bars . The effect of the secondary flow can be demonstrated using a circular bowl. Partly fill the bowl with water and sprinkle dense particles such as sand or rice into
713-541: The most prosperous slave-owning plantation in the region. It continued to operate after the end of slavery until 1913. During that time, the Mississippi River flowed next to Beulah along "Beulah Bend" (now Lake Beulah), and Clark was often visited by Mark Twain while writing Life on the Mississippi . In 1858, Frank A. Montgomery purchased a tract of land along the river north of the Doro Plantation and established
744-431: The river, water pressure is slightly greater near the outside of the bend than on the inside. A pressure gradient toward the convex bank provides the centripetal force necessary for each parcel of water to follow its curved path. The boundary layer that flows along the river floor does not move fast enough to balance the pressure gradient laterally across the river. It responds to this pressure gradient, and its velocity
775-508: The town was $ 8,631. About 31.8% of families and 33.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 40.3% of those under age 18 and 44.0% of those age 65 or over. Beulah is served by the West Bolivar School District . Oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off , creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to
806-511: The two neighboring concave banks is finally cut through, either by lateral erosion of the two concave banks or by the strong currents of a flood . When this happens a new, straighter river channel develops—and an abandoned meander loop, called a cutoff , forms. When deposition finally seals off the cutoff from the river channel, an oxbow lake forms. This process can occur over a time from a few years to several decades, and may sometimes become essentially static. Gathering of erosion products near
837-456: The vicinity of a river bend, deposition occurs on the convex bank (the bank with the smaller radius). In contrast, both lateral erosion and undercutting occur on the cut bank or concave bank (the bank with the greater radius). Continuous deposition on the convex bank and erosion of the concave bank of a meandering river cause the formation of a very pronounced meander with two concave banks getting closer. The narrow neck of land between
868-584: Was active with the Texas Production Credit Corporation, Texas Goat Raisers Association, and Texas Wool and Mohair Company. Williams was active in the Methodist churches of Decatur and San Angelo, and was an officer of the Sons of Confederate Veterans of Texas. He was also a 32nd degree Mason , and his Masonic activities included creating an educational fund that enabled six to ten male residents of
899-478: Was also edited there. In 1872, the county seat was moved to Floreyville (now called Rosedale ). After the Civil War, numerous freedmen bought and cleared land in the bottomlands away from the river. By 1910, declining financial and social conditions had caused most to lose their land, forcing them to work as sharecroppers and laborers. Beginning in the early 1900s, thousands of blacks left Mississippi as part of
930-459: Was elected to the Texas State Senate , and he served from 1920 to 1922. In 1922, Williams was elected to the 67th Congress, filling the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Lucian W. Parrish . He was reelected to the 68th Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, and served from May 22, 1922 to March 3, 1933. During his U.S. House tenure, Williams served on
961-457: Was mentioned in Eudora Welty 's Death of a Traveling Salesman : Bowman had wanted to reach Beulah by dark, to go to bed and sleep off his fatigue. As he remembered, Beulah was fifty miles away from the last town, on a graveled road. This was only a cow trail. How had he ever come to such a place? One hand wiped the sweat from his face, and he drove on. In 1970, Beulah was chosen as the site for