Local residents claim that the toponym is connected to Tuktamysh-bay of the Tura-khan clan, who stopped here in the 14th century. And the spring has borne his name ever since.
According to Doctor of Historical Sciences Bulat Aznabaev, the legend may be linked to the Golden Horde khan Tokhtamysh. After a crushing defeat on the Kondurcha River in 1391, Tokhtamysh fled. And his path lay precisely through these lands. Almost all of Bashkiria fought on his side, and now the warriors had to retreat eastward, away from the vengeance of the invincible Timur. They marched through the steppes of the modern Chishminsky district and could well have stopped at this very spring to water their horses and bandage their wounds. It is possible that the khan himself was here, making his way to Siberia, where he was destined to find his final resting place.
"Tuktamysh is a very rare name for Bashkirs. It's unlikely there was another wealthy man known to the people for them to compose legends about him," reasons Professor Aznabaev.
But the land itself remembers not only khans and battles. These expanses were the patrimony of the Subi-Minsk Bashkirs until they were confiscated by the treasury in 1736. Later, Mishars settled here, founding the village of Verkhnie Termy. By 1906, the village already had three mosques, a school, and a mill – life went on as usual, and the legendary spring continued to gush from the ground.
Today, its waters, just as cold, flow towards the village and gather in a pond. Local fishermen value this place for its catch of crucian carp and carp, but swimmers tend to avoid it – the water is too icy.