Alabama (river)

Geography

Alabama is born from the meeting, with 25 kilometers in the north of Montgomery close to Wetumpka, of the rivers Tallapoosa and Coosa. It then takes the direction of the west, on approximately 150 kilometers, to the town of Selma, then inflects its race towards south-west, on nearly 330 km, until its meeting with Tombigbee close to Calvert, in the north of Mobile. While joining, the two rivers form the Mobile to rivet, river which is thrown in bay of Mobile on the Gulf of Mexico. The geological institute of the United States (United States Geological Survey) fixed the length of Alabama at 502 kilometers (of the junction of Tallapoosa and Coosa to the meeting of Tombigbee).

Except for the first part of its course until Montgomery, characterized by an average slope in a relatively broken ground, Alabama curves in the middle of a vast coastal plain by achieving many Méandre S. the very weak slope prevents a good water run-off and, in the event of risings, can lead to spectacular Inondation S, although not very fatal because the overflows of the river touch especially the unexploited low grounds, but it been necessary to still await a century and half to assist with the permanent installation colonists in this area of the United States. In 1714, the French, present around the current town of Mobile, anxious on the increasing influence of the British tradesmen, decided to build a fort on a strategic site enabling them to control exchanges and displacements in this part of the New world. Thus Fort Toulouse , first European establishment of the valley of Alabama was built, with the junction of the rivers Coosa and Tallapoosa. This site was used for a long time by the Indian tribes autochtones which had built Tumulus on left bank of the Coosa river. A dramatic episode of the history of the river intervened during the period hinge which separated the annexation from the territory of Alabama by the United States, all young sovereign nation, of its entry in the Union as a State twenty-second in 1819. It was held during the war which opposed, in 1813 - 1814, the Creek S and the colonists white who had settled close to the banks of the river and his affluents. Fearing for their safety and hardly hoping for a help of the federal armed forces, the colonists had built many forts, among which Fort Mims , built in a loop of Alabama on the territory of the current county of Baldwin. August 30th 1813, the fortified town was attacked and taken by Creeks ordered by an Indian mongrel, William Weatherford, known under the nickname of Red Eagle, the colonists and militiamans were systematically massacred or burned alives; more than 400 people perished, men, women and children. This carnage was one of most important Indian Guerres. This bloody victory did not prevent Creeks being overcome and from having to sign, on August 9th 1814, the treaty of Strong Jackson which them constrained to yield more half of their territory.

When the area found peace, that the land utilization was engaged, the culture of the Coton was spread along the river and in the valleys of its affluents. Cotton was the blood of the state of Alabama and the river the principal artery by which the fiber plant forwarded. Until the arrival of the Steamer during the Années 1820, the trade was carried out exclusively towards the downstream, but this technical innovation allowed a navigation as much towards the mouth that upstream. The main cities were built river on both sides where the rafts floated and sailed momentary steamboats transporting and cotton bolls. During this period which is approximately spread out 1825 with 1860, more than 200 landings the banks marked out (1 every 2,5 km!), allowing to charge or discharge, cotton, wood of heating, goods come from all the Union, to take on board or unload traders, growers, workers, adventurers or simple inhabitants. This golden age of Alabama was also that of the steamboats intended to satisfy the appetite of pleasures of the autochtones and qualified floating palates. The arrival of the railroad, then the American Civil War reflect a term with the splendor of Alabama.

Economy, navigation

Today still, agriculture remains an important activity in the economy of the basin of Alabama, especially in its lower course. The agricultural activities are mainly directed towards the vegetable productions: Corn, seeds of Soya, potatoes, Peanut S, Hay, but the livestock productions know a strong growth within the framework of the bovine breeding (meat, milk) and that, industrial, of the Volaille S. the progressive integration of the exploitations within the framework of the agro-industrial complex , their mechanization increasing illustrate the modernization of the sector. Industry is especially represented, in the averages and small towns, by the agro-alimentary one and the linked activities with wood (paper mill with Selma); the agglomeration of Montgomery largely diversified its activities since more than one decade, accessible, inter alia, the first factory Hyundaï on the ground states-unien.

Alabama is navigable on the totality of its course but the navigation of Wetumpka to the Mobile to rivet is regarded as delicate because of the variations of flow of the river. It is in 1945 that the Congrès decided to engage of colossal work to make navigable, during the major part of the year, the river with the boats of large gauge. The totality of the infrastructures was completed in 1972 with the startup of the last of the three Barrage S which control the course of Alabama: the Robert F Henry lock and prejudice , 25 kilometers upstream of Selma. This last supplemented the 2 preceding works built downstream and opened with navigation in 1969: the Clairbone lock and prejudice located at 132 km of the junction with Tombigbee and the Millers Ferry lock and prejudice localized to 230 km of the discharge system. These stoppings created vast lakes of reserve, namely of upstream downstream: R.E. “Bob” Woodruff lake which bathes the south of Montgomery, the William “Bill” Dannelly lake and the Clairbone lake in a channel of 200 feet broad is reached, a reduced circulation is tolerated when the depth lies between 7,5 and 9 feet. The river traffic decreased since the medium of the Années 1980 because of the bad conditions of navigation (prolonged drynesses) and of the competition of the other means of transport. The situation worsened quickly and seriously; whereas in 1986, the traffic had reached its level more raised, that is to say 4,1 million tons, it did not exceed 600.000 tons in 1999, the essence of this one making up of forest products (barks, sawlog…). The last figures reveal a stabilization around 500.000 tons at the beginning of the Années 2000.

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