Putting Loafing Streams To Work: The Building of Lay, Mitchell, Martin, and Jordan Dams, 1910-1929

This is the story of the human effort that went into completing one
of the most complex feats of engineering in Alabama history, the building
of four major hydroelectric dams by the Alabama Power Company.

 

Between 1910 and 1930 the Alabama Power Company built
four major hydroelectric projects: Lay Dam (1914), Mitchell Dam (1923),
and Jordan Dam (1929) on the Coosa River and Martin Dam (1926) on the Tallapoosa
River. When the turbines began spinning and electricity began to flow
from the power houses to farms, towns, and cities, Alabama moved from the
19th into the 20th century.

Constructed in remote areas of the state, the dams were
unique projects, yet they all had elements in common. The company had to
build transportation networks to get men and material to the sites. Workers,
skilled and unskilled, black and white, were recruited, brought in, housed,
and fed. When wives and children joined the men, worker camps became towns,
with schools, churches, medical clinics, and recreational facilities. These
towns were at once a reflection of their culture--and a look into a future
that electricity would make possible.

Putting "Loafing Streams" to Work is the story of
life in the towns and on the jobs. This story will help us better understand
the impact of Alabama Power's early activities and how Alabamians responded
to the forces of industrialization.

Harvey H. Jackson III is Department Head and Professor
of History at Jacksonville State University and author of Rivers of
History: Life on the Coosa, Tallapoosa, Cahaba, and Alabama.