UID:
edocfu_9959226884902883
Format:
1 online resource (280 p.)
,
ill
ISBN:
0-585-23670-4
Content:
This is the story of the human effort that went into completing oneof the most complex feats of engineering in Alabama history, the buildingof four major hydroelectric dams by the Alabama Power Company.Between 1910 and 1930 the Alabama Power Company builtfour major hydroelectric projects: Lay Dam (1914), Mitchell Dam (1923),and Jordan Dam (1929) on the Coosa River and Martin Dam (1926) on the TallapoosaRiver. When the turbines began spinning and electricity began to flowfrom the power houses to farms, towns, and cities, Alabama moved from the19th into the 20th century.Constructed in remote areas of the state, the dams wereunique projects, yet they all had elements in common. The company had tobuild 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. Thesetowns were at once a reflection of their culture--and a look into a futurethat electricity would make possible.Putting "Loafing Streams" to Work is the story oflife in the towns and on the jobs. This story will help us better understandthe impact of Alabama Power's early activities and how Alabamians respondedto the forces of industrialization.
Additional Edition:
ISBN 0-8173-0889-X
Language:
English
