The Coosa River is the major tributary when it joins the Tallapoosa River near Wetumpka, Alabama to form the Alabama River.

The Coosa River is one of Alabama's most developed rivers. It begins at the confluence of the Oostanaula and Etowah Rivers in the northwestern corner of Georgia. Around 90% of the Coosa River's length is located in Alabama. The river starts in Rome, Georgia and ends just northeast of the Alabama state capital, Montgomery, where it joins the Tallapoosa River to form the Alabama River just south of Wetumpka. Coosa County, Alabama is located on the Coosa River. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 447 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1360 × 1822 pixel, file size: 458 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Alabama River Coosa River ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 447 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1360 × 1822 pixel, file size: 458 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Alabama River Coosa River ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... Confluence of Rhine and Mosel at Koblenz In geography, a confluence describes the point where two rivers meet and become one, usually when a tributary joins a more major river. ... The Oostanaula River (pronounced oo-stuh-NAW-luh) is a principal tributary of the Coosa River, about 45 mi (70 km) long, in northwestern Georgia in the United States. ... The Etowah River rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, north of Atlanta. ... Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. ... Coordinates: Country United States State Alabama County Montgomery Incorporated December 3, 1819 Mayor Bobby Bright Area    - City 404. ... The Tallapoosa River is a river that runs from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia in the United States south and west into Alabama. ... The Alabama River at Montgomery in 2004 The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about six miles above Montgomery. ... There is also the Wetumpka crater Wetumpka is a city located in Elmore County, Alabama. ... Coosa County is a county of the State of Alabama. ...

There are a total of seven dams between Georgia and the Coosa’s confluence with the Tallapoosa River which impound the Coosa River's natural flow for almost its entire length in Alabama. Hydroelectric power dams have proved very valuable to the citizens of Alabama, but costly to some species endemic to the mainstem of the Coosa River. In Alabama itself, most of the river has been impounded, with Alabama Power, a unit of the Southern Company, maintaining seven power dams on the Coosa River to this day. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Hydroelectricity is the worlds most important renewable energy source The Nagarjuna dam & hydro-electric plant, India Hydroelectricity is electricity produced by hydropower. ... Endemic, in a broad sense, can mean belonging or native to, characteristic of, or prevalent in a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; Native to an area or scope. ... Alabama Power is a company in the southern United States that provides electricity service to 1. ... Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a US electricity corporation. ...

History

Native Americans had been living on the Coosa Valley for millennia before Hernando de Soto and his men became the first Europeans to discover it in 1540. De Soto[Spain] enslaved, raped, and murdered thousands of people from the native tribes, as he demanded their food and natural resources, as they explored the valley (present-day Alabama and Georgia). The Coosa chiefdom was one of the most powerful chiefdoms in the southeast at the time. The natives were not pleased with the manner in which de Soto ravaged their land, forcing the Choctaw chief, Tuscaloosa, to stage an attack on de Soto and his men in Mauvila, in the south of Alabama. Although the battle was won by the Spanish, de Soto soon left the state demoralized and headed westward. However, the toll on the tribes were far greater, with the widespread disease, especially smallpox, left by the Spanish killing off many of Choctaw tribes over a period of decades. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Hernando de Soto. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... The Coosa chiefdom was a powerful Native American chiefdom near what is now Carters, Georgia, in the United States. ... For other uses, see Choctaw (disambiguation). ... Tuscaloosa (d. ...

Over a century after the Spanish left the Coosa Valley, the British established heavy trading ties with the tribes around the late 17th century, much to the dismay of France. The French believed that the Coosa River was a key gateway to the entire South and they earnestly wanted to control the valley, since the main transportation of the day was by boat. The convergence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers was the gateway to Mobile Bay, which was where the French docked coming and going from their home countries. The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... A container ship // “Water transport” redirects here. ... Mobile Bay - Landsat photo Mobile and Mobile Bay from space, June 1991 During a jubilee along the shores of Mobile Bay, blue crabs & flounder come to shallow water near shore Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. ...

In the 18th century, almost all trade European and Indian trade in the southeast ceased during the tribal uprisings brought on by the Yamasee War against the Carolinas. After a few years, the Indian trade system was resumed under somewhat reformed policies. The conflict between the French and English over the Coosa Valley, and much of the southeast in general, continued. It wasn't until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, ending the French and Indian War, that France relinquished its holdings east of the Mississippi River. The Yamasee War (1715–1716) was a conflict between Native Americans, principally of the Yamasee tribe, and British colonists, which occurred in South Carolina. ... The Carolina Colony grants Haystack of 1663 and 1665 The Province of Carolina from 1663 to 1729, was a North American British colony. ... The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. ... Combatants France First Nations allies: * Algonquin * Lenape * Wyandot * Ojibwa * Ottawa * Shawnee Great Britain Iroquois Confederacy American Colonies Strength 3,900 regulars 7,900 militia 2,200 natives (1759) 50,000 regulars and militia (1759) The French and Indian War was the nine-year North American chapter of the Seven Years...

After the United States won its independence, the Coosa Valley was home to the Creeks and the Cherokee. After the Fort Mims massacre, General Andrew Jackson led American troops, along with Cheroke allies, against the Creeks in the Creek War, which culminated in the Creek defeat at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Afterwards, the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814 forced the cession of a large amount of land from the Creeks, but left them a reserve between the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers. Even there the Creeks were edged out by white settlers who had begun moving into the places which were not included in the nation. Finally, during the 1820s and 1830s the Creeks, Cherokee, and virtually all the southeastern Indians were removed to present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee removal is remembered as the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee capital city of New Echota was located on the headwater tributaries of the Coosa River, in Georgia, until the Cherokee removal. The Creek and Choctaw removals were similar to the Cherokee Trail of Tears. After the removals, the Coosa River valley and the southeast in general was wide open for American settlers. This, in conjunction with new cotton hybrids that could be grown inland, resulted in large-scale migrations known as "Alabama Fever". The Creeks are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States, also known by their original name Muscogee (or Muskogee), the name they use to identify themselves today. ... For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ... Fort Mims Massacre External Links A Drawing of Fort Mims Description of Massacre at Rootsweb Categories: Battles of the Creek War | 1813 ... For other uses, see Andrew Jackson (disambiguation). ... Combatants United States Lower Creeks Cherokees Red Sticks (Creek Indians) Commanders Andrew Jackson John Coffee William McIntosh William Weatherford Menawa Peter McQueen Strength 7,000 4,000 Casualties 500 Settlers 125 Soldiers 1,900 The Creek War (1813–1814), also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil... Combatants Creek Indians Red Sticks United States Cherokee Creek allies Commanders Menawa Andrew Jackson Strength 1,000 Red Stick Creek about 2,000 infantry 700 mounted infantry 600 Cherokee and Lower Creeks Casualties 800 49 killed 154 wounded // Although having nothing to do with the British or Canadians, the battle... The Treaty of Fort Jackson, also known as the Treaty with the Creeks, 1814 was signed on August 9, 1814 at Fort Jackson near Wetumpka, Alabama following the defeat of the Red Stick ( Upper Creek) resistance by United States forces at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on the banks of... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... This monument at the New Echota Historic Site honors Cherokees who died on the Trail of Tears. ... The monument on New Echota Historic Site honored the Cherokees who died on the Trail of Tears. ...

The first river town to form in the Coosa Basin was at the foot of the last water falls on the Coosa River, the Devil’s Staircase, with the town name Wetumpka (or "falling stream") adopted shortly thereafter.

The Coosa River played an important role into the early 20th century as a commercial waterway for riverboats along the upper section of the river for 200 miles south of Rome. However, shoals and waterfalls such the Devil's Staircase along the river's lowest 65 miles blocked the upper Coosa's riverboats from access to the Alabama River and the Gulf of Mexico. A riverboat is a specialized watercraft (vessel) designed for operating on inland waterways. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ...

The building of the dams on the Coosa--Lay, Mitchell and Jordan--allowed Alabama Power to pioneer new methods of controlling and eliminating Malaria which was a major health issue in rural Alabama in the early 1900's. So successful were their pioneering efforts in this area, that the Medical Division of the League of Nations visited Alabama to study the new methods during the construction of Mitchell Dam.^[1] Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919-1920. ...

The Popeye The Sailorman cartoons were inspired by Coosa River riverboat life and characters of the early 1900s in Rome, GA.^[2] For other uses, see Popeye (disambiguation). ...

Coosa River Impoundments

The following table outlines the seven impoundments on the Coosa River from the south to north built by the Alabama Power Company. Henry H. Jackson III in his book Putting Loafing Streams To Work characterized the importance of the first Coosa River dams as follows:

Prior to 1912 only seventy-two Alabama communities had electricity, but by 1928, when Jordan Dam went into operation, Alabama Power served four hundred twentry-one communities in sixty-one of Alabama's sixty-seven counties. The company also provided power for coal and iron mines, cotton mills, cement plants, quarries, steel plants and rolling mills, foundries, pipe plants and machine shops, ice plants public utilities, and electric furnance installations, industries that put thousands of [Alabama] citizens to work.^[3]

Impoundment	Description	Images
Lake Jordan	Lake Jordan was impounded December 31, 1928 and named after the maiden name (Jordan) of the mother of Reuben and Sidney Mitchell, who were instrumental in the construction of Mitchell Dam on the Coosa River. The dam is 125 ft high and impounds 6800 acres (28 km²). Lake Jordan has a surface elevation of 252’ MSL and 180 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Wetumpka, Alabama. It is an Alabama Power lake with an 100,000 Kilowatt generating capacity. Lake Jordan is an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid and white bass. It was the location of the 2004 Bass Masters Classic Tournament. The lake has two public access sites maintained by Alabama Power.[4]
Lake Bouldin	Impounded July 27, 1967 and named for Walter Bouldin, Bouldin is part of Lake Jordan and is connected to Lake Jordan and the Coosa River by two man made canals. Bouldin added 225,000 kilowatt generating power to the Lake Jordan system. On February 10, 1975, an earth embankment section of Walter Bouldin Dam was breached, causing total evacuation of the forebay reservoir and rendering the 225-MW power plant inoperable. [5] [6]
Lake Mitchell	Lake Mitchell was impounded August 15, 1923 and named for James Mitchell, Alabama Power president from 1912 to 1920. The dam impounds 5850 acres (24 km²) and created a lake with 147 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Clanton, Alabama. Lake Mitchell is an Alabama Power lake with an 170,000 kilowatt generating capacity. It is an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, walleye, striped bass, hybrid and white bass. Alabama Power maintains three public access sites on the lake. [7]
Lake Lay	Lake Lay was impounded in 1914 and named after Captain William Patrick Lay, the first Alabama Power President. The dam impounds 12,000 acres (49 km²) with a shoreline of 289 miles. The nearest towns is Columbiana, Alabama. Lake Lay is an Alabama Power lake with 177,000 kilowatt generating capacity. It is an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid and white bass. Alabama Power maintains seven public access sites on the lake. Lay Dam was one of the earliest concrete dams in the US and its construction helped pioneer dam building technology in the early 20th century. [8]
Lake Logan Martin	Lake Logan Martin was impounded August 10, 1964 and named after William Logan Martin, Jr. He was a circuit court judge in Montgomery and also served as attorney general for the State of Alabama. The lake covers 15,263 acres (61.8 km²) and has 275 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Pell City, Alabama. Lake Logan Martin is an Alabama Power lake with an 128,250 Kilowatt annual generating capacity. It is an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid and white bass. Alabama Power maintains three public access sites on the lake. [9]
Lake Neely Henry	Lake Neely Henry was impounded June 2, 1966 and named for H. Neely Henry, a senior executive vice-president of Alabama Power Company. The dam impounds 11,200 acres (45.3 km²) with 339 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Rainbow City, Alabama. Lake Neely Henry is an Alabama Power lake with an 72,900 kilowatt generating capacity. It is an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid and white bass. Alabama Power maintains three public access sites on the lake. [10]
Lake Weiss	Lake Weiss was impounded June 5, 1961 and named for F.C. Weiss, a former chief engineer of Alabama Power. The dam impounds a 30,200 acres (122 km²) lake with 447 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Leesburg, Alabama. Lake Weiss is an Alabama Power lake with an 87,750 kilowatt generating capacity. It is an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid and white bass. Weiss Lake is renown for it excellent crappie fishing and often called the “Crappie Capital of the World”. Alabama Power maintains five Public Access sites on the lake. [11]

Binomial name Micropterus salmoides The Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a species of fish. ... Binomial name Micropterus punctulatus (Rafinesque, 1819) The spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. ... Binomial name Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 The Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a species of freshwater fish. ... Species - white crappie - black crappie Pomoxis is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. ... Families Akysidae Amblycipitidae Amphiliidae Andinichthyidae â€  Ariidae Aspredinidae Astroblepidae Auchenipteridae Austroglanididae Bagridae Callichthyidae Cetopsidae Chacidae Clariidae Claroteidae Cranoglanididae Diplomystidae Doradidae Erethistidae Heptapteridae Hypsidoridae â€  Ictaluridae Lacantuniidae Loricariidae Malapteruridae Mochokidae Nematogenyidae Pangasiidae Pimelodidae Plotosidae Pseudopimelodidae Schilbeidae Scoloplacidae Siluridae Sisoridae Trichomycteridae Conorhynchos (incertae sedis) Ancharias (incertae sedis) Catfish (order Siluriformes) are a very diverse... Binomial name Morone saxatilis (Walbaum, 1792) The striped bass Morone saxatilis is a member of the temperate bass family native to North America but widely introduced elsewhere. ... Binomial name Morone saxatilis (Walbaum, 1792) The striped bass Morone saxatilis is a member of the temperate bass family native to North America but widely introduced elsewhere. ... Binomial name Morone chrysops (Rafinesque, 1820) The white bass or sand bass (Morone chrysops) is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Clanton is a city in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Columbiana is a city located in Shelby County, Alabama. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Pell City is a city located in St. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Rainbow City is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Leesburg is a town located in Cherokee County, Alabama. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Flora and Fauna Biodiversity Highlights

In the Middle Coosa River Watershed, 281 occurrences of rare plant and animal species and natural communities have been documented, including 73 occurrences of 23 species that are federal or state protected. Ten conservation targets were chosen: the riverine system, matrix forest communities (oakhickory- pine forest), gray bat (Myotis grisescens), riparian vegetation, mountain longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest communities, red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), critically imperiled aquatic species (fish, mussels, and snails), southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), caddisflies, and imperiled plants. Maintaining the biodiversity of the Coosa River system is particularly important because it has already lost a significant portion of its aquatic fauna to extinction.^[12]

Tributaries

The Coosa River's drainage has hundreds of tributaries, which have been divided into sections based on the different areas of the watershed. The first four sections are tributary systems that converge to form the main artery of the Coosa River in Georgia. These main tributary rivers are the Conasauga and Coosawattee Rivers, which together then form the Oostanaula River. The Oostanaula then joins with the Etowah River in Rome, Georgia, forming the Coosa River. This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Other significant tributaries of the Coosa are:

• Amicalola Creek
• Armuchee Creek
• Big Wills Creek
• Cartecay River
• Cedar Creek
• Chattooga River
• Chocolocco Creek
• Coahulla River
• Ellijay River
• Hatchett Creek
• Heath Creek
• Little River
• Mill Creek
• Mountain Creek
• Raccoon Creek
• Rock Creek
• Spring Creek
• Sugar Creek
• Terrapin Creek
• Weogufka Creek (through Hatchett Creek)

Raccoon Creek may refer to: Raccoon Creek in New Jersey in the United States. ...

Major Cities

A number of significant cities lie on the banks of the Coosa River. They include:

• Childersburg, Alabama - Near Lay Lake
• Gadsden, Alabama - Between Weiss and H. Neely Henry Lakes
• Rainbow City, Alabama - On the Coosa due South of Gadsden
• Rome, Georgia - Headwaters
• Wetumpka, Alabama - Near confluence with Tallapoosa River forming the Alabama River

Childersburg is a city located in Talladega County, Alabama. ... The Spirit of American Citizenship Monument on Rainbow Drive (US 411), just before the Broad Street Bridge. ... Rainbow City is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. ... Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. ... Wetumpka is a city in Elmore County, Alabama, United States. ...

Advocates

The Coosa-Alabama River Improvement Association, founded in 1890 in Gadsden, Alabama to promote navigation on the Coosa River is a leading advocate of the economic, recreational and environmental benefits of the Coosa River system.^[27]

The Alabama Rivers Alliance works to unite the citizens of Alabama to protect peoples right to clean, healthy, waters.^[28]

Alabama Water Watch is dedicated to volunteer citizen monitoring of water quality in Alabama Rivers.^[29]

The Alabama Power Foundation is a non-profit foundation providing grants for watershed, environmental and community projects along the Coosa River and within the state of Alabama^[30]

The Coosa River Basin Initative is a grassroots environmental organization with the mission of informing and empowering citizens so that they may become involved in the process of creating a clean, healthy and economically viable Coosa River Basin.^[31]

References

• Atkins, Leah Rawl (2006). "Developed for the Service of Alabama" - The Centennial History of the Alabama Power Company 1906-2006. Birmingham, Alabama: Alabama Power Company. ISBN 978-0-9786753-0-1. 
• Jackson, Harvey H. III (1997). Putting Loafing Streams To Work-The Building of Lay, Mitchell, Martin, and Jordan Dams, 1910-1929. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0817308792. 
• Jackson, Harvey H. III (1995). Rivers of History - Life on the Coosa, Tallapoosa, Cahaba and Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0817307710. 

Notes

1. ^ Jackson, Harvey H. III, Putting Loafing Streams To Work, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, pages 113, 145-46, 1997.
2. ^ Rome Georgia Website
3. ^ Jackson, Harvey H. III, Putting Loafing Streams To Work, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, page 187, 1997.
4. ^ Alabama Power Website, Facts About Dams
5. ^ Alabama Power Website, Facts About Dams
6. ^ Department of Energy, Energy Citations Database
7. ^ Alabama Power Website, Facts About Dams
8. ^ Alabama Power Website, Facts About Dams
9. ^ Alabama Power Website, Facts About Dams
10. ^ Alabama Power Website, Facts About Dams
11. ^ Alabama Power Website, Facts About Dams
12. ^ Alabama Non-Point Source Newsletter, Spring 2004
13. ^ Mobile River Basin Coalition
14. ^ Reintroduction of Lake Sturgeon
15. ^ Nature Reserve - Alabama Sturgeon
16. ^ Freshwater Mussels In Alabama
17. ^ NatureServe Data on Green Pitcherplant
18. ^ Jordan, Robert A.,Species Profile: Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus) on Military Installations in the Southeastern United States, Technical Report SERDP-98-4, US Army Corps of Engineers, March 1998 [1]
19. ^ Joint Alabama Power-US Fish and Wildlife Service Coosa Biological Assessment (July 2005).
20. ^ Joint Alabama Power-US Fish and Wildlife Service Coosa Biological Assessment (July 2005).
21. ^ Alabama Power Weiss Lake Recreation Map On The Coosa River, 1999
22. ^ Alabama Power H. Neely Henry Lake Recreation Map On The Coosa River, 1999
23. ^ Alabama Power Lay Lake Recreation Map On The Coosa River, 1999
24. ^ Alabama Power Mitchell Lake Recreation Map On The Coosa River, 1999
25. ^ Alabama Power Jordan Lake Recreation Map On The Coosa River, 1999
26. ^ General Highway Map, Elmore County Alabama, State of Alabama Highway Department, 1985
27. ^ Coosa-Alabama River Improvement Association Website, History
28. ^ Alabama Rivers Alliance Website
29. ^ Alabama Water Watch Website
30. ^ Alabama Power Foundation Website
31. ^ Coosa River Basin Initative Website