PATRON – Ira Harmon piloted boats down the Coosa to the Alabama River during the Civil War
Unlock with Patreon
You may also like
23 comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Secession? I timidly ask?
The Confederate states seceded from the Federal states
The South “Sessioned” lol….i caught that too Sara.
Mr. Harmon tells own story. Is he kin to y’all?
Frieda Harmon Polk
Clark Harmon
Any info on the Sims family?
That’s BS The Coosa hade to many sholes and rapids for large boates. My grandfather was fished the Coosa at Childersburg. He new the other fisherman up and down the river. He said he could only fish between rapids and sholes. The dams raised the water level above the rapids, but just like sholes and rapids they too stopped boats from going down the Coosa. Now after the Coosa converges with the Tallapoosa river to become the Alabama river, your story is true.
Maybe the story meant the Cahaba River instead of the Coosa River.
Or trains pulling coal on RXR Tracks.
James Morris the story says that the trip could only be made when the river was high. This would make it possible to pass the shoals.
No it wouldn’t, when the river is up in the trees very fast and curved . All rapid’s that are covered up, create other problems of a worse kind. My grandfather couldn’t navigate the Coosa in high water in his fishing boat. Go float the COOSA below Jordan Dam at 20.000 cf then we’ll chat.
James Morris http://www.riverboatdaves.com/areas/coosa-1.html
James Morris there were steam riverboats that went from Rome, Ga to Gadsden and beyond.
Maybe before the lakes were built the rivers between were deeper? I don’t know…
A flat boat could be floated over the shoals during high water by a skillful pilot.
I am sure the coal was unloaded at Wilsonville and shipped from there to Selma by train during low water
James Morris The story is referring to events that occurred in 1861-1865, over 150 years ago. Conditions have probably changed significantly since then.
There were five large rock shelves across the river in Talladega county alone. the Indians called them fish traps. you had to carry all boats around them. If the water was overflowing them the boats could only go downstream. It was a one-way trip. Dams have covered them up now.
I have seen the 5 fish traps and fished them. I did not read a story i saw it with my own eyes.
No coal was ever brought to the Wilsonville Power Plant by a boat or barge.
No. It meant the Coosa. It could be done and was done but took a full river to do it
Joey West one captain piloted his two boats all the way to Mobile to escape the Union at high water
Maybe, but it was a one way trip down steam in flooded water’s. Lol
Jodi McDade
I can’t attest to this exact story but boats did run that section of the Coosa; however, the river had to be at full bank and overflowing for the big boats. It couldn’t be done at just any time
My relative (dna) ran at ferry boat there would like to know more