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Remember When: The Ark Restaurant

From Prohibition to Pandemic,
Still Going Strong

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Graham Hadley
Submittted photos

If you’re not from around here, the sign wouldn’t draw you in, and the name wouldn’t make sense. The building is not an imposing brown boat, nor is it floating in water. The Coosa River is an important part of the story, though. The history is as fascinating as the food is good.

It’s a story that began in 1930 when E.O. “Red” Thompson decided to play a game of cat and mouse with the local authorities. After a decade of Prohibition, he hatched a plan to open a bar and restaurant.

His first step was to buy and refurbish an old dredging barge and park it 30 feet off the banks of the Coosa River. He outfitted it with a kitchen and tables and chairs and called it “The Ark.” He sold beer for 15 cents a can. Sixty cents would get you all the catfish and hushpuppies you could eat.

Customers to this floating speakeasy could either walk in on the gangplank or tie off by boat. Since the Coosa divided the counties of St. Clair and Talladega, The Ark was not in the jurisdiction of either county.

Local legend tells that if the Talladega authorities were on the way, he’d move to the St. Clair side of the water. If the authorities from St. Clair were on the way, he’d move to the Talladega side.

It was a dance that lasted for the next three years until the 21^st Amendment ended Prohibition. The barge eventually burned and sank, and Thompson built a log building on land and reopened the restaurant and bar. When that location also burned, he built the current building in Riverside just south of the Coosa River bridge on U.S. 78.

Bought in the late 70s by retired newspaper editor and publisher Bob and Sylvia Cornett, the new owners operated the restaurant with more emphasis on developing recipes and relationships than on evading the law. They kept catfish as their primary draw but gave the place a more family-friendly feel.

The opening of the Talladega Super Speedway in 1969 gave them a whole new clientele and they began to see NASCAR drivers like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt on a regular basis. Autographed pictures of famous drivers and politicians grace the walls, giving a nod to the global appeal of a great plate of catfish. Recently, comedian Darren Knight was a guest.

Current owner Shirley Abts says they still get some business around race weekends, but it’s not what it used to be a decade ago. “Most of the drivers have their food catered now,” she said. “They just stay in their trailers and have the food come to them.”

Shirley and her (now deceased) husband, Richard, bought The Ark in 2013. They already had the Cropwell restaurant Even Odds when they were approached by Sylvia Cornett. “Sylvia came to me and asked me to buy it. They were struggling, and she said she was going to lose it if I didn’t buy it, so I did,” said Abts. “I had been coming here to The Ark for 30 years, and I didn’t want to see it close.”

Diverse chapters comprise Ark story

The restaurant was used as a movie set in 2019. The producers of the Netflix original, The Devil All the Time, starring Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgard and Sebastian Stan transformed The Ark into a 1960s diner, even replacing the sign with one calling it White Cow Diner, undoubtedly confusing passersby.

Antique cars lined the parking lot. “They came in and put up the sign and took out the air conditioners, fans and light fixtures,” Abts explained. “Then they put up curtains and a lot of 60s décor. Before they left, they put it ‘mostly’ back together,” she adds, with a chuckle. They did pay well enough, according to Abts, to pay the entire staff for several days they were not able to work due to the closure for filming.

2019 was a tough year for Abts, though, with the death of her husband early in the year, followed by a triple bypass surgery for her before the year ended. Then, just weeks after getting out of the hospital, she was told she had to close the restaurant when the pandemic halted in-person dining.

She acknowledges the community as being the blessing that came from that experience. “People supported us through that. People lined up outside for takeout orders seven days a week. And they tipped well to take care of our wait staff,” said Abts. “That was before delivery services like Door Dash and Jack Rabbit. It was so busy that we had to have a waitress go car to car taking orders because our phone was too busy that people couldn’t get through.”

The ’regulars’ and an icon

They have many loyal customers, including some who come every single day. Don’t ask for table six at 11:00; it’s reserved for Joey. He and his wife come in every day, from their jobs at a local auction house.

It’s the loyal customers that keep Sheerie Smith working there. She’s been a waitress at The Ark for over 20 years, starting when she was just 15. Her mom, aunt and grandmother also worked there, so the job has truly been a family affair. “We have a lot of the same customers that we’ve had for so many years,” says Smith. “These people have watched me grow up here. They ask about my kids. They’re family.”

As soon as she bought it, Abts found people who knew the original recipes that the previous owners had gotten away from. Then she rehired people who knew how to make those recipes.

She only buys U.S. farm-raised catfish and slices her produce fresh each day. “The former owners had been using frozen onions and when we went back to fresh cut, we could barely keep up with all the onion rings people wanted,” said Abts proudly. “Fresh makes a big difference in the taste.”

Shirley Abts overseeing the kitchen with Mary Caldwell

The difference is clearly a good one, as their catfish is listed on the Alabama Tourism Department’s 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die. They were also a finalist in Bama’s Best Catfish Restaurant competition by the Alabama Catfish Producers and the Catfish Institute’s Top Ten Restaurants in America to Eat Catfish.

They’ve recently added a new “Remix” sandwich that features catfish and shrimp with a rémoulade sauce, topped with lettuce and tomato. While catfish is their signature dish, the fish and shrimp combo is what they sell most. “We don’t play when it comes to shrimp,” adds Abts. “We have really big shrimp!” They’ve also added desserts to the menu, currently featuring a homemade cheesecake by local baker Barbara Miller. On occasion, they also have buttermilk pie.

As with any business operating post pandemic, she struggles to keep fully staffed. There are signs at each booth asking people to be patient regarding wait times. It’s worth the wait, adds Abts. “We use fresh food. We don’t precook anything. It’s made to order. That’s why it takes a little while to get your food.”

The tiny sign outside says, “The Ark Family Restaurant.” It’s a family restaurant with a small sign, an unremarkable building, a storied past, but touting a big flavor, seasoned with staff dedicated to keeping it firmly in place in the landscape of their community.

Weekends at the Birmingham Sailing Club

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted photos

Nearly every weekend of the year, the waters below Birmingham Sailing Club seem to roil with activity from serious competitors in different classes, like Flying Scots and Thistles, to better their standings on a national point system accumulated over the entire year.

“Every race counts,” said David Reich. “A finish in every race counts. That’s the reason it’s more competitive.”

Birmingham Sailing Club members continue to make their names known in the standings. Sally Morris just finished second in the Dallas Flying Scots Women’s North American Championship.

It’s hard to imagine that the vast expanse of water – the widest opening on Logan Martin Lake at a mile – was once a skinny river surrounded by farmland and thick forest 60 years ago.

Sam Caldwell, a thistler from Birmingham, used to take his boat to Lake Guntersville. In 1962, when Alabama Power Company planned to dam up the Coosa River near Birmingham to harness energy for hydroelectric power, Caldwell had a plan of his own.

With an Alabama Power map in hand, he scoured woods, pastureland and hillsides until he found just the right spot. In 1962, he and fellow thistler, Herb Hagler, signed an option on land near where Logan Martin Dam would be built. By December of that year, the purchase was complete “thanks to the help of fifteen foolhardy souls willing to pay initiation fees to a sailing club with no water,” according to the club’s history. Few knew anything about sailing but bought into the vision.

David Reich’s father was among the charter members, and he helps carry on the vision and the legacy today. “Those are the deepest ramps on the lake,” he said, motioning toward the dock and slips. “They were poured before the lake was here.”

Today, 46 sailing events a year are held there on weekends. Membership stands at 150. It offers adult learn to sail classes, junior sailing and fleet racing in Flying Scot, Thistle and Keelboat.

There are Sunday afternoon races throughout the year and one-day regattas once a month during spring and summer months, as well as invitational regattas that bring in entries from all around the Southeast.

Its nine acres on a knoll overlooking the lake also features a clubhouse, fixed and floating docks, parking, paved launching ramps and a lake swimming area.

Planned is an expanded patio and cooking terrace with a clubhouse entrance, named for Reich’s father, Harry C. Reich.

The elder Reich was “charter member, past commodore, visionary, competitor and sportsman,” according to the architectural rendering description. The Harry C. Reich Memorial Project is aimed at improving the use and appearance of the BSC facility and “enhance the entire BSC membership and guest experience.”

It’s just one more vision on that storied horizon.

The last of the Riverboat Men

Dave Evans Jr.
leaves behind a
storied legac

Story by Elaine Hobson Miller
Submitted photos

He loved Louis L’Amour novels, John Wayne movies and his family. He was an honest man who never borrowed money, who helped his neighbors and was strict with his kids. A witty man with a dry sense of humor. A hard worker who believed in giving an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.

This is how family and friends remember David Shepherd Evans Jr., owner of Greensport Marina, who died March 12 at the age of 91.

He was one of the last two ferrymen to shuttle people and their vehicles back and forth across the Coosa River. The other was his father, Dave Sr., who continued to operate the Greensport Ferry without his son’s help until the late 1950s.

“Dave Sr. took over operation of the ferry in the mid-1940s, and Dad helped him until 1957, when he went to work for Republic Steel in Gadsden,” says daughter Beth Evans Smith. “It gave him time to spend with his father.”

Dave Jr., known as Pop within the family, had told one of his ferry customers that he was going to look for another job because he had a baby on the way. Little did he know that the customer was the personnel manager at Republic. “He told Dad to be at the mill at a certain time, and when Dad got there, the man hired him,” Beth says.

The original Green’s Ferry was located on the banks of the Coosa River across from the home of former Revolutionary War soldier Jacob Green, built in 1832. That’s the same year the ferry was chartered to deliver mail. Pulled first by slaves and later by mules, by Dave Sr.’s day it was propelled with a small skiff powered by a six-horsepower outboard motor. The ferry took folks from Green’s Port (later Greensport) across the Coosa River to a point a few miles from Ohatchee.

The land attached to Greensport Marina was designated a Bicentennial Farm by the U.S. Department of Agriculture two years ago because it has been in the same family for eight generations. Dave Jr. was a direct descendent of Jacob Green, and his grandchildren make up the eighth generation.

The farm

Dave Evans Jr. and Extension Agent W.D. Jackson

The farm spans three counties and a couple of centuries. It is in St. Clair, Etowah and Calhoun counties. “It was also recognized as a Century and Heritage Farm by the Alabama Department of Agriculture,” Beth says. “Being a Bicentennial Farm is icing on the cake.”

The Century Farm designation is awarded to farms that have been in the same family continuously for at least 100 years and are currently being used for farming activities. A Heritage Farm must have been used as a family farm for at least 100 years and possess historical significance, including at least one structure standing for 40 years or more. Each type of farm must be at least 40 acres, and the owner must live in Alabama. The Green-Evans farm is about 1,200 acres.

Dave Jr. and his father raised cattle and corn, although they downsized their herd after losing more than 400 acres of prime pasture to the damming of the Coosa in 1966. They also had a store at Greensport and at one time warehouses and a post office.

Dam doesn’t stand in his way

“My grandfather built the marina, but my dad and I went with him to the meetings with Alabama Power Company,” Beth says. “My dad had to do much of the physical work on the farm because my grandfather was not in good health. He was a diabetic and so was my dad.”

A visionary back in the 1960s, he could see the marina in that cow pasture, and built it before the waters were dammed and covered the land. “That was just as much Dad as grand,” says Dave III. “They built the marina for my granddad to have something to do in retirement, but it was Dad’s foresight that made it work. He was on a dozer the day they put the plug in (the dam). He went out there to knock a pile of dirt down, but before he could leave, the water was up to the top of the tracks on the dozer.”

Dave Evans Sr. was elected sheriff of St. Clair County in 1958, and the ferry was no longer operational by then. “Dad was a deputy sheriffwhen my grandfather was sheriff,” says Beth. “Hence his nickname at Republic, which followed him when Republic became LTV and then Gulf State Steel, was Sheriff. He was brave and would take on Goliath if necessary. His experience with the sheriff’s office helped us many times dealing with the public at the marina.”

Always on the go

When her father retired from Gulf State Steel in 1993, Beth thought he would be lost, but he never looked back. “He started going to the stockyards with my brother, Dave III, who is a veterinarian, and helping him with the cattle,” she says.

A man who didn’t believe in borrowing money, he had no credit or debit cards. “He believed in paying cash as you go,” she says. “If you didn’t have the money you shouldn’t buy. If he wanted or needed something he could ‘find’ the money because he stuck it away.”

Her brother, Dave III, says their father was the tightest human being he’s ever known. “I’d give him money to keep for me, and I’d get the very same bills back,” he says. “Dad was pretty thrifty with his money. Also, he kept his word. If he said he was going to do something, he’d do it.”

Beth says her father was strong-willed, too. After he retired, he developed a blood clot in his brain. He had surgery and recovered. “He was tough as nails,” Beth says. “He also survived a collision with a loaded log truck on the way home from Moulton Stockyard. He and my brother came out of that without a scratch, but the veterinary truck was totaled, including every bottle of medicine.”

A hard worker all of his life,at the age of 12, he was in the coal mines in Bibb County. His father’s family were miners in West Blockton, Margaret and Acmar.

“My Dad told stories about driving trucks, falling into the coal shoot, blind-folding the mules when taking them from the mines, and that you didn’t kill the rats and mice because they were your best friends,” Beth says. “When the varmints started running out of the mine you had better be right behind them (because) something was going to happen.” Her mother, Margaret, was a hard worker, too. He was devastated when she died of cancer in 2012. “They were very close,” Beth says.

One of his former co-workers at the steel mill, Bill Lankford, says that in the 37 years Dave Jr. worked at Republic/LTV/Gulf State, he never laid out except when he was in the hospital. “When he was on the morning shift, he would always arrive 30 minutes early and make the coffee. He was very dedicated to his family, his co-workers and his job.” The pair were two of the three men who worked in Republic’s pulpit, their name for the glass-walled computer control room.

“He believed in us working at the marina, too,” Beth says. “We never took family vacations unless we visited our relatives in Foley or Tuscumbia.” Dave Jr. furnished CB radios for the family and workers to communicate with each other around the marina, and later low-band business radios in the trucks. Their 199-foot, low-band tower finally fell this year.

Dave III says when Pop retired, he started helping him in his mobile veterinary business. “For the last 20 plus years, he’d go to the stockyards and different places with me where I would do Coggins tests,” Dave III says. “I have fond memories of him just riding with me everywhere and helping me do the paperwork at the sales.” Dr. Dave Evans III has the South’s only traveling federal veterinary lab, and the pair would go to horse sales that needed immediate results on blood tests.

There was no mistaking his love of country. Beth says her dad never missed an opportunity to vote. He told her and her brother that voting was an obligation. “Don’t complain about anything if you don’t vote,” she remembers him saying. “He said many people gave up a portion of their lives for us to vote and many gave their lives. I don’t miss an election! He served in the Air Force during the Korean War but was released early because his father was ill and as an only child, Dad was needed to run the farm.”

An honest man who “told you like it was,” what you saw in him was what you got. “There was nothing fake about my Dad,” Beth says.

A fan of Westerns

“Dave really enjoyed Westerns, and in the 1950s, he would come to our house to watch them on TV with my father while his wife, Margaret, visited with my mom,” says Margaret Green, one of Dave’s cousins. “The mountains around his home prevented him from having TV reception, but on the hill at Lock 1 where I lived, the reception was good. I hardly ever saw Dave without a Western novel somewhere close. His favorite author seemed to have been Louis L’Amour.”

Beth says he read every book written by L’Amour and had more than one copy of some of them. He also read Ralph Compton, the Western author from Odenville, and others, and enjoyed the newspaper and the Shotgun News. His favorite actors were John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

A strong will

Another attribute that set him apart was his ability to accept the cards he was dealt. One example was the way he quit smoking: cold turkey. “It was like he was a chain smoker one day and the next day he threw the cigarettes away,” Beth says. “Also, from the moment he was diagnosed with diabetes, he knew what had to be done. Momma changed the way she cooked, and daddy stayed on a strict diet. He didn’t have the issues other diabetics have, such as loss of eyesight, amputation of limbs, sores not healing and constant fluctuations in his blood sugar levels. He was diagnosed in 1972-73 and lived with the disease 50 years.”

The blood clot developed in 1993, and Dave Sr. went on a honeymoon period of 10 years without insulin. Then he began to lose weight and had to start on insulin again. “In his last years he had aFib,” Beth says. “He fell out at the barn and lay there several hours before being found. When he went to rehab the second time, he got pneumonia and from then on, his health started spiraling downward. As a result, he had to have care 24/7.”

Dave III probably handled 70-80 percent of the night shifts with Pop the last few years of his life, but his son made sure Pop’s daytime caregivers drove him around various places each day. “I wouldn’t want to be sitting staring at four walls all the time,” Dave says. “Pop’s mental state the last year wasn’t the best, but he still enjoyed conversing with folks.”

Stephanie Evans, wife of Dave III, describes her father-in-law as “one of the most business-minded, innovative people that have been on the property.

“Throughout the building of this RV park, which opened in 2019, my father-in-law was my biggest encourager,” she says, tears welling up at the memories. “He was wheelchair-bound toward the end, but his caregiver would bring him by the office every day. Four days before he died, he said, ‘Stephanie, I can’t see out of this eye, and this side of my face is paralyzed,’ and I said, ‘Pop, do you see the good side or the bad side of me?’ And he said, ‘I always see the good side.’”

Pop would sit in a rocker on the front porch of the office, and Stephanie, who works in the park office, would leave the door open so they could converse. Often, he would have his caregiver drive him through park to see the changes. “He loved to talk to people at the store and boat ramp, especially about the history of the place,” Stephanie says. “He was a pleasant man to be around.”

Stephanie says her relationship with her father-in-law was one of best friends rather than in-laws. “I took him to lots of doctors’ appointments,” she says. “My husband and I had this joke. I used to say to my husband, ‘Your daddy made my day. Sorry it wasn’t you.’ When Pop died, my husband said, ‘Well, gotta step up my game.’”

“My goal is to continue his legacy in how he’d want the property to move forward.”

In the Kitchen

Nothing’s sweeter than
life on the lake … with
a baker and a griller

Story by Scottie Vickery
Photos by Kelsey Bain and Graham Hadley

If it’s a weekend in the summer, chances are good there’s going to be a crowd at Leigh and Jeff Gardner’s Neely Henry Lake home in Ohatchee.

Leigh Gardner’s co-workers loved her breads so much, they encouraged her to start selling them.

The sparkling water, the lure of a boat ride and the promise of some crappie fishing are pretty good draws, but more than likely, the group is coming for the food. Jeff’s probably got some hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, wings in the fryer or ribs on the smoker, but Leigh’s desserts are the main attraction. “I’ve been baking since I was a teenager,” she said. “Jeff says I snagged him with my chocolate cake.”

Whether it’s cakes, cookies, sweet breads or fudge, Leigh has pretty much mastered it all. In fact, her baked goods got such rave reviews from friends that she took their advice and started a side gig. “I was always making things and taking them to work; it’s just one of the things I like to do to make it a great work environment,” said Leigh, a pharmacist at Quick Meds Express Pharmacy in Oxford. “The girls at work kept saying, ‘You need to sell these.’”

Now, she gets frequent requests for her cinnamon walnut bread, her strawberry cheesecake bread with strawberry butter, as well as a variety of cakes, cookies and other treats. “People like to give them as gifts,” she said. “I’ve gotten orders on top of orders.”

It’s in the genes

Right off Leigh’s kitchen that overlooks the water is a coffee bar with a bin of snacks hanging above it. The chips are a hit with her two daughters and their friends, but it’s her great-grandmother’s coffee cups and sugar bowl that warm Leigh’s heart. The china cabinet and buffet are filled with family treasures, and her great-great-grandmother’s dough bowl has a place of honor in the center of the table.

Family is important to Leigh, and she has wonderful memories of growing up and helping her mom and both grandmothers in the kitchen. “Growing up, peanut butter cookies were my specialty,” she said. “That was my thing, and I still use the same recipe from way back when.”

History has a way of repeating itself, and these days, 10-year-old Elise loves to help her mom in the kitchen. “I crack the eggs because Mama’s not that good at that,” she said. “She gets eggshells in there.” Brooklyn, 15, isn’t a big fan of kitchen duty, but she’s always a more-than-willing taster. “Most everything she makes is pretty good,” the teenager acknowledged.

Lots of folks seem to agree, based on the requests she gets after she started selling her breads, cakes and cookies last December. She started by offering her cinnamon walnut bread on Facebook, and the next thing she knew, she was taking orders and making deliveries.

Sweet success

“The plan was to do bread, but then I had one client ask if I could bake a certain cake,” Leigh said. “I baked it for her, and her family loved it. Then she wanted me to do macaroons and a few other things. I like different things that challenge me.”

Leigh’s cinnamon walnut bread and strawberry cheesecake bread with strawberry butter are two of her most popular offerings

Although she’s got a collection of favorite recipes, she’s always on the hunt for more. “I look up a lot of stuff online and then I tweak it to where I want it to be,” she said. “People give me recipes now, and I love it. I like to have a story with it.”

While she takes lots of orders, Leigh often posts on Facebook when she’s got extra loaves or cakes that are fresh from the oven. Some days it’s salted caramel or butterscotch bread, and some days it’s chocolate pecan, banana walnut or sourdough. Her regular breads sell for $15, and the breads that come with strawberry butter or honey cinnamon butter are $20. Cookies are $15 a dozen, and cakes start at $40.

Although the Facebook offerings get claimed quickly, most of her customers aren’t picky – they’ll take whatever they can get and they’re willing to wait. “A lot of people just say, ‘Whenever you do your next batch, make me a strawberry cheesecake,’” she said. “Around the holidays, I got a lot of last-minute orders. People would ask what I had available, and I usually have something for them.”

Leigh has an extra fridge on the back porch and a freezer in the garage for just such emergencies. “I make a lot of things ahead of time and freeze them,” she said. “They’re just as good as the day you make them.”

So, what’s her secret? It starts with her homemade vanilla, which she makes by soaking vanilla beans in vodka for six to eight weeks. “It makes everything taste better,” she said. “I make bottles and give them as gifts at Christmas.”

Another weapon is the different starters for her breads. She uses a mixture of flour, sugar, milk, yeast and water, allows it to ferment and “feeds” it every five days by adding more of the ingredients. She’s had the same batch of starter going for four or five years now, and she uses it for the cinnamon walnut bread and her carrot cake.

Although Leigh never intended to start a business when she baked for her co-workers, she’s enjoyed making her breads and desserts for family, friends and her growing list of customers. “It’s been crazy,” she said. “Every evening I’ll come in from my full-time job, mix something up and bake it. A lot of mornings, I’ll mix up some bread, and it’s ready by the time I’m out the door at 8:15.”

Just add water

On the mornings she’s not baking, Leigh loves to get up early, walk the dogs and enjoy the scenery. The Gardners moved into their lakeside home last September, and even though they had lived in a house with a view of the lake for years, they’re still discovering the joys of being right on the water.

Elise, Leigh and Brooklyn at home in kitchen with Mom’s creations.

“We love it here,” Leigh said. “We went out in the boat all the time before, but we had to pack up the car and drive to get the boat. Now we can just walk down, get on the boat and go.”

Fishing is a lot easier these days, too. “We can go anytime we want,” she said. “The other night we fished off the pier until almost 10 o’clock.”

Leigh and Jeff, a driver for UPS, said their new home is an answer to prayer. Jeff was driving his route one day when he saw a sign in the front yard. “We had just ridden over here on the boat and said, ‘Man, I wish they’d put that house up for sale,’” he said. “That was Sunday, and I was over here Wednesday. I called Leigh and said, ‘You’re not going to believe it.’”

Their old house “was in binocular’s distance” to their new one, Jeff said, but the ease of walking out the back door to head for the water can’t be beat. “We loved both places,” he said, “but this is a whole lot more convenient.”

Want to taste some of Leigh’s breads and desserts yourself? Find her on Facebook at facebook.com/leigh.fordham to place your order.

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup cranberries
½ cup pecans
½ cup white chocolate chips

Combine butter, brown sugar and sugar. Then add egg and vanilla, and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and mix well. Add remaining ingredients one at a time and then mix well.

Chill dough 2-4 hours or overnight. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Bread Starter

¼ cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Combine water and yeast and let mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Mix flour, sugar and milk together and add yeast mixture. Put the starter in a gallon-sized plastic1 bag or a plastic container and let it sit on the counter for five days (do not refrigerate).

After the first five days, add 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. After five more days (and every five days after) add ½ cup milk, ½ cup flour and ½ cup sugar.

For best results, let the starter ferment for 2-3 weeks before using. Save 1 cup of starter after making the bread and repeat the feeding accordingly.

Honey Cinnamon Butter

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. honey
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Add ingredients one at a time and mix well. Store butter in the refrigerator. Toast or microwave cinnamon walnut bread slices and spread butter on top. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Walnut Bread

(Makes two loaves)

1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
½ cup milk
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
1-2 cups walnuts
1 cup bread starter

Mix all ingredients well and pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

St. Louis-style Ribs

1 package St. Louis Style ribs
Salt
Rub of your choice
Garlic powder
Hickory wood chunks

Boil ribs in a pot of water with salt for about 30

minutes. Cover the ribs in a barbecue rub of your choice and garlic powder.

Put ribs on smoker, but don’t place them directly on the fire. Add some hickory chunks. Cook for about 3 hours. Eat them plain or dip in your favorite barbecue sauce.

Birmingham Sailing Club launches weeknight fun series for summer

It’s ‘Hump Day’ night – middle of the week
with the weekend
clearly in sight.

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Submitted photos

It’s ‘Hump Day’ night – middle of the week with the weekend clearly in sight.

Weeknights can be a bit on the boring side, but not here. It’s Wednesday evening to be precise, and at Birmingham Sailing Club they’ve discovered a new way to make it over the hump and have a lot of fun doing it.

By 4:30 p.m., sailors of all sorts – novices, seasoned pros, kids, parents, all ages – pour out of the clubhouse perch atop a hillside overlooking Logan Martin Lake. They rig their boats, hop aboard and set sail for the starting lineup of the Weeknight Fun Race Series.

There’s no mistaking this race for a weekend version at the club. Saturdays and Sundays are intense as sailors compete to up their points in national standings.

The only points on Wednesdays are for participation. Even dogs and guests get counted during the five-week series. Bring a dog onboard, that’s a point. Bringing a guest? That’s a point for the host and the guest.

“The focus behind the Wednesday-night program is keeping it fun,” said longtime member David Reich. “It’s all focused on fun. It’s not a competition at all. We even give awards to dogs because they participate.”

It is an opportunity for members who are not experienced to get out there and sail without worrying about getting in the way of a serious competitor and hindering their race.

Weeknight races started in 2021 for the summer, and it was so popular, it returned this summer. Some couldn’t make it on Wednesday nights, so the club offers five weeks on Wednesday, a break, five weeks on Thursday, another break, and the final five weeks on Wednesdays again.

During the breaks they hold shorefront cookouts, a savory recipe for even more fun with people bringing paddleboards and additional family, dogs included. It offers them a chance for gathering around the grill, mingling and getting to know one another better.

Commodore Stan Graham calls the club “150 people’s lake house. It’s their waterfront property.” With more people working from home, the weeknight races give them a break, a chance to enjoy quiet time on the lake, which sees little traffic on a Wednesday night.

Come the weekend, all of that changes. Traffic is up all around, and the club’s races return to their intensity. But for the weeknight series, “we keep it really lighthearted,” Reich said. Music emanates from the committee boat. Kids might take the tiller of their parents’ boat with Mom or Dad as a crewmember. “Nobody cares who wins.”

Reich called the 15 to 20 who participate in weeknight races “a great mix. A lot of women come out on Wednesday nights and quite a lot of kids. They bring friends. They score one for showing up. If they bring a guest, they get two points. We score everybody on board.”

Craig Hennecy of Birmingham, who started sailing three years ago with his son, Craig Jr., said weeknights are welcoming to newcomers. “They feel more comfortable if they know someone is there to rescue them.”

He enjoys his time at the waterfront club and honing his skills when he’s out on the water, making the 45-minute trip to BSC a couple of times a week. “It’s much less expensive than buying a lake house, and I made 150 new friends.”

As for his time on the water, “You try to get better at it, like a golf swing. When you get it right, it’s rewarding.

Craig Jr., now 12, is following in his father’s footsteps, or more accurately, his love of sailing. He began Junior Camp in 2019 at the age of nine. As he gained experience, he started winning races “with this guy,” he said, pointing to his father. Crewing the boat with his father on weekends, he said with a playful smile, “He only wins because of my weight.”

Throughout the summer, you’ll hear stories like those of the Hennecys – sailing the open waters, wind at their back and plenty of laughter. After all, this is Weeknight Fun Races. Everybody’s welcome – member or not. It’s their way of sharing the joys of sailing they already know firsthand. Come and take a ride on a sailboat. They’ll accommodate you. Or try your hand at sailing yourself. It’s all levels coming together for a good time, Reich said. “We like to give everybody a taste of mid-week sailing.”

Bulls, sailing, catfish and sports galore all a part of life on the lake

Memorial Day, traditionally signaling the beginning of lake season on Logan Martin and Neely Henry, has passed, and we’re already headed to 4^th of July and beyond.

And with the season comes scores of activities on and around our lakes – everything from bull riding to fireworks to weeknight sailing races just for fun.

Bulls on the Lake, you ask? Why yes, that’s precisely the name of this event that raises funds for Future Farmers of America, a program at Pell City High School designed to engage students in agricultural-related careers. This show of bucking bulls and rodeo is held right on the banks of Logan Martin Lake with its view of the water creating a scenic backdrop and a memorable experience along with it.

In Gadsden, the Riverfront Sportsplex is taking shape on the banks of the Coosa River. A massive project by the City of Gadsden and Gadsden State Community College, the sportsplex is sure to become a recreational destination point. And we’ll take you on a tour of what it has to offer in the years to come – a sportsman’s paradise nestled along the shoreline.

We’ll go back in time to the beginning of an iconic restaurant called The Ark, when it was just that – a water vessel. The Riverside landmark wasn’t on land it all. Instead, it was moored offshore to get around those pesky Prohibition laws in the 1930s. That’s not all to this restaurant’s story, though. We’ll take you through the years and its evolution – a gathering spot for NASCAR, a movie set and the home of nationally recognized catfish dinners. And they still serve alcohol, only this time it’s strictly legal.

On Neely Henry in Ohatchee, you’ll find a couple’s own lakeside paradise, where they’re cooking up something special in our In the Kitchen series. In this popular feature, we take you inside the kitchen and around the house of some of the most spectacular homes on Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes. You’ll meet the masters of the kitchen, and they’ll even share a recipe or two with you – something to savor long after the reading is done.

It’s summer at Birmingham Sailing Club, just below Logan Martin Dam, and that means plenty of activity going on – even on a weeknight. The club launched its Weeknight Fun Races in 2021, and the new tradition continues. It’s time to unwind, and they do it in style. Take a peek.

On a more poignant note, we pay special tribute to Dave Evans Jr. of Greensport, who passed away earlier this year. His life had many an experience, but he perhaps will be best known as the ‘last riverboat man.’ He and his father operated the final ferry on the Coosa River before Neely Henry was created.

As always, there’s plenty more in this issue of LakeLife 24/7 Magazine®. Turn the page and discover it all with us.

Lincoln’s Landing becoming destination fishing spot

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted photos | Archived photos

The saying goes, ‘Build it, and they will come.’ In Lincoln these days, they have already arrived.

Since opening less than a year ago, Lincoln’s Landing is now on the map as a destination point. Thousands of boats have already launched from this cutting-edge fishing park, and tournaments are already scheduled two years out.

Les Robinson, director of Lincoln’s Landing, has been “a real plus to this project and to our city,” Lincoln Mayor Lew Watson said. “He puts his heart into it, which is what you need if you’re going to have a successful project.”

Success? Just take a look at the numbers. Lincoln’s Landing has launched 50 tournaments since July, Robinson said. With tournaments and everyday use, it already has reached the 4,500 to 5,000 boats launched mark, “and we haven’t been open a year,” he added.

The prestigious Bassmasters College Series is coming to Lincoln’s Landing in June for a two-day tournament and in the next 18 to 24 months, Robinson predicts, a Bassmasters Elite or Bassmasters Open, which are major attractions in the fishing world, are in its future. But it doesn’t stop there. The tourist dollars it lures along with the notoriety for Lincoln will have a huge economic impact, not only for Lincoln but the surrounding areas.

In the next budget period, a pavilion, bridge and swimming beach will be on the agenda for the city and this 40-acre site. “Then we’ll catch our breath a little bit,” Robinson said.

The park already includes a 165-foot long by 60-foot wide, stacked stone grand pavilion with fireplace and 4,000 square feet of open space for other events, fishing piers and slips and a boat ramp that can launch 10 boats at a time. The first wedding at the park is already booked.

Parking also will be a consideration. While 250 parking spaces seemed like plenty when the park was on the drawing board. The Alabama Bass Trail event had every spot filled plus parking on the grass, Mayor Watson said.

Two other pavilions – both 30 x 30 feet – will be built near the shoreline and be rentable for events as well as everyday use. A pad is planned for a food truck area to serve tournaments.

“It’s more than just a fishing park,” Robinson said. “We have a lot to offer.”

In July, when construction was at its height, Watson could already see what was taking shape and its potential. He noted its accessibility – near Interstate 20 and U.S. 78. “It is right off the main channel on the lake, with year-round water,” Watson said at the time. “It is the perfect place for the park. It’s like, ‘If we build it, they will come.’”

Take a look around on any given day. They’re already here.

Catchin’ the Coosa Spring 2022

By Zeke Gossett

Logan Martin

The months of May and June on Logan Martin can sometimes leave fish in a post-spawn funk, but maybe these tips can help you catch a few more bass during this time frame.

In early May, you can find shad spawns early in the morning. You’re going to find shad spawning around docks and seawalls. You will know when you see one because shad will be running up and down dock posts and seawalls.

Watch for bass schooling and eating these baitfish. My favorite baits for a shad spawn are a spinnerbait and topwater walking bait.

Once the sun gets up, the shad spawning action will end, and fishing usually tends to slow down. I will still fish shallow docks with either a jig or wacky rigged stick bait.

Once we get into the month of June, I will start my search out deep. Fish will tend to school up offshore on long points and river ledges.

My main two baits out deep are a deep diving crankbait and swimbait. Having good current flow is key for this bite as well. This helps the fish group up and feed.

If you can find an active school, you can load the boat quickly.

Neely Henry

Neely Henry in May and June are some of the best times to fish this lake.

I keep it super simple when it comes to fishing Neely Henry these two months. In early May, you can still find a shad spawn on seawalls and grass.

A white swim jig is a deadly bait around these areas where shad are spawning. The swim jig allows you to cover a lot of water fast in order to find active fish.

Once the sun goes up, I tend to stay shallow at Neely Henry in both months. I will target grass and docks on the mid to lower end of the lake with a finesse jig and chatterbait. I keep these two baits locked into my hand until I find the active fish that are feeding.

A lot of fish will live shallow on this lake year round. It might be a grind-up shallow, but that is where you’re going to find your bigger bites.

Editor’s Note:

Zeke Gossett of Zeke Gossett Fishing grew up on the Coosa River and Logan Martin Lake. He is a former collegiate championand is now a professional angler on the B.A.S.S. tour circuit and is a fishing guide.

Learn more about Zeke at: zekegossettfishing.com.

In the Kitchen with William and Lindsey Weller

Newlyweds embrace lake life, life together a perfect recipe

Story by Scottie Vickery | Photos by Kelsey Bain

Mealtime at William and Lindsey Weller’s Logan Martin Lake home takes a lot of planning. It’s not so much the menu that requires extra thought; it’s more about logistics.

She works three nights a week as a labor and delivery nurse in Birmingham. He works days as an aortic clinical specialist and travels all over the state, so the young newlyweds are constantly juggling crazy schedules. That’s why, on several weekdays, they often rely on a meal kit home delivery company so they can sit down each night and share a meal together.

“It’s just so easy,” William said of the meals that arrive with pre-portioned ingredients and recipes. “You don’t have to worry about going out or going to the grocery store, and it’s pretty healthy. I don’t mind cooking; I just don’t like figuring out what to cook.”

When they do have a little more time, they love sharing the duties in the kitchen. “I’m more of a recipe follower, and he’s more of an eye-baller,” Lindsey said, and William agreed. “I’m a dash of this and dash of that, and it works out most of the time,” he said. “If it tastes good, it worked. If it doesn’t, I know not to do it again.”

One meal they’ve mastered, seared ahi tuna and twice-baked potatoes, has become a favorite. “It’s our go-to,” William said. “It’s super easy, and it doesn’t take long at all. It’s what we made on Valentine’s Day.”

Saying “I do” to lake life

The Wellers, who married last August, are still new to lake life. William, who grew up in Trussville, and Lindsey, who is from Hayden, started dating in March 2020 and were engaged eight months later.

“I’ve always been the kind of person who takes things slow – and then I met him,” Lindsey said. William moved into their Logan Martin home last April, and she joined him after their wedding in August. Since then, they’ve been settling in to married life, entertaining family and friends and enjoying their own little piece of paradise that’s not far from Lakeside Park.

“We just love waking up and seeing the view,” William said. “We bought a boat last August, so we’re looking forward to our first summer with it.”

In the meantime, they’ve hosted weekend barbecues, Memorial Day and Fourth of July parties, bridal and baby showers, as well as family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. “There’s always something going on here,” William said.

“We’re both big family people,” Lindsey added. “We have 10 girls in the family, and every Christmas we have a whole day of baking. It’s so much fun, and we had it here last year. I’m more of a baker than I am a cook.”

Their home, with its open floorplan, is perfect for entertaining. The kitchen, which has a gas stove and butler’s pantry, features leathered quartz countertops with seating for four at the island as well as a table for six. There’s concrete flooring throughout the main level, and the living area boasts wood beams, a brick fireplace flanked with open shelving and a beautiful view of the lake. They especially enjoy the patio that’s just off the living area, and Lindsey said they hope to add an outdoor fireplace and kitchen soon.

William handles most of the grilling duties when there’s a crowd, cooking everything from hamburgers and hotdogs to ribs and Boston butts, while friends and family pitch in with side dishes. He’s also mastered the art of cooking a big breakfast – pancakes, eggs and bacon – on the flat top grill.

“In the summer, there’s people here almost every weekend,” he said, adding that they have the best of both worlds. “It’s always lots of fun, and as much as we enjoy hosting and doing things with family and friends, we love our alone time, like movie nights, too.”

Cooking up fun

Lindsey works three 12-hour shifts a week, on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights. She comes home in the morning, goes to bed around 8 a.m. and wakes up about 4 p.m. “While I’m sleeping, he likes to start the Home Chef, and then when I get up around 4, I help him with it,” she said. Those evenings, they usually eat about 5:30, and William has been known to grab a bowl of cereal or something around 9 p.m.

The other days, Lindsey tries to be up by noon. “I hate wasting my day,” she said. Since they have more time, they may cook out those nights or try new recipes. Although most meals are winners, there have been a few that haven’t turned out quite as expected.

No matter the outcome, though, they have a lot of fun. “We laugh at each other all the time,” he said. “She was making broccoli seasoned with ranch dressing one time, and it called for 2 tablespoons, but she put two packets of seasoning in. It was so salty, and I was guzzling water, but I could tell what it could have been. I tasted the potential.”

Although he likes to boast that he never uses a timer, Lindsey is quick to point out that he probably should. “How many Home Chef meals have you burned?” she asked with a laugh. “It’s only the glazed meals,” he replied. “I made that mistake like twice, and now I know better than to walk away while it’s cooking.”

One thing they never joke about is how much they love the life they’re building together. “It’s pretty great,” William said. “We’re pretty lucky.”

Seared Ahi Tuna

Ahi tuna steaks
Coconut oil
Everything Bagel seasoning
Sriracha mayonnaise

Season tuna steaks with Everything Bagel seasoning. Add about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan and preheat for 3-5 minutes. Add tuna and sear 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove steaks from pan, drizzle with Sriracha mayonnaise and serve.

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
Olive oil
1 cup plus 4 oz. shredded sharp cheese, divided
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 strips bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
Salt
Pepper
Chopped scallions, if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly rub each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes, evenly spaced, on a baking sheet.

Bake the potatoes 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove potatoes from the oven, let them cool about 10 minutes before cutting them in half, lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the potato flesh into a mixing bowl, leaving a 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness of flesh in each shell.

Return potato shells to baking sheet and cook at 400°F for about 10 minutes.

Combine sour cream, milk, half the cheese, half the butter, half the bacon and half the scallions (if desired) with the baked potato flesh. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix together until smooth.

Remove potato shells from oven and set oven to broil. Fill each shell with the potato mixture until it’s rounded in the middle. Top with remaining cheese, bacon, butter and scallions.

Broil potatoes about 5-10 minutes until cheese has melted. Watch closely.

Allow them to cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Remember When: Ten Islands

How the ‘Ten Island Three’ preserved Alabama history

Story by Katie Bohannon
Submitted photos | Archived photos

While prominent names like de Soto and Jackson might eclipse the countless individuals affiliated with the Ten Islands, their experiences, along with the incredible historical foundation planted before them, might have been submerged with the islands if not for the commitment of three local women.

Together, avid researchers Patsy Hanvey, Bette Sue McElroy and Charlotte Hood advocated for the recognition of the Ten Islands in the early 1990s, negotiating the area’s preservation with Alabama Power. The group, who called themselves ‘The Ten Island Three,’ convinced Alabama Power to finance The Ten Islands Historical Park.

“We just started kind of pulling things together,” Hood told The Gadsden Times Staff Writer Cindy West in a 1991 article. “We realized then how unique this history is. It’s just a complete cycle of humanity, from prehistoric to contemporary.”

Commercial art and anthropology-focused Jacksonville State University graduate Hanvey was recognized by the state of Oklahoma as Cherokee by birth. Throughout her life, she traveled across the U.S. until retiring near what was once the Cherokee Nation capital on the Coosa River in North Gadsden, where her ancestors lived.

A recipient of the Annie Forney Daugette award for most outstanding graduate in academics, talent and character, Hanvey overcame dyslexia and frequently reproduced prehistoric and historic Southeastern Cherokee pottery in traditional form. She dug her own clay, keeping dried chunks in various colors in baskets in her workroom and created paints from natural resources.

Hanvey’s archeology professor introduced her to fellow scholar McElroy, who shared her interests. An Auburn University graduate, McElroy taught at Disque Middle School and Episcopal Day School, giving private art lessons to students before becoming the archivist at the Gadsden Public Library. McElroy’s daughter, Mary Ann Watkins, recalls her mother as a lover of life and people, who treasured stories from all generations and discovered value in each moment. McElroy’s immense passion for learning sparked her intrigue in The Ten Islands, which led to her eventual crossed paths with Hanvey and Hood.

Hood studied piano at DeShazo College of Music in Memphis, Tenn., attending both Gadsden State Community College and Jacksonville State University to specialize in early childhood education and music. A 1991 Gadsden Times article detailed Hood’s discovery of an oddly shaped natural artifact at the Ten Islands area, which she found with her husband, an Alabama Power executive. Upon showing the rock to JSU archeology specialist Harry Holstein (Hanvey’s professor), Holstein connected Hood with Hanvey and McElroy, writing a new chapter in history with formation of ‘The Ten Island Three.’

“They were really good friends,” said Watkins. “They were all so passionate about their work.”

Former Gadsden Times writer Bill Thornton recalled a 1993 interview with the women during the official reveal of the historic park. Thornton, who was 22 years old and fresh out of school at the time, remembers them as a hoot – an enthusiastic and unforgettable bunch whose commitment and caring natures were evident.

“It’s been really exciting to see this come together,” Hanvey told Thornton. “The information on this place came together so quickly. It was like someone took us by the hand.”

“People need to know this is a wonderful place, with adventure coming out of every tree,” said McElroy in the same article.

Though Thornton only wrote one article about them, he noted Hanvey, McElroy and Hood made an impression on him that withstood the test of time.

“There are certain people who have been together so long they can finish each other’s sentences,” said Thornton, sharing the trio were those people. “They had a ball with what they were doing – with this shared knowledge they could tap into. This matters (what they did to preserve the Ten Islands). When you think about Alabama history, Alabama is still a rural place in many areas where the past is still very much alive. That was their work. They stayed on my mind so long because of the kind of rare people they were. I can’t remember what I wrote last week, but I remember them.”

Hanvey’s son, Mike, described the trio as a relentless group determined to ensure history is not forgotten, who taught him the importance of Native American culture and influence. He recognized the specific areas of unique expertise each woman possessed, bringing her beneficial talents to the table in a collaborative effort to protect land cradling generations of valuable lessons and intriguing stories.

“The ‘Ten Island Three’ did not want the area to simply be lake covered and forgotten, as thousands of people today are fishing and swimming right above where Hernando de Soto, Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett and Sam Houston once crossed the wild-flowing Coosa River,” said Mike. “Patsy Hanvey, Bette Sue McElroy and Charlotte Hood might not be remembered by their work but will always be remembered by the millions who will pass through and enjoy the Ten Islands Historical Park for eternity … but that’s all they wanted from the start.

“Man has the ability to build on top of things – to build dams and create lakes without a memorial to remind us the importance of preserving historic locations that came before. Things can easily be forgotten, and that takes special people with special talents to remind us of that importance. In this case, Bette Sue McElroy, Patsy Hanvey and Charlotte Hood were those people … ‘The Ten Island Three.’”

An excerpt written by Hood, McElroy and Hanvey for The Alabama Historical Association culminates the connection between the past and future ‘The Ten Island Three’ strove to protect and preserve. While ancient eras dwindle and new generations arrive, rising and falling with the transformation of the land, passionate individuals like them remain constant throughout the centuries. They act as dedicated gatekeepers of the lives, stories and history submerged in the modern world, luring lost chronicles to the surface.

“On certain days in the winter, when the river is at a low level, and no units are generating, it is still possible to walk across rocks and mud below the dam,” reads the concluding paragraph of the Ten Island Three’s 1995 submission to The Alabama Historical Association. “There you can see the prehistoric fish weir and walk around the bottom of Lock Three. But the days of wading the shoals, crossing on a ferry, walking a railroad bridge, or flagging a train to ‘get to the other side’ of the river are gone forever. As water flows through the dam, the electricity produced by Alabama Power Company lights the way for future generations.”

Ten Islands spans centuries of history

Story by Katie Bohannon
Submitted photos | Archived photos

Ages before Etowah County’s Southside bridge connected cities or Alabama Power Company’s H. Neely Henry Dam furthered the development of the Coosa River, a series of 10 islands speckled the water of Northeast Alabama, one mile west of present-day Ohatchee.

The Ten Islands, coined “Oti Palin” by the Creek people who would settle there, traces back to 10,000 B.C., where a land enriched with natural resources such as shoals, river crossings and pathways flourished. Numerous historical incidents occurred on the collection of islands, linking the past to the present in significant ways.

According to John A. Walthall’s Prehistoric Indians of the Southeast, the islands were abundant with animals, including deer, raccoon, gray fox, turkey and quail, whose remnants join a collection of others proving their existence alongside pre-historic hunters and gatherers.

Earliest Ten Islands settlers built fish weirs and stone, reed or wooden traps placed within stream channels to capture fish swimming along currents. Today, one of these fish weirs – along with other artifacts – remains visible below the southernmost island.

The arrival of Hernando de Soto in 1540 altered the first-existing civilizations and charted a different course for the Ten Islands as he crossed the Coosa River, paving the way for other Europeans to follow his footsteps.

The late 1600s established a trading center for Ten Islands inhabitants, with a Frenchman named Bonnefoy journaling his voyage of the Chickasaw or Creek Path which led him to “the river of the Alibamons,” or the Coosa River. Archaeologists later discovered evidence of a town at Ten Islands, with burials revealing French, Spanish and British trade objects at the edge of Bonnefoy’s Creek Path toward the Coosa. Years following Bonnefoy, George Wood claimed the land where the town resided and named it Wood’s Island, a title it carries since 1821.

Andrew Jackson, who would become president of the United States, traveled to the Ten Islands region as a general during The Creek Civil War of 1813, marching forces from Tennessee to Gunter’s Landing (present-day Guntersville) down the Creek Path toward the Ten Islands.

Well-known historical figures served under Jackson’s command, including frontiersman Davy Crockett, future Sec. of State John Henry Eaton, former Texas Gov. Sam Houston and military general (and Jackson’s nephew) John Coffee.

Notable citizens of the Cherokee, Creek and Chickasaw nations fought with Jackson, including Cherokee citizens Richard Brown, Major Ridge, John Lowery, John Ross and the Pathkiller; Creek citizens James Fife, Spoke Hadjo, Chinnaby the ‘Great Natchez Warrior,’ and his two sons Selocta and Sarlotta Fixico; and Chickasaw leader William Colbert.

During this time, Jackson established Fort Strother at the Ten Islands, which became the destination of Coffee, Crockett and other men after winning the Battle of Tallasahatchee. As the war progressed, supplies dwindled and soldiers grew weary, an altercation between an officer and recent recruit John Wood prompted Jackson to order an action that would garner opposition for his presidential campaign. Following a confrontation where an officer required Wood to clean his untidy barracks rather than return to his post, which Wood refused, a court martial found Wood guilty of mutiny. The 18-year-old Wood was executed and buried at Fort Strother, along with many other soldiers whose graves remain there today.

Fort Strother served as the link between several significant battles in the war, including the Battle of Talladega and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, which largely brought about a conclusion to the Creek Civil War.

After Jackson’s arrival at the Ten Islands, a series of events occurred – from the land serving as a survey point between the United States and Cherokee and Creek nations to the enforced relocation of thousands of Creek citizens from the Ten Islands region across the Coosa River to Gunter’s Landing. Walking in exile, the path they forged decades before was known as the Trail of Tears.

Throughout the eras, the Ten Islands proved the launching site of the first steamboat on the Coosa River and the site of the Civil War’s Ten Island Skirmish – during which Union Gen. Lovelle Rousseau and his forces defeated Confederate opposition and destroyed Cane Creek and Janney furnaces.

Locks intended to grant riverboats easy access through the shoals were constructed along the Coosa, beginning near Greensport and ending below Wood’s Island, after which a railroad bridge was built.

After Alabama Power Company introduced hydroelectric plant H. Neely Henry Dam in 1962, only two of the original Ten Islands remain – Wood’s Island and a small rock projection visible north of the dam.