By Chip Gates, HOBO Historian
Test your knowledge of Lake Mitchell and its surroundings. Answers to be found at the end.
1. James Mitchell, the second president of Alabama Power and for whom the dam and lake are
named, was born
- a. in Birmingham
- b. in Montgomery
- c. in New York City
- d. in Canada
- e. on a farm in Shelby County
2. Mitchell, born not long after the end of the Civil War,
- a. worked for an investment banking house in London
- b. was responsible for the first electric railway system in Rio de Janeiro
- c. helped build hydroelectric and steam plants throughout Brazil
- d. all of the above
- e. none of the above
3. The initial work for Mitchell Dam started in 1920 and included surveying, the clearing of timber,
and the construction of three camps above the dam site. The pay for workers at the time started
out at
- a. 15 cents/hour
- b. 25 cents/hour
- c. $1.00 per day
- d. $3.75 per day for an unmarried man
4. Prior to and during construction vast amounts of timber was cut and processed to create an
unobstructed lake bed. This timber was then
- a. shipped to Montgomery and Ft. Payne for building materials and furniture making
- b. used to create forms for the dam’s concrete to be poured into
- c. employed in the building of 3 coffer dams in the river bed
- d. used to build the construction camps
- e. all of the above
- f. b, c & d
5. One of the greatest threats to the dam’s construction workers was
- a. venomous snakes
- b. malaria
- c. flash floods
- d. falls
- e. drunken brawls after hours
6. Ferries that used to cross the river and/or lake included
- a. Mims
- b. Smith’s
- c. Higgins
- d. all of the above
- e. a & c only
7. Which was not a fishing camp on the Lake?
- a. Inman’s
- b. Wyatt’s
- c. Big Jim’s
- d. Little Joe’s
- e. Dixie’s
8. The boy scout camp located just south of Bird Creek was called
- a. Camp Winnataska
- b. Camp Arrowhead
- c. Camp Mitchell
- d. Camp Heron’s Nest
- e. Camp Eagle Feather
9. Hatchet Creek was originally called
- a. Little Coosa
- b. Big Sandy
- c. Ponchishatchee
- d. Weoka
- e. Sufkahatchee
10. In the early 20th century, which was not a town/community in Coosa County?
- a. Dollar
- b. Gold Branch
- c. Fixico
- d. Weogufka
- e. All were towns or communities in Coosa County
11. After the completion of the Lock 12 project (Lay Dam), in 1917 Alabama Power formed its own construction company for future projects. This construction company was named
- a. Lay Construction Co.
- b. Alabama Building Corp.
- c. Dixie Construction Co.
- d. The Great Southern Construction Co.
- e. Martin & Mitchell Enterprises
12. Of the thousands of acres purchased for the Lake Mitchell reservoir, the average cost was
- a. $17.50/acre
- b. $21.00/acre
- c. $25.00/acre
- d. $30.00/acre
- e. $32.75/acre
13. A spur line off the L&N Railroad main line was built to bring in the huge amounts of material needed to build Mitchell Dam. This spur had its connection point with the main line at
- a. Clanton
- b. Cooper
- c. Marbury
- d. Rockford
- e. Verbena
14. The sawmill town that once had its own post office and commissary but was going to be covered by the impounded waters of Lake Mitchell was called
- a. Duncanville
- b. Wadsworth Town
- c. Salem
- d. Enid
- e. Rushton
15. The location of Mitchell Dam was at a place originally called
- a. Albert’s Overlook
- b. Devil’s Staircase
- c. Duncan’s Riffle
- d. The Rapids Race
- e. Smith’s Ford
- a. 302 feet
- b. 322 feet
- c. 332 feet
- d. 352 feet
- e. 372 feet
17. Lake Mitchell has approximately how many miles of shoreline?
- a. 215
- b. 150
- c. 110
- d. 92
- e. 81
18. The two rivers that come together in Rome, GA, to form the Coosa River are the
- a. Oostanaula & Etowah
- b. Yamasee & Conasauga
- c. Chamberlain & Euharlee
- d. Choctawatchee & Pea
- e. Little Tensaw & Ocoee
19. Put these creeks in order, going north from Mitchell Dam:
- a. Blue, Big Y, Cargile, Hatchet, Callaway, Walnut, Mountain
- b. Blue, Hatchet, Cargile, Bird, Walnut, Clay
- c. Cargile, Walnut, Hatchet, Blue, Higgins
- d. Blue, Cargile, Bird, Hatchet, Walnut, Yellowleaf
- e. Cargile, Hatchet, Goat, Walnut, Clay, Clear Spring
20. Approximately how many river miles are there between Mitchell Dam and Lay Dam?
- a. 8.5
- b. 10
- c. 14
- d. 16.7
- e. 18
Sources include Putting “Loafing Streams” to Work by Harvey H. Jackson III; Images of America /
Alabama Power Company by James L. Noles, Jr.; Lake Mitchell by Alan T. Rogers, Esq., July 1997;
various maps from http://alabamamaps.ua.edu, and Wikipedia.
Answers: 1.d, 2.d., 3.b., 4.f, 5.b, 6.d, 7.c, 8.b, 9.c, 10.e, 11.c, 12.d, 13.b, 14.e, 15.c, 16.d, 17.b, 18.a, 19.d, 20.c
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Lake Mitchell HOBO, P.O. Box 1324, Clanton, AL 35046
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