Hi all,
Several of my Forum Friends have questioned my vision of the Shoals Area as my home town area, although I was born in Tuscumbia and grew up in Sheffield. And, for several years, I did live on Central Avenue in Muscle Shoals. At that time WLAY had their studio on 2nd Street near Central Avenue. For some of my more mature Friends from that area, you may recall a baseball field near that area. Evidently, some years before there had been a semi-pro baseball team who called the field home. When I was a wee lad, our PeeWee football team, the Red Rockets, used the baseball field as our practice field.
It was on that field that I was knocked unconscious tackling my friend, Wayne Roland -- and even though I woke and walked home -- I have no memory of the rest of that day after tackling Wayne. The doctor who came to our home that evening (yes, doctors actually made house calls in those days) said that I had a concussion. Now you know my problem -- wacked on the head at an early age!
Anyway, in those days the Tri-Cities was Tuscumbia, Sheffield, and Florence. Muscle Shoals, when I lived there was just an area which was adjacent to Sheffield and Tuscumbia -- and, I always considered it a part of Sheffield.
But, for my doubting Friends, Jennifer and Crusty, these excerpts will validate my reasoning for calling the whole area served by the TimesDaily as the Shoals Area:
TimesDaily From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TimesDaily
The TimesDaily is the daily newspaper for Florence, Alabama. The TimesDaily covers a four-county region in Alabama including Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, and Lawrence counties, as well as portions of southern Tennessee and northeast Mississippi.
MP History
http://mtpleasantrecord.com/press/?page_id=189
Mt. Pleasant is located in the south central portion of middle Tennessee and the southwestern portion of Maury County. The city is 50 miles southwest of Nashville, Tennessee, 60 miles northwest of Huntsville, Alabama, and 55 miles north of the Alabama Tri-cities of Florence, Tuscumbia and Sheffield.
The History of the City of Muscle Shoals
http://www.cityofmuscleshoals.com/Default.asp?ID=11
The actual construction for nitrates began in the Muscle Shoals plant in February of 1918, and the first nitrates were produced in November of 1918. Since the war ended two weeks earlier on November 11, 1918, there was controversy over what to do with the uncompleted Wilson Dam which was named after President Woodrow Wilson. The key question was whether to retain government ownership of the complex or to sell the dam to a private industry.
In 1921, automotive tycoon Henry Ford, accompanied by Thomas Edison, came to Muscle Shoals with a vision of transforming this area into a metropolis. “I will employ one million workers at Muscle Shoals and I will build a city 75 miles long at Muscle Shoals,” stated Mr. Ford. The instant rumors of Ford’s plan hit the streets, real estate speculators began buying up land and parceling it out in 25 foot lots and putting in sidewalks and street lights. People from all over the United States bought lots, sight unseen, during this time.
Mr. Ford’s offer to buy Wilson Dam for $5 million was turned down by Congress. (The initial cost of the construction of the dam was $46.5 million.) Instead, Congress, under the influence of Senator George Norris of Nebraska, later formed the Tennessee Valley Authority to develop the dam as well as the entire river valley. Senator Norris felt strongly that the public, rather than private companies, should receive the benefits from the government’s investments in Muscle Shoals. Although Ford’s plans did not turn Muscle Shoals into a huge city, it did lay the foundation for the city of Muscle Shoals.
After the incorporation of Muscle Shoals, the town began to grow. It was in 1933, with the formation of the Tennessee Valley Authority, that a comprehensive program of river and dam development began. This contributed to the conservation and utilization of natural resources. With this, the town began plans for an elementary school, water works, electric power system, and the installation of a telephone system.
During the first 20 years of incorporation, the town development was very slow having only 1,113 people in 1940. By this time some of the residential property had been sold for taxes and some at the local market value. This change to local ownership opened the way for growth and development of the new city.
The 1950's decade, under a commission form of government and a recognized area Chamber of Commerce, became an industrial growth time for Muscle Shoals. Reynolds Metals Company and Union Carbide Metals were quick to convert to peace time production. Diversification came with Diamond Shamrock Company, Ford Motor Company and many others locating in Colbert County.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill