History and future as seen by an outsider: Part 1
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In My Humble Opinion
Jodi McDade
Alabama is known as one of the most diverse states in the nation. We have mountains, white sand beaches, rivers, lakes, creeks, forest lands, farming, interstate highways, and wonderful backroads.
Of all these attributes, Coosa County has all of these – except the interstate highways and white sand beaches. Our eastern boundaries include the Tallapoosa River and Lake Martin; our western boundaries have the Coosa River and Lay Lake, Mitchell Lake and Lake Jordan.
Add to this all of the creeks that are available, and we have an enormous number of areas for water sports and activities. Coosa County has two major outdoor offerings that I want to talk about.
First, Flagg Mountain itself has been an integral part of the history of Coosa County and the Weogufka area for many, many years. It is located in the Weogufka State Forest, owned by the State of Alabama and managed by the Alabama Forestry Commission.
Even back in the day when there was nothing there it was important to the community as an area to gather, socialize, hunt, fish, and share memories. The mountain was originally planned to become a state park.
During the Depression, the federal government organized the Civilian Conservation Corp to help provide jobs for young men while at the same time promoting environmental conservation. In 1935, several groups were sent to Weogufka where they built the historic Flagg Mountain Tower and several cabins that were planned to be part of the future park. World War II interrupted the work of the CCC because the men were then needed to fight the war.
Since the property was under the Alabama Forestry Commission the tower was used for many years for wildfire detection because of the views from the tower of Coosa County. On clear nights it is said both Montgomery and Birmingham could be seen from the tower.
Since 1989, Weogufka State Forest has been on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by the Alabama Historical Commission. As of 1998 the Flagg Mountain Fire Tower has been listed on the NATIONAL Historic Lookout Register as #250 in the U.S.A.! So you can see that the history of Flagg Mountain is recognized not only by the people of Weogufka and Coosa County, but also at a national level.
In 1997 the Forestry Commission leased the land to a local group named the Coosa County Cooperators who wanted to restore the buildings and help protect the area. I would name these people, but I know I would leave some out – you know who you are!
Thanks to them, new roofs were put on the tower and all except two of the cabins. If they had not done this we would have no buildings left showing the history of Flagg Mountain or the ability to do the reconstruction since then. We owe these men an enormous amount of gratitude.
In 2003, the Alabama Forestry Commission signed an agreement with the Alabama Hiking Trail Society to install a hiking trail on the north and east sides of the property. In 2010, the Alabama Legislature passed a resolution to establish the Alabama Appalachian Mountain Trail Commission to look into land purchases and trail extensions on Flagg Mountain.
Remember, Flagg Mountain is the southernmost mountain over 1,000 feet in the Appalachian Mountain Range that extends all the way to Maine.
In 2015 the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources purchased 750 acres of land surrounding Flagg Mountain from the Conservation Fund with money from the Alabama Forever Wild Program, ADECA and private donations. This additional land provided AHTS and the ADCNR the ability to begin adding to the hiking trails on Flagg Mountain.
The state agencies had begun to realize what the future of Flagg Mountain could mean to the state and to Coosa County. With only two years left on the lease to the Coosa County Cooperators the AFC met with them about future plans, and the CCC returned the management to the AFC.
In 2016 the AFC started looking into the long-term plans for Flagg Mountain and the purchase of more of the surrounding land. During this time, AHTS stepped in and repaired the old Ranger’s cabin so that a caretaker could be found to watch over the mountain.
And this is where I’m going to stop this week. I originally thought this would be a normal sized column, but once I started walking down memory lane I realized there is just too much to cover at one time.
I will pick up from here next week and bring in the second of the outdoor gems we have in Coosa County – THE PINHOTI TRAIL. Pass the word and stay tuned!