The age of the Appalachian mountain range is so ancient that, in comparison, the Rockies are but babes. About 200 million years ago, geologists say, the Appalachians were born in a tremendous upheaval. When first formed, these mountains were higher than the present Rocky Mountains or the European Alps. Over millions of years of erosion, the mountains have been beaten down and worn away. Then about 20 million years ago another upheaval occured, creating in north Alabama the Cumberland Plateau region. The southern extremity of the Appalachian mountain range's densely forested mass covers almost half the state with a vastly huge area of parallel ridges and high plateaus stretching from New York to Alabama.
71% of Alabama is covered with forest. We have nearly 23 million acres of forest growing over 16 billion trees. Our forest-covered
areas are equal in size to the entire state of Indiana.
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Alabama's piney woods, grand old oak and magnolia trees range east to west from Georgia to Mississippi, north to south from Tennessee to Florida. To the northeast, the Appalachian Highlands begin and continues in a southwesterly progression across the northern half of the state. Below that the band of prairie lowland known as the Black Belt has rich soils that once cradled a rural, cotton-producing way of life central to the state's development. Further south stretches the piney woods, and then coastal plains until one reaches the striking ranks of azaleas blossoming in the Gulf breezes and the moss-draped live oaks of Mobile. The Fall Line curves from Phenix City, near the Georgia border, north and west across Alabama. The land on either side of this line, where highlands and lowlands meet, is very different.
 Alabama's plant life is abundant. Most of the thick forests are in the north and northeast. The 125 tree varieties, including the predominate pine, are live oak, sweet gum, black walnut, hickory, wild cherry, red bud, red cedar, black cypress,  and many varieties of shrubs and grasses, bamboo, large cane, mistletoe, muscadine, scuppernong, blackberry and spanish moss. Birdlife, too, is abundant, including the bluebird, cardinal, bluejay, dove, mockingbird, woodpecker, hummingbird, thrush, oriole, wren, chickadee, titmouse, owl, hawk, yellow-hammer woodpeckers (state bird), along w/many other woodpecker species, and the occasional eagle. Other indigenous wildlife include rabbit, raccoon, opossum, fox, wildcat, squirrel, muskrat, deer, and a few bear. The coyote and armadillo have migrated into Alabama from the west. Snakes include poisonous rattlers, water moccasins, copperheads and corals, as well as some nonpoisonous types, such as black and corn snakes. Alligators still call home the swamps and bayous of the coastal regions.
Many placenames in the state indicate an Indian origin, such as Etowah, Talladega, and Tuscaloosa. Earthen mounds and other archaeological evidence indicate that people have lived in Alabama for at least 10,000 years. The major Indian groups at the time of European settlement were the Chickasaws and Cherokees in the north and the Creeks and Choctaws to the south. The principal Indian groups at the time of the initial European exploration of the region circa 1519 were the Chickasaw in the northwest; the Cherokee in the northeastern uplands; the Upper Creek, or Muskogee in the center and southeast; and the Choctaw in the southwest, all making this land their home, and later the Spanish, the French and the English pioneers.
The antebellum era in Alabama was characterized by the continued development of plantation agriculture in the central and southern parts of the state, the removal of the Indians to the West, the rising controversy over industrialization and the nature and legitimacy of slavery and its extension into new territories. The election of President Abraham Lincoln led to the special state convention that voted to secede from the Union in January 1861. Montgomery became the first capital of the Confederacy, and Jefferson Davis was inaugurated president there in February.
 The now mysterious Rebel Yell, first heard at First Manassas in 1861, was described as part wolf howl and part Indian yell. Tho well recognized then, our imaginations alone can now fathom how that may have sounded rising from the voices of hundreds of confederate soldiers during battle.
Although there were no major battles here, skirmishes and raids within the state's borders took a heavy toll. Alabamians also made many sacrifices to support the Confederacy, and suffered from shortages of food and material. Although the Confederacy was formed in Montgomery in Feb. 1861, and this city became the South's first capital, Alabamians were not united in their support of the Civil War. Indeed, Alabama stayed on the brink of internal civil war from 1861-1865 because of divided loyalties. Many Northern and Wiregrass (Southeast) Alabama counties remained loyal to the Union, but the rich plantations of the Black Belt ruled the state politically. The tension was perhaps greatest in Northern Alabama where there were few plantations.
Six flags have flown over Alabama: Spain, France, Great Britain, Confederate, Alabama and United States. Alabama is called "The Heart of Dixie" because of the $10 notes issued by the Citizens Bank of Louisiana before the Civil War. The notes bore the French word "dix" meaning 10, and eventually the South became Dixieland, with Alabama serving as the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Points of interest include the Helen Keller birthplace "Ivy Green" at Tuscumbia,  the Space and Rocket Center at Huntsville, the White House of the Confederacy, the restored State Capitol, the Civil Rights Memorial, the Bellingrath Gardens at Theodore, the USS Alabama at Mobile, Mound State Monument near Tuscaloosa, and the Gulf Coast area.
Noteworthy people from Alabama include Hank Aaron, George Washington Carver, Tammy Wynette, Hank Williams, Sr, Percy Sledge, Fannie Flagg, Nat "King" Cole, Lionel Richie, Kate Jackson, Helen Keller, Joe Louis, Louise Fletcher, The Temptations, Willie Mays, Sonny James, Jim Nabors, WC Handy, Nell Carter, Jesse Owens, Harper Lee, Truman Capote, Condoleezza 'Condi' Rice,
and of course, 'our' band Alabama.
Links last verified 8.06
These Things Alabama:
Bama Link Library:
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The H. L. HUNLEY
Privately built in 1863 by Park and Lyons of Mobile, Alabama, the Confederate submarine, H. L. Hunley, changed the face of naval warfare, ended the age of wooden-hulled warships, and became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship at Charlston, SC, February 17, 1864. It is the very first successful military submarine. Not until World War I would another submarine sink an enemy ship. Info on its discovery, recovery and excavation:
9.19.2008 - FORT MORGAN, Ala. (AP) — When the waves from Hurricane Ike receded, they left behind a mystery — a ragged shipwreck that archeologists say could be a two-masted Civil War schooner that ran aground in 1862 or another ship from some 70 years later. The wreck, about six miles from Fort Morgan, had already been partially uncovered when Hurricane Camille cleared away sand in 1969.
Researchers at the time identified it as the Monticello, a battleship that partially burned when it crashed trying to get past the U.S. Navy and into Mobile Bay during the Civil War.
After examining photos of the wreck post-Ike, Museum of Mobile marine archaeologist Shea McLean agreed it is likely the Monticello, which ran aground in 1862 after sailing from Havana, according to Navy records.
"Based on what we know of ships lost in that area and what I've seen, the Monticello is by far the most likely candidate," McLean said. "You can never be 100 percent certain unless you find the bell with 'Monticello' on it, but this definitely fits."
Other clues indicate it could be an early 20th century schooner that ran aground on the Alabama coast in 1933.
The wrecked ship is 136.9 feet long and 25 feet wide, according to Mike Bailey, site curator at Fort Morgan, who examined it this week. The Monticello was listed in shipping records as 136 feet long, McLean told the Press-Register of Mobile.
But Bailey said a 2000 report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined the remains were the schooner Rachel, built at Moss Point, Miss., in 1919 and wrecked near Fort Morgan in 1933.
He said the wreckage appears to have components, such as steel cables, that would point to the Rachel rather than an 1860s schooner.
Glenn Forest, another archaeologist who examined the wreck, said a full identification would require an excavation.
"It's a valuable artifact," he said. "They need to get this thing inside before it falls apart or another storm comes along and sends it through those houses there like a bowling ball."
Meanwhile, curious beach-goers have been drawn to the remains of the wooden hull filled with rusted iron fittings. Fort Morgan was used by Confederate soldiers as Union forces attacked in 1864 during the Battle of Mobile Bay.
"It's interesting, I can tell you that," said Terri Williams. "I've lived down here most of my life and I've never seen anything like this, and it's been right here."
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Yea, Alabama! Drown 'em Tide!
Every 'Bama man's behind you;
Hit your stride!
Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,
Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave!
And if a man starts to weaken,
That's his shame!
For 'Bama's pluck and grit
Has writ her name in crimson flame!
Fight on, fight on, fight on, men!
Remember the Rose Bowl we'll win then!
So! Go, roll to victory, Hit your stride,
You're Dixie's football pride,
Crimson Tide!
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Ft Payne, AL
Still the Harmony and Heart of country music:
thealabamaband.com
Bama Earthquake History:
Tuesday April 29, 2003 - The USGS has our early morning earthquake today now at magnitude 4.9. The quake was centered near Mentone in northeast Alabama, and was felt as far away as North Carolina. While no serious damage has been reported, there have been power outages in Dekalb county and many people reported pictures being knocked off the wall and objects falling off shelves.
From reviewing seismic data for Alabama, it looks like our strongest earthquake occurred on October 18, 1916, centered east of Birmingham. Near the epicenter, chimneys were knocked down, windows broken, and frame buildings "badly shaken." It was noted by residents in seven States and covered 100,000 square miles.
Up until today, the strongest measured earthquake came on October 24, 1997; another 4.9 quake centered near Brewton in south Alabama. This one did not cause any significant damage. Here is some background information on Alabama earthquakes from the Geological Survey of Alabama in response to questions about this morning's magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Fort Payne:-James Spann, Meteorologist, B'ham, AL
Two zones of frequent earthquake activity affecting Alabama are the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) and the Southern Appalachian Seismic Zone (SASZ).
The SASZ extends from near Roanoke in southwestern Virginia southwestward to central Alabama. Considered a zone of moderate risk, the SASZ includes the Appalachian Mountains. The hypocenters of earthquakes in this zone are probably on deeply buried faults. The greatest earthquake in the zone occurred in 1897 near Pearisburg, Virginia, with an estimated magnitude of 5.8.
Large-magnitude earthquakes in these two seismic zones have the potential for affecting the northern half of Alabama. Earthquakes with epicenters in Alabama have been recorded throughout all parts of the state. Historical records show 118 earthquakes with epicenters in Alabama as of May 1998.
Recent seismograph records indicate that earthquakes in the state are more frequent than records indicate, but they are often not strong enough to be felt by people on the land surface. The largest earthquake reported in Alabama happened in October 1916 in northern Shelby County. Intensity was VII on the Modified Mercalli Scale, indicating a very strong earthquake. The largest instrumentally recorded earthquake had a magnitude of 4.9 on October 24, 1997, in Escambia County. A table of Earthquakes in Alabama provides information on the location and effects of earthquakes in Alabama
Although an earthquake can occur anywhere at any time in Alabama, most are likely to do little serious damage. The largest quakes in historic times have been associated with the New Madrid seismic zone. Also, on August 13, 1886, the southeastern U.S. was strongly shaken by a large earthquake centered at Charleston, South Carolina. The quake was felt for 750 miles from the epicenter, and several areas in Alabama recorded damage.
By State:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states.php
Sources
Lookout -the Story of an Amazing Mountain -John Wilson
Online:
The University of Alabama Center for Public Television & Radio
Alabama Dept of Archives & History; Encyclopædia Britannica
geobop.com/PaleoZoo; netstate.com; valuecom.com
Photo Credit:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
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