disinfectants, and water purifiers. At Muscle Shoals in northwestern
Alabama there is a federal plant where fertilizers and munitions are
developed for the benefit of agriculture and industry.
Alabama ranks among the first five timber producers in the nation. The
forests supply lumber for furniture and other wood products as well as wood
pulp for the paper industries. The first pulp and paper plant in the state
was built at Tuscaloosa in 1929. Other cities that now have large pulp
mills are Mobile and Brewton, in southern Alabama, and De-mopolis, in the
western part of the state. Most of the pulp is made into finished products
such as newsprint, stationery, corrugated boxes, and kraft paper. Kraft
paper is the strong brown paper used in grocery bags.
Agriculture. In Enterprise, Alabama, there is a monument to the boll
weevil. It is perhaps the only monument in the world to an insect pest. The
monument was erected in 1919 after the boll weevil destroyed the cotton
crops. It reminds Alabama's farmers of the part that the boll weevil played
in teaching them not to depend on cotton alone for their living.
For a long time cotton ranked first among Alabama's crops, but today
cotton brings only a fraction of the total income from crops. Alabama also
produces substantial amounts of soybeans, peanuts, corn, hay, sweet
potatoes and other garden vegetables, and fruits and pecans. Some crops are
identified with particular areas. Soybeans are grown extensively in the
Black Belt and around Mobile Bay. Peanuts are a main crop in the Wire Grass
area. Strawberries are grown commercially around Cullman in Cullman County,
Clanton in Chilton County, and Georgiana in Butler County. Clanton is also
known for peaches. Truck farming is carried on in many areas.
An interesting fact about Alabama's agriculture is that since 1958
livestock sales have brought more income than crops. Cattle are raised
chiefly in the Black Belt and hogs in the Wire Grass area. Poultry raising
is concentrated north of Birmingham. Dairying is carried on throughout the
state.
Mining. Alabama is well-known for its production of coal, cement, and
limestone. A number of other' minerals are produced in varying quantities
including petroleum, iron ore, clays and shale, mica, sand and gravel,
bauxite, gold, silver, and manganese. Marble from Alabama's quarries is
sold throughout the United States.
The first producing oil well began operating near Gilbertown, in Choctaw
County, in 1944. Later, oil was found in Escambia County and near
Citronelle, in Mobile County. There arc more than 200 producing wells in
southwestern Alabama. In the northwest a large natural gas field is being
developed.
Transportation and Communication
Waterways, railroads, highways, and airways connect Alabama to other
parts of tlic nation. The port of Mobile connects the state to the seaports
of the world.
Waterways. Alabama has the finest river system in the nation. The U.S.
Corps of Engineers classifies large portions of its rivers as
suitable for navigation. Millions of dollars have been spent to develop the
harbor and build docks at Mobile, to widen and deepen the channels of the
rivers, and to build public docks along the waterways.
The Black Warrior and Tombigbee waterway extends all the way from the
port of Mobile to Jefferson and Walker counties. This waterway carries
great quantities of limestone as well as millions of tons of cargo for the
industries of Birmingham and other cities along the rivers. The Alabama
River provides water transportation between Mobile and the capital city,
Montgomery. The Tennessee River is the main water route of northern
Alabama. The Chattahoochee waterway, on the east border of the state,
serves the cities of Columbia, Eufaula, and Phenix City.
Railroads and Highways. Alabama was among the pioneers in railroad
building. Its first railway, between Decatur and Muscle Shoals, was
completed in 1832. Today Alabama's railroads are used largely for freight.
Hubs of state, federal, and interstate highway systems are Birmingham and
Montgomery.
Airlines. Several airlines provide commercial flights to cities in
different parts of the state. Frequent daily schedules are available from
major centers. Most of the interstate traffic uses the airports at
Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile. Alabama's system of local airfields,
with paved and lighted runways for smaller planes, is considered to be
among the best in the nation.
Newspapers, Radio, and Television. Almost every city has its own local
newspaper. More than 100 newspapers are published in the state, but only
about 20 are dailies. Among the more influential daily newspapers are the
Alabama Journal and the Montgomery Advertiser, both published at
Montgomery, and the Birmingham News. The Mobile Press-Register, originally
the Gazette, is one of the oldest newspapers in the state. It was founded
in 1815.
Birmingham had the state's first licensed radio station, WBRC, in 1925,
and the first television stations, WABT and WBRC-TV, both in 1949. In 1955
Alabama began operating one of the first state-owned educational television
networks (ETV) in the nation. Stations of this network are capable of
reaching almost all the people in the state.
EDUCATION
Alabama is proud of its natural resources and its industrial development
in recent years. State and community leaders also recognize the importance
of developing its educational and cultural institutions.
Schools and Colleges
The first teachers in Alabama were probably French and Spanish priests who
gave instruction to the Indians. In 1799 a New England cotton merchant,
John Pierce, opened a school for the children of wealthy settlers in the
Mobile Bay area. It was the kind of pioneer school known as a blab .school
because the pupils studied by repeating their lessons aloud.
When Alabama became a state in 1819, an attempt was made to establish a
system of public schools. The attempt failed, as did others in later years,
largely because of a lack of money. Private schools sprang up to educate
the children of parents who could afford to pay. It was not until after the
Civil War that the state was able to make progress toward establishing its
present system of public elementary schools, high schools, and colleges.
Alabama has more than 50 institutions of higher education. About half of
these are 2-year institutions, mainly state-supported junior or community
colleges. The others are universities and senior colleges.
The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa (post office address, University)
is Alabama's oldest college. It was established by the legislature in 1820.
Other state-supported universities are located at Auburn, Birmingham,
Florence, Huntsville, Jacksonville, Livingston, Mobile, Montcvallo,
Montgomery, Normal, and Troy. Tuskegcc Institute, the famous school
established by Booker T. Washington in 1881, is partly supported by the
state.
Libraries
Throughout the state there are many pub lic and private libraries. The
largest public libraries are in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. The
Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, on the campus of the University of Alabama, is
one of the largest libraries in the entire South.
Fine Arts and Museums
Most high schools and junior high schools in the state have bands or
orchestras. The Birmingham Civic Symphony gives annual concerts in the
city. It also tours the state.
Before the Civil War, architecture was one of the most important fine
arts. Some of the beautiful homes that were built before the war may be
seen in the older cities, such as Selma, Huntsville, Eufaula, Greensboro,
Mobile, Tuscaloosa, and Montgomery.
The Art Museum at Birmingham and the Museum of Fine Arts at Montgomery
have large collections of paintings. The following arc among the other
noted museums:
The Alabama Museum of Natural History, at
the University of Alabama, has an excellent display of rocks and minerals.
Mound State Monument, a state park and museum at Moundville, near
Tuscaloosa, preserves ancient mounds that Indians built for their temples,
council" houses, and burial places. Relics from the grounds in the park,
such as skeletons, tools, ornaments, and pottery, are displayed in the
museum.
The Regar Museum of Natural History, at Anniston, contains an unusual
display of 900 specimens of birds, with nests and eggs.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Some of the many other interesting places have been made by people. Some,
such as mountains, forests, and white sand beaches, arc nature's own work.
Historic Places
Many historic treasures are preserved in Alabama's museums. The following
are a few of the historic places in various parts of the state:
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, on
the Tallapoosa River, marks the site of General Andrew Jackson's victory
over the Creek Indians.
The Natchez Trace Parkway crosses the northwestern corner of Alabama. It
extends from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. The parkway
commemorates a famous Indian trail and pioneer highway.
Russell Cave National Monument, at Bridgeport in northeast Alabama, was
established in 1961. In the cave, scientists have found records of almost
continuous human habitation from at least 6000 b.c. to about a.d. 1650.
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site includes Tuskegee Institute, the
