Tallapoosa County AlArchives History .....Tallapoosa County 1888 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 September 13, 2011, 11:42 am XXII. TALLAPOOSA COUNTY. Population: White. 16,108; colored, 7,283. Area. 810 square miles. Woodland, all. Acres—In cotton (approximately), 41,200; in corn, 41,450; in oats, 9,160O; in wheat, 14,572; in tobacco, 21; in sugar-cane, 41; in sweet potatoes, 408. Approximate number of bales of cotton, 14,921. County Seat—Dadeville; population, 1,200; on the Columbus & Western Railroad, thirty miles from Opelika, and forty-five miles northeast of Montgomery. Newspaper published at County Seat—Tullapoosa New Era, democratic. Postoffices in the County—Alexander City. Bulger's Mills, Buttston, Camp Hill, Cowpens, Dadeville, Daviston, Dudleyville, Emmekfaw, Fish Pond, Fosheeton, Goldville, Hackneyville, Island Home, Jackson's Gap, Mary, Matilda, Melton's Mill, New Site, Sturdevant, Susanna, Thaddeus. Tallapoosa County lies in the east center of the State, and was created in 1832 out of a portion of the last cession of the Creek Indians. The word Tallapoosa, means "eat town," and was first applied to the Tallapoosa River, from which the county derived the name. The soils of this county may be divided into two prominent or predominating classes, the red and the gray, both of which are based on a subsoil, of a reddish or yellowish color, but in addition to these soils, which arc found mostly on uplands, there are a large number of bottoms along the banks of the Tallapoosa River, and the many creeks tributary to that stream. These bottom lands are the most productive lands of the county, and comprise a considerable proportion of the county's area. The yield of this class of lands will compare favorably with the yield of the best lands in the State, and, take it year in and year out, crops planted on them yield with regularity and certainty. The reddish lands of the uplands are specially adapted to the production of small grain, and fair crops of wheat and oats are produced on them. All the soils of the county are used in the production of cotton, though that article is cultivated more extensively on the loamy lands of the southern portion. The yield of corn and wheat on the red lands will compare favorably with the best results obtained elsewhere in the State, while in the production of the latter, Tallapoosa ranks with the leading counties of Alabama. The forests are heavily timbered with white, red and Spanish oak, poplar, hickory, pine, ash, mulberry, and gum. These valuable timbers will be brought into requisition as the demand grows for their use in the mechanical arts. The county is watered by the Tallapoosa River and the Hillabee, Chattasofka, Big Sandy, Little Sandy, Sorgahatchee, Buck, Elkehatchee, Blue. Winn, and Emnekfaw Creeks. Immense water-power prevails in every section of the county and upon the principal streams, notably upon Big Sandy and Hillabee. The incline planes over which the vast volumes of water are precipitated give them immense power for manufacturing purposes. The Tallapoosa River which flows through the county, dividing it in two, is capable of furnishing many thousand horse-power to be utilized for manufacturing purposes. The great falls on this river occur in the southern portion of the county, and are utilized at Tallassee, in Elmore County, for the manufacture of cotton goods. At this point the waters of the river rush for several hundred yards down a steep declivity, until the falls are reached where they pour clown over a shelf about twenty feet in height. The fall of the river, within 500 yards of the factory at Tallassee, is fixed at between 50 and 75 feet, and it is estimated that this fall is capable of furnishing fully 100 horse-power. The many sites for manufacturing purposes in this county, where motive power could be furnished by water, are used for nothing more important than saw or grist mills. Tallapoosa is rich in mineral resources, and it is thought that, for extent and variety, its mineral deposits will lead those of any other county in the State. There is no question as to the presence of gold in different portions of the county, and recent investigations have strengthened the belief that it was in sufficient quantity to make working it highly profitable. This precious article is being mined in several localities in the county, with more or less success. Copper mines, near Dadeville, have been fitted up at a great cost with a stamping mill, and it is said that the indications point to a rich reward in the future for the outlay. In addition to gold, silver signs have been discovered in several localities, but the extent of the deposits has never been ascertained. Besides the minerals of great value, Tallapoosa contains deposits of mica of a superior grade and an extra large size, graphite, asbestos, emery and granite. Dadeville, the county seat of Tallapoosa, is a pleasant little town of about 2,000 people, situated on the Columbus and Western road, about sixty miles west of Opelika. Its people are content, prosperous and happy. The location of the town is all that could be desired in point of scenery and health. Fine schools flourish, and churches of various denominations are found here. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Northern Alabama: Historical and Biographical Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land 1888 PART III. HISTORICAL RESUME OF THE VARIOUS COUNTIES IN THE STATE. MINERAL BELT. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/tallapoosa/history/other/tallapoo382gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 5.9 Kb