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Wilson Dam Willows LbNA #41846

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jul 5, 2008
Location:
City:Sheffield
County:Colbert
State:Alabama
Boxes:1
Planted by:Oliver & Company
Found by: Team JSABAIL
Last found:Jul 16, 2014
Status:FFFF
Last edited:Jul 5, 2008
Located at the base of Wilson Dam off Reservation Road in Rockpile Rec Area. This is located on the Sheffield side of the dam.

From Florence Blvd go South on Cox Creek. Cross Wilson Dam to Reservation Rd.
About 4/10 down turn right @ Rockpile Rec Area.

From Muscle Shoals go North to Wilson Dam Rd/133. Detour to the right before Patton Island Bridge to Reservation Rd. Turn right onto Reservation road and head twoard Wilson Dam. Turn left into Rockpile Rec Area.

Follow road past Rockpile trails and the camping area to the gravel parking area at the end. Aprox 8/10 mile. Park and walk to the waterfall entrance/end of the parking area. At the sign "Official Cars Only", you will begin you journey on foot. It took me aprox 745 steps to get to "Wilson Dam Willows" hiding place.

Follow the dirt path to the waterfall. At the base of the waterfall continue to look down the gravel road towards the dam. Look slightly up to the right and locate the only tree growing out of the side of the cliff. Below this tree at the base of the cliff you will find under a pile of rocks "Wilson Dam Willows".
This is a public area with many bikers and hikers so be careful not to be dicovered.

Once finished cover back up with rocks so WDW will not be found by other visitors.

A bit of history:
Wilson Dam is on the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama. It’s part of TVA’s extensive Muscle Shoals site.

Wilson Dam is the only neoclassical-style dam in the TVA system, integrating themes of ancient Roman and Greek architecture into the modern structure. The construction of Wilson began in 1918, a year after the United States entered World War I. The federal government built two nitrate plants at Muscle Shoals for the making of explosives, and Wilson Dam was constructed to supply the electricity needed to power the plants. TVA acquired Wilson Dam in 1933.

The site boasts a network of hiking and walking paths, including Old First Quarters Small Wild Area, named after a complex that housed engineers during Wilson’s construction. Small feeder creeks run through the natural area, forming an ideal habitat for a variety of ferns, including the walking fern, a rarity in Alabama. Visitors also enjoy camping, boating, and fishing at Wilson Reservoir. The area is known as the Smallmouth Capital of the World for the trophy smallmouth bass caught there.

Wilson Reservoir, together with Pickwick and Wheeler Reservoirs, covers the treacherous Muscle Shoals, which once blocked navigation on the Tennessee River.

Wilson Dam is 137 feet high and stretches 4,541 feet across the Tennessee River.

The main lock at Wilson is 110 by 600 feet. With a maximum lift of 100 feet, it is the highest single lift lock east of the Rockies. An auxiliary lock has two 60- by 300-foot chambers that operate in tandem. On average, 3,700 vessels pass through Wilson each year.

Wilson has a flood-storage capacity of 53,600 acre-feet.