A.A. Miller Hydroelectric Dam

smoke665 · May 13, 2020

Built by A.A, Miller, a self educated engineer with a fascination for electricity, in 1925, this was the first Hydroelectric dam constructed in Alabama. Actually quite an accomplishment, as there were no roads in at the time, except for logging trails, and the terrain is mountainous at an elevation of over 1,600 ft. The dam is 20 ft tall, and sits about 100 yards up stream from Desoto Falls, on the West Fork of the Little River. The concrete structure in the center is where the water was released into a large pipe that ran down to the bottom of the falls to the turbine, 120' down in the gorge. All the machinery is gone, and only the dam remains. The falls is quite a dramatic shot from the gorge, but to reach it you have to hike in from down stream, 4 miles one way. It was raining off and on the day I was here, and DW was not about to hike in the rain. Wives can be so unaccommodating. :allteeth: