PV 1 T'aliiietto Beach R 1/ D A P(aM« u-itA oiw 100,000 BIRMINGHAM rimxii will, 20,000 (1/80.000 Moiitgomery Placet with 10,000 (o 20,000 Bessomer piactt will, 2,000 to 10,000 Eufaula will, (i«» than 2,000 Corttlyou Cuunty Scaf unth kta tliun 2,000 .CHA 1 OM Slate dpitat @ Cuvnly Seats ® Other iilaccao OF MEXICO Railroad. Longitude Wcat Troui Or ALA 1 5 A.M A 81' VI 'LE]\tEXT By p. W. Hodges, Dothan, Alabama I. General Facts L Name the states whicli touch Alabama. 2. Measure by the scale of miles as shown on the map the length of each of these bound- Map studies o T' 11 II r ^1 aries. o. lell which oi tliese places is farther north : Montgomery or Atlanta ; Mobile or Savannah ; ( ladsden or Rome, Ga. ; Tuscaloosa or Meridian, Miss. ; Birmingham or Richmond, Va. 4. Measure from north to south the longest line on the mai). Alabama lies in what is called the eastern section of the Southern States. It is sepa- Location and rated from the At- boundary lantic Ocean by Georgia on the east, while it touches the Gulf of Mexico on the south. The states which bound it are Tennessee on the north, Georgia on the east, Florida on tlie south, and Mis- sissipi)i on the west. Alabama is about the same in area as Louisiana, Arkansas, and Size and North Carolina, extent The area of each of these states is just about oO.OOO square miles. The area of Ala- bama is 51,998 square miles. It measures 836 miles from north to south and 200 mi'es from cast to west at the points of greatest distances. About 720 s([uare miles of tlic surface is water from Mobile Bay and other small arms of the (nilf of Mexico. The number of pe()])h' li\ing in the state is over 2,000,000 Most of these belong to the white race, though mam' Population ,. , ,, . ,' negroes ii\'e here Many ol the white people who live in Ahdiama were born here, and a great many have m(>ved hi-re from time to time from other states to make their homes. II. Drainage Alabama is well provided with rivers and streams to carry off the surplus water and keep the soil well drained. The rivers do more, however, than drain the state. They furnish drinking water for cities, water and power for mills, and a means of transi)ortation. The Tennessee is a large and important river of the state. It flows Tennessee from the northeast corner west- River ward across the state through a rich and liiji Sidii ia. (luw.s IS, 500 gallons a niiaute. beautiful \alley. Along its banks are found many attractixe and thri\iiig towns. The Alabama is formed by the junction of the Coosa and the Tallapoosa ri\"ers not far from Montgomery. It flows Alabama through the central part of the R'ver state in a southwestward directit)n and joins the Tombigbee forming the Mobile. Tlu' Black Warrior, the Sipsey, ami the Tombigbee furnish \\;iter power and a means of transportation for an important part of the western Copyright, 191S, by The Mucmilhin Company. ©CLA504O45 Other rivers n*9 I ALABAMA SUPPLEMENT Black Belt Lock and dam, Black Warrior River. Tu.-i alnusa. section of the state. The Coosa supplies drainage, transportation, and power for a large part of the east central portion. III. Surface The surface of the state possesses three well- recognized divisions, viz. : the Mountain Sec- tion, the Black Belt, and the level southern section called the Coastal Plain. The northern portion is broken by spurs of the Appalachian Mountains which, Mountain reaching in from the northeast section corner, cross the state toward Mississippi and extend south toward the center of the state. On these mountains and ridges are found valuable timber and under them lie rich deposits of minerals. Between the mountains are beautiful and fertile valleys that produce abundant crops of all kinds of grains and fruits. This sec- tion is also noted for its wonderful springs that flow in great numbers from the sides of the mountains. The southern part of the Mountain Sec- tion has been given the name Piedmont, meaning foot-of-the-mountain. I'nder the ridges and hills of this section lie immense coal beds and iron ore deposits. South of the Mountain Section lies a belt of deep fertile soil called the " Black Belt," on either side of which, north or south, are timber sections of pine and hardwood. Below the Black Belt is the Coastal Plain, a The coastal gently Plain rolling section on which, in the wooded areas, grow immense forests of long-leaf pine, and other valuable timber. Some of the largest timber mills in the world have been built in this timber belt. In the cleared areas there are fer- tile farms on which a variety of crops are raised. IV. Climate The climate in Alabama is mild. In the northern part some snow falls in the winter, though south of Montgomery there live many grown men and women who have never seen snow. Ice and frost are not uncommon even in the southern portions of the state, though the weather gets very warm in summer even in the northern part, except on the mountains. The rainfall for the whole state is ample to make good crops. It seldom happens' that there is too much or too little rain for a good harvest of all kinds of useful plants. Snow and ice Rainfall V. Animals and Birds Although much of the timber has been cut from the land, there still are found in many portions of the state a variety of wild animals. AUG -8I9IB ALA^A^fA SUPPLEMENT Wild animals Birds In the mountains and in tin- ^reat forests of the southern portions of the state may yet l)e found a few bear and deer. In all portions of the state there is an ahundanee of squirrels, foxes, raccoons, opossums, and rabbits. All parts of the state abound in game birds which are killed in large numbers for food. The commonest and most widely scattered is perhajjs the quail. The wild turkey is a bird that is also common to all parts of Alabama. At certain seasons of the year, large droves of wild geese and wild ducks may be found on the streams of the state. The state is rich in the number and variety of birds that bring pleasure and profit to man in other w'ays than by furnishing him food. Among the song birds which abound in the state, the mocking bird is by far the most common and the most appreciated. Other birds of this type are the bluebird, the blackbird, the field lark and the yellowhammer. VI. Industries Productive soil and favorable climate with abundant rainfall combine to make agriculture the chief occupation of the people of the state. For I Cotton fiber a great maiiv vears cotton has and seed '^ ■ . • been the main crop in all sec- tions. The usefulness of this plant is well known to every boy and girl. The fiber is em- ployed in making clothing for the people of every civilized country in the world. The seed is crushed to secure oil from which food for man is made. The hulls are used to make fertilizer and feed for cattle and hogs. Corn is an important crop that is raised in large quantities in all sections of the state. For many \'ears the people raised cotton, which they sold to buy corn for themselves and their Ii\c stock. A few years ago the boll \vee\il destroyid Agriculture 2. Corn 3. Peanuts much of the cotton crop, so that the farmers had to raise some other crop. Corn was the mo.st promising substitute. The crop was planted on all kinds of soil and a great harvest was gathered. Since that time it has not been necessary to bring corn into Alabama, and thousands of bushels lune been .sold in other states. Peanuts is a crop that has become very valuable within the last few years. The southeastern section of the state is best suited to the growing of this crop. This plant furnishes fertilizer for the soil on which it is grown and provides hay and nuts for cattle and hogs. Many farmers fatten their hogs with no other feed than the peanuts in the field. A larger part of the l)eanut crop is harvested and carried to mills where the peanuts are crushed to secure oil for food. The cultivation of the sweet potato, sugar cane, rice, wheat, and many kinds of vege- tables and fruits receives atten- tion in different portions of the state. The sweet potato is common to all sections for home use and it is grown in large quantities in central and southern Alabama for the markets. A fine quality of .syrup is made from the sugar cane, which grows only in the central and southern portions. In the northern cotmties, syrup is made frcmi the sorghum cane, which is cultivated for that purpose. The northern section of the state is adapted to the growing of wheat. Many farmers raise enough for home use, while some is sold. Uice is raised in small (pianti- ties on the lowlands, while berries and fruits of many kinds grow well all oxer the state. Castleberry in sonthern Alabama, and ('nil- man in northern .Mabama ship to the large cities (►f the North many carloads of straw- berries ever\' year. Anotlu-r important and valuable agricul- tural industrv is the raising of ,. I 't /• •' 5 Live stock li\'e stock. in former tunes, even the farmers (»f the .state bought from 4. Other crops ALABAMA SUPPLEMENT stores and markets most of the beef and pork which they used. The raising of corn and I)eanuts instead of cotton has made it pos- siljle for the farmers to grow cattle and hogs. They now raise all the live stock that may be needed to furnish meat for the people of the state and a great deal to send to other parts of the world. This industry is common to all parts of the state. Mining is an important industry in the central and northern sections of the state. into lumber, and iron into tools before these can be used in making homes Manufac- and comforts for men. Manu- turing facturing is growing as an industry in Alabama. VII. Cities The three largest cities in Alabama are Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery. Other important cities are Gadsden, Anniston, Bessemer, Albany, Decatur, Huntsville, An iron foundry lit Bessemer. Mining Coal and iron, the chief products of the mines, together with limestone quarried in the same neigh- borhood, furnish the material for the great steel industry that has grown up in this sec- tion, of which Birmingham is the center. Alabama ranks among the first states in the number of tons of both coal and iron that are mined every year. In some sections of the state are found minerals and metals, such as gold, mica, and graphite, which may be produced in paying ((uantities. By manufacturing we mean the making of the "raw" material into things that can be used. Cotton must be made into cloth, logs Birmingham Florence, Tuscaloosa, Selma, Talladega, Troy, and Dothan. Birmingham is situated in north central Alabama in the rich coal, iron, and limestone region of the state. Abundance of these three essentials to the manufacture of iron and steel has led to the establishment in recent years in this region of a great number of large iron and steel mills and manufacturing ])lants. Birmingham is the center of this industry. With the increase in industry has come a rapid increase in popu- lation. The rapid growth of the city from a small village in ISSO to one of the most impor- tant cities oF the country in 1910 has caused the city to be named the "Magic City." ALABA.\fA SUI'PLEMEXr Mobile, on Mobile Bay, is the oldest city \\\ Alal>ania. It was founded Mobile , ,1 Ti I by the r rench in the year 1711. The streets are broad and beauti- ful. Many trees that are hundreds of years old shade its homes and its streets. The harbor is one of the best of the entire southern coast, and as a seaport it ranks among the most im- portant in the country. Montgomery has a beauti- ful location on a bluft of the Alabama River in central Ala- bama. It is an important city in Alabama for the reason that it is the capital of the state and an important commercial city, with much railroad and steamboat trade. A large camp for the training of United States soldiers and a field for the training of aviators have recentlv been established in Montgomery the \'icinitv. Just west of Moil Biniiiugliaiu. tgoinery Selma on the Alabama River is 8el.ma, the county seat of Dallas (\)unty. It has a lar^e trade in cotton, which is sent hy river hoats to Moliile. Tuscaloosa Bird's-cyo view of Montgomery, the State Capitol in the ilistaiice. T I" sr .\ Lo OSA. on the Hhuk Warrior River, is an important commer- cial and manufac- turing place. Two im|)ortant institu- tions, the University of Alahama and the .Maliama Hospital t'nr the Insane, are located here. 6 ALABAMA SUPPLEMENT Anniston has a beautiful location among the hills of northeast Alabama, in a region that abounds in timber, minerals, and farm products. Anniston rj.^^ people engage in the manu- facture of different kinds of machinery, engines, boilers, pipes, lumber, and cotton goods. The Government of the United States has recently placed a camp here for the training of American soldiers. Gadsden is an attractive and prosperous city among the mountains of northeast Alabama. On the moun- tains near by is found a supply of many kinds of useful timber. Under the surface of the same mountains is found a vast supply of iron ore. Steel wire, nails, tile, pipe, brick, and leather goods are manufactured. HuNTSViLLE, the largest town in the Tennessee Valley, is the center of a rich agricultural section. The Gadsden Bridge and site of the nitrate plant near Florence. north central portion of the state. The mountain valleys surrounding it are rich in ^ ,, ■, agricultural products and timber. The mining of iron and the quarrying of marble are valuable industries for many of the people in the county and those near by. Albany and Decatur are important shipping and manufacturing cities located on the Tennessee River between Huntsville and Florence. Decatur is known in T^ „„+ , , Decatur history for being the eastern end of the first railroad that was built in Alabama. The road ran westward to Tuscumbia. Albany, formerly called New Decatur, has the immense shops of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. These shops give employment to hundreds of men. Bessemer is in Jefferson County and is one of the most important of our cities. Its „ , ^ . Bessemer location among the coal and iron deposits makes it a leader in the manufacture of iron products. Troy • is in Pike Covmty about fifty miles southeast of Mont- ^"'y gomery. It is both an agricultural and a manu- facturing city. The raw material for the manu- facturing is obtained from cotton, peanuts, and lumber. DoTHAN, situated in the southeastern part of Huntsville manufacture of many kinds of cotton products is carried on here. The center of interest for many visitors to Huntsville is the Big Spring which supplies water for the people of the city. This city is one of the oldest in the state and was the capital for a short time in its early history. In the northeast corner of the state on the Tennessee River is the pretty little city of Florence. Its ])eople engage in the manufacture ^.°'^^^^^.' . of woodenware, cotton goods, and iron Sheffield and , , j, \ \ . rr . • products. It has extensive coni- Tuscumbia ' i •, i i merce by railroad and steamboat. Sheffield and Tuscumbia are two thriving cities just across the river from Florence. A short time ago, the (lovernment of the United States agreed to build a nitrate plant near these places to cost $20,000,000. Taluydega is a beautiful old citv situated in the Dothan the state in a rich and prosperous farming section, has a large whole- sale and retail trade with several counties in that section of Alabama as well as with a number of counties and towns in Georgia and Florida. A system of graded roads brings much trade from the rural sections and three railroads furnish a means of trade with more distant places. VIII. History The first white man to place foot on Ala- bama soil was a Spaniard named De Soto. He came to Alabama with a partv <. 1 1/wA/. 1 ' Exploration or about lOOO men in the year 1540. He was making a trip in an effort to find gold, about which he had heard on ALABAMA SUPPLEMENT a former visit to South America. On this jomniey De Soto and his companions crossed from the northeastern part of Ahihama through the central part of the state to where jMobile now stands. Here took place one of the bloodiest battles of Indian warfare. From Mobile De Soto turned northwest and continueti his joiu'ney across the state. He found the country inhabited by tribes of Indians. Years later the Indians were driven from Alabama by Andrew Jackson, who defeated them in many bloody battles. They gave up their claims to the land and were removed to territory farther west which had been given to them by the United States Government. For nearly 200 years after De Soto's visit, First the Indians settlement held con- trol of Alabama. In the year 1711, a French- man by the name of Bienville made a settle- ment at Mobile, which is the oldest town in the state. The territory was rapidly settled by white people. In the year 1817 Alabama was separated from Mississippi and in ISl'.l became a state of the United States. From this history it can be seen that Ala- bama, as a state, is about 100 years old. Alabama a Plans are being made to cele- state l)rate its 100th birthday by ex- ercises in all of the schools. Alabama has had five capitals in tlie order named: St. Stephens, Iluntsville, Uahaba. Tuscaloosa, and Montgomery. In the War between the States Alabama had an important j)art. Upon the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency of the United States, delegates in a meeting at Montgomery withdrew Alabama from the Union. Soon after that some Part in war representatives from six states between of the South met in Mont- ^^^^^^ gomery and organized the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was inaugnrated the first president of the Confederate States of America, and ^Montgomery was made the capital a short while afterwards. Some imjKirtant battles were fought in Alabama, Tlio old State Capitol, Tuscaloosa. and onr state gave 120,()()() men to the "Lost Cause." IX. Government The government of Ahil)ama is a rei>ublic. B\' this we mean that the people elect the men who make the laws under which we live. The laws are inadf by a body of men called the Legislature of Alabama. This Legislatnre consi.sts of lOO men 1 4. 1 T 1 f The Legisla- who com|)o.se the llou.se or ^ " Representatives and 35 men who are known as the Senate. These men ALABAMA SUPPLEMENT The Courts meet in Montgomery every four years and pass laws for the people of the state. The man who sees that the people obey the laws that have been made is called the Governor. He is elected once The Governor » u -i-u + every tour years by the votes of the people. He lives in Montgomery in a beautiful house called the Governor's Mansion. The office in which he attends to the business of enforcing the laws is in the State Capitol. When the state is obliged to decide a question of law for people, or when a man does something that is against the laws passed by the Legisla- ture, a trial is held before a court. The chief courts in Alabama are the supreme court with seven judges ; the appellate court with five judges; and a number of circuit courts each with one or more judges. There are also smaller courts, such as the justice court and the probate court before which persons charged with small offenses may be tried. Alabama has twelve members in the Con- gress of the United States. Ten of these are called Representatives and Congress of ^j.^ elected once every two States years by the voters of the dis- tricts in which the people live. Each of the ten districts of Alabama has from fi\'e to nine counties in it. The other two representatives from Alabama are called Sen- ators. These Senators are elected by the votes of the people of the entire state once e^'ery six years. The Congress of the United States meets every year to make laws for all of the people and the representatives from Alabama are there to assist in the passage of laws for the good of the people of the state and country. 1. To what group of states does Alabama belong? 2. Wliat is the area of Alabama? 3. About how many people live in the state? 4. What portion of Alabama is moun- « r XT .1 • . , questions tainous r 5. JN ame the important rivers of Alabama. 6. In what part of the state are minerals foimd? 7. What is meant by the "Black Belt"? 8. Describe the climate and rain- fall of Alabama. 9. Name some of the wild animals of the state. 10. What are some of the best known game birds? 11. Name uses of the cotton plant. 12. Give three uses of peanuts. 13. What are the two most useful kinds of live stock raised in Ala- bama? 14. Name several kinds of plants that are cultivated for food in the state. 15. What are the two leading mineral products of Alabama? 16. Name and give uses for three other minerals found in Alabama. 17. What is meant by manufactur- ing? 18. Name and locate the three largest cities of Alabama. 19. At what two places in the state have camps for the training of soldiers been located ? 20. State an importaut fact each about Tuscaloosa and Huntsville. 21. What important industry has recently been located near Florence ? 22. Wliy are Decatur and Tuscumbia important in the history of the state? 23. Locate and briefly describe each of the following: Gadsden; Talladega; Albany; Bessemer ; Troy ; Dothan ; Sehna. 24. Who was the first white man to come to Alabama? 25. Describe his march through the state. 26. In what year will Alabama be one himdred years old as a state? 27. Name the places that have been capitals of Alabama. 28. What part did Alabama take in the War between the States ? 29. By whom are the laws for the people of Alabama made? 30. Wliat are the duties of the Governor? 31. What can you do to help in the good government of the state ? Printed in the United Statea of America. r LIBRftRY OF CONGRE; mil mill 014 541 571 e