On July 4; 1845; the piercing sound of a steamboats whistle along the banks of the Coosa River served as an exotic; technological proclamation for the beginning of a new era in Northeast Alabama. The landing of Captain James Laffertys steamboat; the Coosa; marked the genesis of a new town and the realization of a shared vision of Gabriel Hughes; Joseph Hughes; and John S. Moragne. From that moment on; hundreds upon hundreds of pioneering men and women immigrated to Gadsden in the latter part of the nineteenth century pursuing the American dream of land and opportunity.Gadsden: City of Champions; with over 100 black-and-white illustrations; presents a comprehensive history of Gadsdens astonishing development and details the various stages of the citys evolution; from a neutral playing field between rival Cherokee and Creek tribes; to a wilderness stagecoach stop; to a humble village; to a major riverboat port; into a modern industrial city. Amid streetcars; opera houses; bustling mills; and unpaved streets; readers meet local figures; such as Colonel R.B. Kyle; Captain James M. Elliott Jr.; Judge John H. Disque; Emma Sansom; and John W. Wisdom; and a host of colorful CHaracters-riverboat pilots; theater managers; mill workers; Pulltight saloonkeepers; and bootleggers-against an epic backdrop of war; Reconstruction; depression; fire; and prosperity.
#475484 in eBooks 2012-09-11 2012-09-11File Name: B008ZPFVP6
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