Wilson Dam


Wilson Dam is a dam spanning the Tennessee River between Lauderdale County and Colbert County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Completed in 1924 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, it impounds Wilson Lake, and is one of nine Tennessee Valley Authority dams on the Tennessee River. The dam was declared a National Historic Landmark on November 13, 1966, for its role as the first dam to come under the TVA's administration. The dam is named for former President of the United States Woodrow Wilson.

Description and history

Wilson Dam is located at river mile of the Tennessee River, spanning the river in a roughly north–south orientation between Florence and Muscle Shoals in northern Alabama. Construction on Wilson Dam began in 1918 and was completed in 1924 under supervision of Hugh L. Cooper. First electricity generating unit did not go into service until September 1925, and in next few years only 40 percent of electric generating capacity was installed. The dam is high and stretches across the Tennessee River. The cost to build the dam was almost $47 million.
The main lock at Wilson Dam is wide by long. The lock lift is. It is the highest single lift lock east of the Rocky Mountains An auxiliary lock has two wide by long chambers that operate in tandem. Over 3,700 vessels pass through Wilson Dam's locks each year.
The generating capacity of Wilson dam is 663 megawatts of electricity.

Gallery