Cherokee County


Little River Falls on the Little River is Little River FallsNamed for the Cherokee Indians who once occupied north Alabama, Cherokee County is home to Weiss Lake and Little River Canyon, two of the most popular outdoor attractions in Alabama. During the Civil War, Cherokee County was a center of iron manufacturing. The county is run by an elected five-member commission.

· Founding Date: January 9, 1836
· Area: 553 square miles
· Population: 24,863 (2006 Census Bureau estimate)
· Major Waterways: Coosa River, Little River, Weiss Lake
· Major Highways: U.S. 411, U.S. 278
· County Seat: Centre
· Largest City: Centre

History 

Located in the northeastern part of the state, Cherokee County CourthouseCherokee County was created by an act of the state legislature on January 9, 1836 and was named for the Cherokee Indians who once lived in the area. The famous Cherokee chief Pathkiller, who led the Cherokee in the Creek War of 1813-14, lived in Turkeytown, near the present day town of Centre. The Cherokee ceded the land that is now Cherokee County in the Treaty of New Echota in 1835. In 1836 newly arrived settlers founded the town of Cedar Bluff, which became the county seat, but in 1884 the county seat was moved to the more centrally located town of Centre. During the Civil War, Cherokee County provided 15 companies of infantry and two cavalry units   to the Confederate Army. The Nineteenth Alabama Calvary was composed almost entirely of Cherokee County volunteers who fought under General Joe Wheeler. The area became a major supplier of iron ore to the Confederacy during the war. Stroup Furnace at Round Mountain and Rock Run Furnace were both destroyed by the Union Army but were reopened after the war. In 1862, Cornwall Furnace was constructed in 1862 to produce Cornwall FurnaceCornwall Furnace was built near the town of Cedar Bluff. Constructed of limestone from the nearby Coosa River, the 35-foot-high furnace was the first to supply iron for the casting of Confederate cannons during the Civil War. Union General William Tecumseh Sherman twice ordered the furnace destroyed in 1864, but it still stands in its original location. In 1961 Alabama Power dammed the Coosa River to create Weiss Lake, one of the most popular waterways in the state.

Major Cities and Demographics 

Centre is the county seat of Cherokee County Centre At the time of the 2000 Census, Cherokee County recorded a population of 23,988, a 22.7 percent increase from the 1990 Census. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the 2006 population was 24,863, with 93.3 White, 5.5 percent African American, and 1.1 percent Hispanic. Centre, the county seat, had an estimated population of 3,316 in 2005. According to the 2000 Census, other population centers in the county included Cedar Bluff (1,467), Sand Rock (509), Leesburg (799), and Gaylesville (140). In 2003 the median household income was $33,564, compared with $37,062 for the state. Per capita income was $15,543, compared with $18,189 for the state as a whole.

Economy 

Cherokee's economy was largely agricultural throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Farmers grew cotton, corn, and wheat and raised livestock. The county also possessed extensive iron ore deposits, which made it a major supplier to the Confederacy during the Civil War. Following the war, the economy   focused largely on farming, small-scale   iron ore production, and timber.

The workforce in Cherokee County as of 2003, was comprised of 35.8 percent in manufacturing; 32.8 percent in production, transportation, and material moving; 21.3 percent in sales and office occupations; 19 percent in management and professional occupations; 14.8 percent in construction, extraction, and maintenance; 13.2 percent in government; 9.9 percent in service occupations; and 5.7 percent in fishing, hunting, forestry, and agriculture. The Cherokee County School System currently employs 258 teachers and administrators who serve more than 4,099 students in eight schools.

Geography 

Cherokee County is 66th in size among Alabama Cherokee County MapComprising approximately 553 square miles, Cherokee County lies in the northeastern area of the state. The majority of the county lies within the Valley and Ridge physiographic section, but the northeastern and northwestern corners lie within the Cumberland Plateau physiographic section. It is bounded to the north by Dekalb County, to the west by Etowah County, to the south by Calhoun and Cleburne counties, and the to the east by Floyd, Chattooga, and Polk counties in Georgia.

The Coosa River runs through the southwestern corner of the county and its tributaries, Little River and Terrapin Creek, intersect the area. In the 1960s, the Coosa River was dammed to create Weiss Lake, a 30,000-acre reservoir that stretches across the center of the county. The county's major transportation route is U.S 411, which runs east-west south of Weiss Lake.

Events and Places of Interest 

Cedar Bluff is located on Weiss Lake in Cedar Bluff Near Weiss LakeWeiss Lake, with over 450 miles of shoreline, is known as the Crappie Capital of the World and hosts local, state, and national fishing tournaments. The Little River Canyon, one of the most extensive canyon and gorge systems in the country, is distinguished by towering cliffs, rushing Class V water, and scenic waterfalls. In 1992, Congress designated Little River Canyon a National Preserve, thus making it one of the cleanest rivers in the Southeast. The Little River also includes extensive fish populations, such as rainbow trout, redeye bass, catfish, and bream. In the southern part of the county, a small portion of the Talladega National Forest offers access to hiking and camping.

Additional Resources  

Heritage of Cherokee County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1998.

Miller, Dixie C. Visiting Our Past: A History of Cherokee County. 1986.

Stewart, Mrs. Frank Ross. Cherokee County History: 1836-1956. Birmingham, Ala.: The Birmingham Printing Company, 1958.


Published August 23, 2007
Last updated January 21, 2010