U.S.A.C.E. A.C.F. River system

The ACF - Capt. John Davis

The length of navigable channels maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the three rivers of the ACF Inland Waterway is over 300 miles. The congressionally authorized channel dimensions are 100 feet wide and 10 feet deep. However a 10 foot channel over the entire waterway seldom exists. The minimal depth is normally 8 feet. The ACF Waterway starts at the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway. It is comprised of the Apalachicola River that is 106 miles in length that runs from Apalachicola FL to the junction of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers just above the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam. The Flint channel runs 28 miles from the Woodruff Dam to Bainbridge GA. The Chattahoochee River runs from the Woodruff Dam to Columbus Georgia q distance of 156 miles. There are three Dams on the ACF Waterway. In addition to the Woodruff Lock and Dam at Chattahoochee / Sneads FL, there is the Andrews Lock and Dam at Columbia AL, and the Walter F. George Lock and Dam at Ft. Gaines GA. The Woodruff Dam and the George Dam create two large lakes, Lake Seminole behind Woodruff and Lake Eufaula behind George. Only the Andrews Dam does not generate electricity. The lock at George is the only one that is not open 24 hours. It is open only between the hours of 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM Eastern Time. The locks at Andrews and Woodruff are open 24 hours. The ACF Waterway and its three Locks and dams were created for three purposes, to create navigable channels for barge transportation, flood control, and electric power generation. The Andrews Dam is the only one that does not generate power.

Recent research shows DeSoto and his army traveled through extreme Southeast Alabama in 1541 camping in several locations and finally crossing over the Chattahoochee River in a well documented and described adventure. That crossing occurred at what is today the U.S. Highway 84 bridge.

The English name for the Indian word “Yamasee” is “Omussee”. One of the largest tributaries on the ACF Inland Waterway is Omussee Creek near Columbia Alabama. It retains this name today because the Yamasee Indians lived at the junction where the creek and the river converge. Yamasee or Omussee translates to “gentle or quiet”. Today this perfectly describes the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint Inland Waterway, commonly called the “ACF”. However the ACF Waterway has not always been gentle and quiet. It has been involved in many historic battles, three major wars, and many other events that were crucial in shaping the destiny of the United States. Physical evidence of many of these historic events and places, including that of a 1688 Spanish Fort, can still be seen at hidden locations along the banks of the ACF.

Many historic events unrelated to these three wars also occurred on the ACF. For example in what is today known as The Battle of 1702 on the Flint River, 600 English and their Creek Indian allies defeated 800 Spanish and their Apalachee Indian allies. The English knew the Spanish were moving close to their encampment. Knowing the Spanish liked to attack at dawn the English stuffed their blankets with straw, set the camp fires burning low, and hid in nearby woods. When the Spanish attacked at dawn the English sprang from hiding and slaughtered 600 of the Spanish forces. The 200 that were captured were made slaves and sold to English plantations in Carolina. This Battle of 1702 is considered to be the beginning of what is known today as “Queen Ann’s War” between England and Spain.

Another historically significant place on the ACF is “Ellicott’s Line” on the Chattahoochee River. A treaty in 1795 between the new nation of America and Spain established the 31st Parallel of Latitude as the boundary line between the two countries. The problem was, no one knew exactly where the 31st Parallel was located. A Boundary Commission composed of representatives from Spain and the U.S. was established to locate and mark this boundary line. President George Washington appointed Major Andrew Ellicott as chief surveyor for the U.S. The Boundary Commission ran the line from the Mississippi River to the Chattahoochee River and on to the Atlantic Ocean. As they progressed along the boundary they marked every mile with a small mound. The distance between the Mississippi and Chattahoochee Rivers was 381 miles, consequently the Commission erected 381 of these boundary markers. In the 1990s a small group of historians and surveyors proceeded down the Chattahoochee River with handheld GPS units. When they arrived at the 31st Parallel they begin walking West in a remote wooded setting being careful to stay on the 31st Parallel. Lo and behold, after walking only a few dozen yards from the river they came upon a small mound situated exactly on the 31st parallel. Since its discovery professionals have excavated sufficiently around the base of this mound to confirm it is indeed Ellicott’s Mound Number 381 that was erected in 1799. A few additional mounds have been discovered in remote sites along 31 degrees 00 minutes 00.0 seconds of Latitude. The ACF is so remote from urban areas and historic events are so numerous there is little doubt many other important places and things are present but undiscovered along the wooded banks of these rivers.

Captain John Davis, 2004