Wilson Dam

Wilson Dam crosses the Tennessee River at Muscle Shoals and was built 1918 to 1924 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the War Department, employing more than 18,000 workers [1]. The first generating unit entered service in September 1925. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1966. See Muscle Shoals.

Construction

The dam structure was finished in 1924 with only 40 percent of its generating capacity installed. The total cost of the Muscle Shoals project was $130 million. Henry Ford offered $5 million for the complex but withdrew his bid after congressional delays, and President Roosevelt signed the bill creating the Tennessee Valley Authority in May 1933 [1]. See Tennessee Valley Authority in Alabama.

Dimensions and power

The dam is 4,541 feet long, 137 feet high and has a head of 97.6 feet. Its spillway originally had 49 gates and now has 58. Its 21 generating units have a net dependable capacity of 663 megawatts, making it the largest conventional hydroelectric facility in the TVA system [1].

Locks and reservoir

The original double-lift lock had a combined lift of 90 feet. A new lock completed in 1959, 110 by 600 feet with a 100-foot lift, was then the largest single-chamber lock in the world, and about 3,700 vessels pass through each year. The reservoir covers 15,500 acres with 166 miles of shoreline [1].

Construction and purpose

Wilson Dam was built from 1918 to 1924 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the War Department, employing more than 18,000 workers. The National Defense Act of 1916 authorized nitrate plants to reduce reliance on imported Chilean guano for explosives, and the dam was meant to power them. It was finished in 1924, after World War I ended, with only 40 percent of its generating capacity installed; the first generating unit began operating in September 1925. The whole Muscle Shoals project cost 0 million.[2]

Dam structure

The dam is a concrete gravity structure on a blue limestone foundation, 4,541 feet long and 137 feet high, with a base 160 feet wide including the apron and a head of 97.6 feet. It originally had 49 spillway gates, each able to discharge 10,000 cubic feet per second, and now has 58 spillways. It has 21 generating units with a net dependable capacity of 663 megawatts, making it the largest conventional hydroelectric facility in the TVA system.[2]

Locks and navigation

The original double-lift lock had a combined lift of 90 feet. A new lock completed in 1959 was the largest single-chamber lock in the world at the time, 110 by 600 feet, holding 54 million gallons with a maximum lift of 100 feet. Filling or emptying takes 12 minutes, an average lockage takes 45 minutes and about 3,700 vessels pass through each year.[2]

Henry Ford and the TVA

Henry Ford offered million for the Muscle Shoals complex, promising to make it the Detroit of the South, but withdrew after congressional delays. The Tennessee Valley Authority was created in May 1933 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who backed Senator George W. Norris’s plan, and it converted the nitrate plants to fertilizer research and production. Wilson Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.[2]

Wilson Lake

The reservoir has 166 miles of shoreline, a surface area of 15,500 acres and storage of up to 640,200 acre-feet, or 208.3 billion gallons. TVA operates the Wilson Dam-Lower Rockpile Campground, with 23 campsites, restrooms, picnic facilities and a group pavilion available by reservation.[2]

FAQs

When was it built? 1918 to 1924.

What is its capacity? 663 megawatts.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Wilson Dam and Reservoir
2. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Wilson Dam and Reservoir

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue