The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-27
ACTUAL WORK ATSH0ALSMEANT FIGHT OF YEARS Greatest Impetus Given When War Demands
 Caused Action DREAMS OF PAST ARE COMING TRUE Tri-Cities About To Reap Reward Of Patient
 Confidence

ENN NHE history or the MuSete Snoals
 question, which successfully holds the national spotlight against all encroachments of epochal political and European situations, dates back long time-to 1907, to be exact-when hy- dro-electricity first became seriously considered in industrial circles.
 From that time on, for nearly 10 years, there were plans and more plans advanced for the development of its potentialities but it was not until the World war that the break came. s
 The government was hard pressed for nitrates, so important to munitions. It had a plan whereby a mammoth power plant could be erected at Muscle Shoals for the production of this nitrate, and swiftly, as was characteristic of it's in- into action.
 Overnight Change
 Almost overnight Muscle Shoals was. changed. Thousands of men and mil- lions of dollars were poured into the undeveloped country by U1cle> sam. Prosperity, in the form of fit govern. ment pay rolls gripped the district Two nitrate plants were erected and huge power factory to keep the production of nitrate moving until the three dams and the central hydroelectrical plant might be put into operation.
 But no sooner had the region been thrust into a roseate industrial boom than the war ceased. And the govern .ment withdrew it's myriads of men and millions; development stagnated.
 That was the first chapter of Muscle Shoals. The second was written in the annals of Congress. The government had white elephant" on it's hands in the shape of Q huge partially con structed dam which it had neither the funds nor the desire to complete. It so remained for several months but in May, 1920, with the warfare over, the Ford bid just beginning, it resumed, its work. Wilson dam, the central of three which were in the original plans for the government, will be completed some time next year.
 Completion Awaited
 The Muscle Shoals district today is awaiting this completion not with the nervousness of the period when the gov ernment abandoned it's work and the talk of junking the project seemed gain ing in strength, but patiently, and with confident eyes on the future. Real es- tate sales, from speculative stand point are good, but the industrial de- velopments are stationary until the operation of the dams and power plant become realities.
 The cities most vitally to be affected by the Muscle Shoals development are Florence, Sheffield and Tuscumbia. These three, the Tri-Cities, will per haps some day be incorporated as one, because of their position, but at pres ent each is going about it's projects alone.
 Of the trio, Florence, boasting be- tween ten and fifteen thousand, IS the largest Historically it dates back to ISIS and is one of the oldest cities in the state. In this year it was estab- lished as a trading center along the Tennessee river by an Italian engineer, who named it after his home city. Many of the landmarks of these times are still visible and have been com memorated by the citizens to add pretty touch of folklore.
 Besides the advantage of river trans portation Florence is also cut by the Louisville and Nashville railway and several good roads, the national high ways, Andrew Jackson and Lee, being important of these,
 Great Resources
 Resources of the district around the city have made possible the manufac- ture of pig iron, farm wagons, stoves, ranges, cotton cloth, fertilizers, etc. It is also situated in the midst of a rich farming district; Lauderdale, the coun- ty of which it is the capital, ranking fourth in the production of the states crops for 1922.
 The city government of Florence is of commission form, three commission CTS being elected by popular vote. All of the leading religious denominations are located in the city, buildings of these adding distinctively to it's beau ties.
 EducationalIy Florence takes high rank. Coffee high school was recently erected at the cost of $105.000, mRking the second il. the city. There is also an excellent system of grammar and negro J schools The State Normal school, the largest institution of its kind in Alabama, is also situated here.
 Street improvements of the city in- clude 14 miles of bitulithic pavement. 32 miles of graded hard surfaced streets, and 55 miles of cement side walks. Public utilities afford water works and filtration plant, which arA municipally owned.
 Civic organizations, besides various clubs for city betterment are an active
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