| Village Creek
was the first source of drinking water for the residents of what
was to become the City of Birmingham. Village Creek is a
large creek flowing through Jefferson County, Alabama. The
state's first coal operations are recorded as happening along the
banks of Village Creek in the 1820's.
A railroad engineer by the
name of James T. Milner envisioned a city at the foot of Red
Mountain. He purchased seven thousand acres along the Village
Creek watershed. His dream became the City of Birmingham on
January 26, 1871.
The rich coal deposits, iron
ore, and limestone, for making steel were discovered within a 30
mile radius of Birmingham. The one other key element for this
process was water and Village Creek would become the source of
water for steel production that would propel Birmingham into the
world market of steel making. Some of the first steel production
in Birmingham took place in the Thomas community on the banks of
Village Creek. Steel production and other industrial uses
would render Village Creek unsuitable for drinking, Birmingham
would turn to the Cahaba River to quench its thirst. |