I am a 73 yr old female born and raised in Pea Ridge, 7 miles west of Montevallo and about 5 miles from the Cahaba River.
The Cahaba River to us was always called Boothton River because it was in the old mining town of Boothton. It consisted of 2 areas, The ford and the swimming hole.
The ford was where much later a concrete slab was built so you could cross the river easier and eventually reach Helena. Until then the river was shallow enough to cross but very bumpy.
Our parents would drive their cars to the ford on Saturday afternoons to wash their cars in the middle of the river while we kids splashed and played in the water.
To swim we had to go up-river to the swimming hole where the water was deeper. One day I was swimming under water and when I came up, I was face to face with a HUGE water moccasin. Never knew I could move so fast and even snake lovers would have to admit this was a very ugly and angry snake!!!
There was a much older girl named Tommie who was a very good and strong swimmer. Occasionally she would announce to all of Pea Ridge when she was going to swim across the river at the swimming hole. This was a huge event for us because well, there just wasn’t a lot going on in Pea Ridge. We would all gather on the bank and watch her. I remember she wore a white swim suit which over time started resembling the color of the river.
The things that stand out most to me about going to the river was that sweet smell of the water lilies and the sound of water rushing over the rocks. It was amazing and made up for the dusty and washed out roads to get there.
Daddy and his brothers used to fish for catfish and he swore there was never a better catfish than a Cahaba River catfish. I had to agree because Mother would fry them and serve them with potatoes and onions.....yummy.
I have so many wonderful memories growing up in this area and it was definitely a large and fun part of my childhood.
Thank you Dr Blackburn for your interest in the beautiful Cahaba River.
Judy Pickett Fox