By Troy Turner
DAVISTON — Horseshoe Bend National Military Park has reopened its main tour road and portions of its eastern trail system after months-long closures caused last spring by a devastating EF-3 tornado.
National Park Service officials at the park, which is located north of Dadeville off state Highway 49 in northern Tallapoosa County, said that more than 300 trees were felled by the March 15 storm onto interior roads, creating safety hazards for guests and staff.
The park reopened the road and trails Monday (Dec. 15), with trail maps available at the park’s Visitor Center and signage posted indicating open trail heads and directions for visitor use.
“Park staff and agency resources have done an incredible job at working toward this goal of reopening the park tour road,” Superintendent Andrew Miller said. “While there is still a lot more work to be done from the tornado’s devastating impacts, we are relieved that visitors can return to connect and honor these hallowed grounds again.”
The park and tour road were closed after the tornado directly hit the park. While it did not affect any buildings, the grounds and roads were closed until staff could clear debris. A partial reopening of the tour road allowed visitors to enjoy the park grounds safely, however, the tour road loop remained closed.
Trails and overlooks still affected will be opened incrementally as park staff continue recovery work.
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend took place March 27, 1814, when Major General Andrew Jackson’s army of 3,300 men attacked Creek Indian Chief Menawa’s 1,000 Red Stick Creek warriors fortified in a horseshoe shaped bend of the Tallapoosa River.
More than 800 warriors died that day. The battle ended the Creek War, resulted in a land cession of 23 million acres to the United States, and created a national hero of Andrew Jackson, along with notoriety for members of his army such as Sam Houston; and Davy Crockett, who served as a scout for Jackson during his Alabama campaign but was not at Horseshoe Bend.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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