The Alabama River snakes across 400 miles, moving incredibly slowly, until reaching the Gulf of Mexico. At age 64, J. Harold Banks canoed its entirety.
Banks was the keynote speaker for the first Brown Bag Lunch of the summer held by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute June 10. Banks focused his speech on the historical features of the Alabama River.
Banks said he had planned his stops according to what parts of Alabama's history he wanted to see.
"He wasn't reckless at all about this... He was very methodical in what he did," said Linda Shook, associate director for OLLI. "I would be stunned if he didn't know every step of the way."
The first stop on his journey was Montgomery. He was able to see the Harriet II, a paddleboat modeled after its predecessor, the Harriet.
Upon arriving at his next stop, Selma, Banks shifted his focus to the Live Oaks Cemetery and the St. James Hotel.
"The Live Oaks Cemetery is one of the only places left where it is truly evident that cotton once was king." Banks said.
The cemetery boasts massive mausoleums and statues that honor Civil War officers and the plantation owners that once owned the area.
The St. James Hotel is the only building in Selma that remained after the Civil War. The Confederate troops spared it because the owner was willing to house soldiers as long as the war continued.
Banks continued his trip down the river until reaching Old Cahaba, an abandoned town that once had a thriving economy based on cotton. During the Civil War, the town was taken over by Confederate troops and turned into a POW camp.
Fairhope was the last city Banks encountered on his journey. It is known for being free of chained business corporations because it was setup as a single tax colony.
"Walking through Fairhope is like a step back in time." Banks said in his speech.
The final building Banks encountered as he paddled into the Gulf of Mexico was Fort Morgan.
"It's one of the most impressive representations of military architecture that is still standing today." Banks said.
As he paddled past Fort Morgan into the Gulf, Banks wrote in his journal one last entry, "This struggle between heaven and earth ... continuous cycle of vapor, cloud, rain, stream, river, and ocean that began long before we arrived ... will continue long after we are forgotten."
Banks completed a feat only a handful of people can claim, and he did it at the age of 64. His trip took 20 days to complete.
"You've done what a lot of us have only dreamed of doing, but we never followed through," said a member of Banks' audience.
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