Last weekend, we went to Montgomery, but part of the trip took us through Wetumpka, which is pretty well known for it's impact crater.
The "impact structure" - or astrobleme - or crater (I don't know which is most correct) in Wetumpka was formed when a iron asteroid or meteorite hit 80-83 million years ago back when that part of Alabama was under water. I've read that the asteroid was something like the size of Jordan-Hare stadium, hitting the earth at a speed of 10-20 miles/second, and that the displacement could have been shot all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Some of what I've just described can be found here at Auburn's website and here at the Wetumpka-area Commerce site. I couldn't really find a great picture to take of the crater, but below are some of the other pics we shot in Wetumpka:
Bank Clock in downtown
Theater, built in the 1930's
We drove through the parking lot at the Poarch Creek casino in Wetumpka, but didn't go inside. It is a little sad-looking, but I understand they have big plans for improvement, including some sort of relationship with Harrah's. The parking lot was full (this was Sunday early afternoon, and we didn't see a single out-of-state tag). The Poarch Creek Indians also have a business arm of the tribe, which oversees their ownership of a Best Western in Atmore (right off I-65), the casino above, a metal stamping company, and 'Perdido River Farms' which includes catfish ponds among other things.
Elmore County courthouse
The eight columns are made from Missouri marble.
A Few Pics from Wetumpka
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Thursday, March 17, 2005
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