Wheeler Dam
| Wheeler Dam | |
|---|---|
Wheeler Dam | |
| Official name | Wheeler Dam |
| Location | Lauderdale / Lawrence counties, Alabama, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°48′25″N 87°22′55″W / 34.80694°N 87.38194°W |
| Construction began | November 21, 1933 |
| Opening date | November 9, 1936 |
| Operator(s) | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Tennessee River |
| Height | 72 ft (22 m) |
| Length | 6,342 ft (1,933 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Wheeler Lake |
Wheeler Hydroelectric Project | |
| Nearest city | Rogersville, Alabama |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000431 |
| Added to NRHP | June 26, 2016 |
Wheeler Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River between Lauderdale County and Lawrence County in Alabama. It is one of nine dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the mid-1930s as part of a New Deal-era initiative to improve navigation on the river and bring flood control and economic development to the region. The dam impounds the Wheeler Lake of 67,070 acres (27,140 ha) and its tailwaters feed into Wilson Lake.
Wheeler Dam is named for Civil War general and U.S. Congressman Joseph Wheeler. Congressman Wheeler was an early advocate of federal development of the Muscle Shoals area. The dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.