Roland Cooper State Park
(William Dannly Reservoir)
Roland Cooper is a state park located on the William Dannly Reservoir. This
reservoir is a lake created by the United States Corp of Engineers' to
provide both water reserves and electric energy. This reservoir was created
by a dam on the Alabama River which forms from the confluence of the Coosa
and Tallapoosa drainage basins above Selma Alabama. The Alabama River
is very unique among most river systems, there are few human inhabitants but
lots of wildlife and the occasional fisherman. The Alabama River and the
Tombigbee River are the two major drainage basins in Alabama which form the
Mobile River which deltas into the Gulf of Mexico.
Roland Cooper is located outside of a town named Camden in south
Alabama. The Park has cabins, an 18 hole golf course utilizing the beauty of
the reservoir, recreational vehicle hookups, hiking trails, a playground for
children, a wilderness camping area located on the water, two boat ramps,
a bathhouse and laundry area, and a camp store.
Roland Cooper is a best known by fisherman in the southeast, although there
are a variety of activities especially if you have a boat. The area which
the park is located is called Miller's Ferry. The Miller's Ferry portion of
the Dannly Reservoir is a beautiful area, the lake gets really wide in
sections although you can always find secluded creeks which may go back for
miles. Where creeks join the river system there are huge inlets with old
tree stumps and dead pine trees which buzzards roost. This is the result of
flooding when the reservoir was created. Due to the remoteness of this area
and the high content of aligators, you will not hear the constant sound of
ski-boats.
The Miller's Ferry portion of the Alabama River contains an abundance of
wildlife. This area is one of our State's most wildlife inhabited areas.
Seeing many forms of animals is not uncommon here, from water bound
wildlife such as fish and beavers to deer and fox on the bank's edges.
You can expect to see Canadian geese, assorted ducks, cranes (water birds),
aligators, turtles, beavers, otters, snakes, deer, foxs, coyotes, bobcats,
racoons, and opossums. There will be many squirrels at the waters edge
about 1 hour before dark. The predators can be seen around this time taking
advantage of that knowledge. Most people would never expect to see all these
types of animals from a bass-boat. Don't forget to bring your camera.
I have swam and skied in the Alabama River but only in the center amoung the
most trafficed areas. Don't let your dog swim in the creeks or even to much
at the campground. When you enter the state park there are warnings about
the presense of aligators. I have seen them right there in the park. The
largest aligator I have heard about was from my dad; he and a friend seen it
just outside the paremeter of the swimming area.

Directions:
Take Hwy. #5 and turn on Hwy 28 to Camden, follow the state park signs.
Before entering the city of Camden, look for a left hand turn, turn there
and follow this road to a "T" then take a left, go a few miles, you will
pass signs for Bridgeport Park, stay strait and look for a left hand turn,
Deer Run Drive, and the state park's entrance. Don't worry about getting
lost there are signs at every turn in the area.
Park Office:
285 Deer Run Drive
Camden, Al. 36726
Phone: (334) 682-4838
United States Army Corp of Engineer's
The bottom pictures are of aligators as you can tell. The picture on the left
is an outboard engine nudging an aligator which thinks he is hidden. The
engine is off and I am backing up with the bow mounted trolling motor. The
picture on the right, if you look closely at the bottom, shows the side of the
boat.