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.