Nothing important happened at Shoal Creek during the Civil War.
Well sure, Maj. Gen. Milroy met up with Maj. Gen. Rousseau while in hot pursuit of Maj. Gen. Wheeler's Conferdrate cavalry. And yes, I know perfectly well that Shoal Creek was where Col. Spalding's brigade tried to find Gen. Rodney in September of '64, but then they went off to stop Gen. Forrest's daring Tennessee raid. So basically, nothing happened.
The fun didn't really begin until the US Army Corps of Engineers got involved, and Maj. Walter McFarland decided to build a canal along the North bank of the Tennessee river. Actually, he decided to build a series of canals. First he would expand the existing 30 year old canal, and build spur dams at Blue Water, Six Mile and Second Creeks. Second he would build a canal over the Little Mussel Shoals. And last, he would build a canal through (over?) Shoal Creek, a glorious canal that would also be an aqueduct, 900 feet and 60 feet wide.
GW Goethals and his desk
The man behind the canal was Lt. Col. George Washington Goethals, who later became chief engineer for the Panama Canal. But historians everywhere agree that his greatest acheivment lay here, in Northern Alabama, with the completion of the Shoal Creek Aqueduct. Sure, it wasn't a great commercial success, and fell into disrepair, and no longer even exists. But, on that day, November 10, 1890, when the aqueduct canal opened, people were heard to say "a man, a plan, a canal: Shoal Creek."
Shoal Creek is a tributary of the Tennessee River in Northern Alabama, and today the watershed is completely within the bounds of the national forest. One fan writes, "Shoal Creek is made for wading, so bring sandals or other water footwear. A sharp and patient eye can spot snapping turtles, mussel shells, darters, shiners, and suckers. For the complete creek experience I highly recommend full immersion and the donning of a mask and snorkel."
There you have it. Shoal creek is dynamite underwater. Just be glad you don't have to look up and see a barge passing by, high overhead.
