Epic June 1963 Alabama River raft adventure started at Ellis Landing in Wilcox County, Alabama

This month marks 59 years since one of the most epic Alabama River adventures in Wilcox County history.

It was in June 1963 that White Smith, Michael Autry and Max Baggett, all of Camden, and James Miles and Andy Johnson, both from Hybart, departed Wilcox County in a raft made from scrap materials on a voyage for Mobile. Their adventure was big news at the time, and an account of their trip was published in the June 6, 1963 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era, under the headline, “Floating Down The River: Raft Is Built From Scrap Materials, Destination Is Mobile.”

According to the newspaper, this group of young men prepared for their Mark Twain-style vacation by spending three and a half days building a raft from scrap wood and other materials. The raft was built on drums with food boxes affixed to the sides and was covered by an Army surplus tarp sewn together by the boys. Apparently, they were somewhat inexperienced at watercraft construction as they had to do more than a little experimentation when it came to “flotation, thickness and strength,” the newspaper said.

Their raft also featured a rudder down the middle, and the floor of the raft was bound together with metal strips. It was said that the “sturdy vessel jumps jetties and stumps,” but took “a lot of work keeping it from hitting the bank and trees when the wind blows hard.” As a failsafe, the boys towed an aluminum boat with a 7-hp motor in case of emergencies.

The group launched their raft into the Alabama River at Ellis Landing on June 4 at 9 a.m. with a two-week supply of food and camping equipment. They arrived at Claiborne Landing in Monroe County three days later, around 4 p.m. There, they procured from friends an ice box and a butane camp stove, which saved them from having to build campfires at meal time.

From Claiborne, they planned to dock two days later at Dixie Landing, in southern Monroe County, with plans to arrive in Mobile six days after that. The newspaper noted that it rained during two nights of their trip, but the group slept comfortably on cots. They used ropes at night to anchor their raft and apparently camped on the riverbank.

The newspaper went on to say that when the group reached Mobile they planned to sell their raft. After that, they planned to return home “to work, following two weeks of fun without frustration.” As best that I could determine, the newspaper never published a follow-up story to say how their trip ended.

In the end, I’ve been told that four of the five young men who went on this trip are still alive today. It would be interesting to know more details about their trip, especially what happened after they left Claiborne Landing. Who knows, next year will be the 60^th anniversary of their trip, so they might be interested in taking another Mark Twain-style vacation to recreate their epic 1963 adventure down the Alabama River.