President of Sipsey Heritage Commission Martha Salomaa is preserving the area’s history, one step at a time.

Words by Micah Harrison | Images by Ryan McGill

The town of Sipsey gets its name from the Native American word for the gnarled, resilient poplars that guard its deep ravines and tower high above its river bottoms. Like those of the poplars, Martha Salomaa's roots in Sipsey run deep.

Born and raised in the small mining town, Martha has always felt she had a connection with the land and river. She grew up in its woods and along its waters. 

After attending Sipsey Jr. High, Martha graduated from Walker High School, then earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) and a master's at the University of Montevallo. She went on to teach at Wallace State Community College, Parrish High School, Carbon Hill High, Cordova High, and Sumiton Christian School. She currently teaches at Dora High School. Through her jobs at these schools, Martha has heard many stories unique to each of the communities. They help her understand the beauty that every small community possesses. 

In 2015, Martha and her husband, Kari, competed in a kayak race in Mississippi. They had a great time on the river and, much to their surprise, came in third place. The race was a huge deal for the local Mississippi community in which the race was held. It was a special day for everyone to come together and have fun, while being exposed to the outdoor recreation options in their own backyard. Martha was also impressed with how the race brought people from all over the Southeast together for a day of enjoyment—all centered around the river. 

"On the way home, I told Kari, ‘There’s no reason why we can't do that,’” Martha remembers. 

This new inspiration, coupled with an appreciation of her small town's lore and land, led Martha to be a founding member of the Sipsey Heritage Commission, an organization whose dual purpose is preserving local history and promoting ecotourism in the Sipsey area. 

“Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of our community by improving access to our natural resources and highlighting our unique history,” Martha explains.

When Martha brought back the idea of a kayak race to friends and family in Sipsey, she was met with enthusiasm. Her daughters, Barbara Ann Hall and Hannah Lewis, began working on designs for brochures, posters, and stickers; Jeff Parnell and Jared Aaron worked on logistics; and Rod and Lolly Aaron modeled for the first brochure. Everyone pitched in to make the first annual Sipsey Kayak Race a success. It soon became obvious that they needed to form an entity under which to operate. Thus, the nonprofit Sipsey Heritage Commission was born. 

The Commission has been busy ever since. The kayak race has been a great attraction for people from all over Walker County and the state of Alabama. After years of painstaking research, a historical marker was erected at the confluence of the Sipsey and Mulberry Forks of the Black Warrior River. It designates the site of Black Warrior Town, which was an old Native American trading post that was burned by Andrew Jackson's army during the Creek Wars. 

“Getting the historical marker was a big victory for us,” says Martha. “My whole life I had heard stories of how the Creeks escaped Davy Crockett and the Tennessee Militia. Now the story is there for all to see. This October 16th we will commemorate the 208th anniversary of this event with a kayak race, The Great Escape: River Run from Crockett. Beginning in Sipsey and ending in Cordova, we will be tracing the same route the Indians took to get to safety.”

Another exciting project in the works is Childers Landing, a kayak rest stop roughly two miles past the confluence of the forks. "We have made some progress,” says Martha. “The goal is to have a pavilion and a place to cook and a restroom."

One of the most pressing issues on hand is the commission's continued crusade to preserve the water quality of the river. New efforts are also being made to rediscover and preserve the rich Native American and mining history of Sipsey. 

By reviving local historical interest and working to showcase Sipsey's natural assets, Martha Salomaa is securing her own place in the Sipsey history that she is so passionate about.

“Our community has so much to offer, but if we don’t show it to people, they won’t know it’s there.” 78