MOBILE, ALABAMA HISTORY

Early History

The first European explorers to venture into Mobile Bay came around the turn of the 16th century. The early conquistadors called it the “Bay of the Holy Spirit”. Various explorers throughout the first half of the 16 th century explored the region. These explorers included: Diego de Miruelo in 1516, Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519, and Pánfilo de Narváez in 1528. Pánfilo de Narváez is the first documented conquistador to fight with the natives during this exploration period. His expedition’s destruction of native villages was just the beginning of the total destruction Spanish conquistadors would bring to the region. In 1540, Hernando de Soto entered the bay and encountered the Muscogee people who were native to the region. The expedition came into conflict with Chief Tuscaloosa near what is present day Mobile. At that time the Muscogee village in the area was called by Maubila. This village was destroyed by de Soto’s expedition in the process. The original name of the settlement was the basis for the name the region would come to be known as today. The Spanish expeditions continued after de Soto. In 1559, Tristán de Luna y Arellano came into the region and attempted to establish a permanent settlement in the Pensacola. The settlement was ultimately unsuccessful, but the Pensacola name lived on.

Despite Spanish exploration, the French were also eagerly attempting to make settlements in the area. The Spanish had not been consistent in their presence and this allowed the French to move in. Pierre Le Moyne d’lberville used the established base at Fort Maurepas to launch a new settlement on the Mobile River in 1702. He called the settlement Fort Louis de la Louisiane and it became the first capital of French Louisiana. During the early 1700’s the region was heavily weakened by the introduction of the yellow fever that came aboard a ship called the Pelican. The yellow fever significantly weakened the colony by killing many settlers. It also killed many natives in the region. The settlement was eventually moved farther down river due to the diseases and a few destructive floods. The new location is the present day location of the city at the junction of the river and the bay. The early 1700’s also brought the first African Slaves in to the region. They arrived on a French ship from Saint-Domingue. These slaves were the first of countless slaves to enter Mobile’s history.

In 1719, France and Spain went to war in the region. Mobile was the front lines of the battle. This caused the governor of Louisiana to move the capital of the territory from Mobile to Biloxi. The settlement was renamed Fort Conde and it served as a major trading and military outpost for the French. It was during this trading period that Mobilian Jargon became prominent in the region and spread throughout the Gulf States from Florida to Texas.

In 1763, the region came under control of Britain as a result of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war between France and Britain known as the Seven Years War. During this time the colony was known as “British West Florida”. The British renamed the Fort, Fort Charlotte and used it as a major shipping port for colonial trade. The areas major exports were cattle, pecans, rice, indigo, and timber. The settlement remained under British control until the American Revolution when Spain swooped in and captured the Bay. The Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution solidified Spain’s control once again. This remained the case until 1813, when American forces led by James Wilkinson during the War of 1812 captured the bay.

Post Colonial History

Once American forces captured the bay, it came under American control and was included into the Mississippi Territory. Four years later, Mississippi became a state and the Mississippi Territory was split into two regions, the State of Mississippi and the Alabama Territory. Mobile fell into the Alabama Territory. Two years later in 1819, the Alabama Territory was converted into a state and the city became a major part of the new state’s economy.

Shortly after Alabama’s statehood, the country experienced a major cotton boom and the region’s population and commerce exploded. The port located in the bay became the second busiest port in all of the Gulf of Mexico. As the second half of the 19th century approached, Mobile had become the fourth busiest port in the entire country. The wealth of the community increased dramatically during this time and the city became well known throughout the country and the world. Unfortunately, the boom in the economy also significantly entrenched the practice of African slavery in the city. This became especially true after the country outlawed international slave trading. It was at this time the domestic slave trade really took off and the cotton boom in the Deep South prompted slave traders to sell slaves south. Mobile became one of the busiest slave trading cities in the country during this time. Its location on the river and the bay made it an ideal place for slave traders to send their human cargo for further sale into the cotton south. Although the economy was significantly based on other exports, the sale of slaves in the city really brought wealth to the white community that participated. This wealth played a significant role in developing the city that exists today.

The bay was a significant asset to the Confederacy during the Civil War. The city was therefore heavily fortified during this time. The Union also knew the significance of the port to the South, so one of its first orders of business was to blockade the port. The famous Civil War admiral, David Farragut, commanded the blockade and it was successful in slowing commerce to the city to a trickle in and a trickle out, significantly hurting the South’s economy. The major battle that was fought in the bay saw the sinking of the USS Tecumseh that still rests at the bottom today. After the Civil War, the city was at the heart of the violent backlash and terrorism that plagued the newly freed slave communities throughout the Jim Crow and Civil Rights era.

The city’s manufacturing prominence took hold during the early 20th century. The city’s port was back in business and played a major role in shipbuilding and trading during the world wars. Mobile’s population increased dramatically during World War II, when migrant workers flooded the region to build ships and support the war effort. This population growth defined most of the 20th century in the city and really shaped what it has become today.

Directions from USS Alabama to West Mobile Dental Care

Interested in learning more some of the great things to do when in Mobile, AL? Learn More Here >