Editing Colbert County, Alabama (section)

==History==
The Chickasaw and Cherokee peoples are the earliest known inhabitants of Colbert County, an area that was part of their territories for hundreds of years. Before they emerged, there were earlier cultures of indigenous peoples who established settlements and seasonal villages for thousands of years in the area.

In the 1810s, settlers began to settle in an area at a crossroads that developed as [[Leighton, Alabama]]. Colbert County was originally established during the Reconstruction era after the [[American Civil War]] on February 6, 1867. The state legislature split it from [[Franklin County, Alabama|Franklin County]] over political issues. It was abolished eight months later on November 29, 1867<ref>{{cite web|work=Alabama Department of Archives and History |title=Alabama Counties: Colbert County |url=http://www.archives.state.al.us/counties/colbert.html |location=Montgomery, AL |date=November 20, 2009 |access-date=April 30, 2012}}</ref> by an Alabama [[Constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]]. The general assembly on December 29, 1869 authorized an election to determine if the former county residents wanted their county restored. A vote then took place on January 6, 1870. The county was then reestablished by the legislature on February 24, 1870.<ref>Clements, John (1991). ''Alabama Facts: A Comprehensive Look at Alabama Today County by County''. Dallas, Texas: Clements Research H, Inc. p. 303.</ref>

In 1890, the eastern boundary of Colbert County was changed from County Line Road to Town Creek; this resulted in all of the town of Leighton placed within Colbert County.<ref name="ccweb"/> 

Colbert County is the location of [[Ivy Green]], the [[birthplace]] of noted author and activist [[Helen Keller]].<ref name="ccweb" />  Colbert County includes the cities of Sheffield and Muscle Shoals, where many popular American and British musicians, such as [[Aretha Franklin]] and the [[Rolling Stones]], respectively, recorded music.

Also located in Colbert County is the [[Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard]] established in 1937.<ref name="hsvt140819">{{cite news |first=Kelly |last=Kazek |newspaper=[[The Huntsville Times]] |location=[[Huntsville, AL]] |title=Legendary Coon Dog Cemetery to once again host Labor Day celebration with live music, crafts, barbecue |url=http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2014/08/legendary_coon_dog_cemetery_to.html |date=August 19, 2014 |access-date=August 20, 2014}}</ref> Coon dogs were bred and trained for hunting in this region.