Editing Dauphin Island, Alabama (section)

==History==
Serpentine shell [[midden]]s, perhaps 1,500 years old, attest to at least seasonal occupation by the Native American [[Mississippian culture|Mississippian]] [[Mound Builders|Mound Builder]] culture. [[Indian Mound Park (Dauphin Island, Alabama)|Shell Mound Park]], along the island's northern shore, is administered by the [[Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|Alabama Marine Resources Division]].
[[File:Dauphin Island 06May2010 01.JPG|thumb|left|View of the southeastern shore of the island]]

In 1519, the Spanish explorer [[Alonso Álvarez de Pineda]] was the first documented European to visit, staying long enough to map the island with remarkable accuracy.

The island's French history began on January 31, 1699, when the explorer [[Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville|Pierre Le Moyne, sieur d'Iberville]], one of the founders of [[Louisiana (New France)|French Louisiana]], arrived at [[Mobile Bay]] and anchored near the island on his way to explore the mouth of the [[Mississippi River]]. D'Iberville mistakenly named it ''Île du Massacre'' (Massacre Island) because of a large pile of human skeletons discovered there. In reality, the site was a Mississippian burial mound which had been broken open by a [[hurricane]], not a massacre site; however, the dramatic misnomer stuck.<ref name="shirepost">{{cite web |title=''The coinage for Massacre Island, 1699!'' |work=Shirepost.com |url=http://www.shirepost.com/FrenchMassacre.html |access-date=May 9, 2007 |archive-date=May 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513091008/http://www.shirepost.com/FrenchMassacre.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

D'Iberville later established a port for [[Old Mobile Site|Fort Louis de La Louisiane]] on the island due to its abundant timber, reliable supply of fresh water, and deep-water harbor. The settlement consisted of a fort, a chapel, government-owned warehouses, and residences.<ref name="shirepost"/>
[[File:Indian Mound Park 06May2010 04.JPG|thumb|left|Inside [[Indian Mound Park (Dauphin Island, Alabama)|Shell Mound Park]]]]

The island served as a major trading depot where goods from [[Saint-Domingue]] (Haiti), Mexico, Cuba and France were unloaded and a short-lived [[North American fur trade|fur trade]] was conducted. Before a [[Channel (geography)|channel]] was [[Dredging|dredged]], Mobile Bay was too shallow and its [[Shoal|sandbars]] too treacherous for ocean-going vessels to travel up the bay and [[Mobile River]] to Fort Louis de La Louisiane. Thus, smaller boats carried the cargo within Mobile Bay to and from Dauphin Island.

In 1719 the first [[Slavery in the United States|African slaves]] of Alabama arrived at Dauphin Island. After the [[French and Indian Wars|French and Indian War]] (known in Europe as the [[Seven Years' War]]) ended in 1763, the island was ceded to the British. After the [[American Revolutionary War]], the territory again came under Spanish jurisdiction, being part of the [[Spanish West Florida|Province of West Florida]] until 1812.

In 1795 after the [[Pinckney's Treaty|Treaty of San Lorenzo]] was signed between Spain and the United States, new settlers began migrating to Alabama from Virginia, North & South Carolina and Georgia.

In 1805, the [[Chickasaw]], [[Cherokee]] and [[Choctaw]] people were forced to [[Trail of Tears|cede their lands]] to the government. The [[Muscogee|Creek]] tribes aggressively fought to hold their lands, but eventually were forced to cede in 1813.

[[Fort Gaines (Alabama)|Fort Gaines]] on the eastern tip of the island was built between 1821 and 1848. It was occupied by [[Military forces of the Confederate States|Confederate forces]] in 1861 and captured by the [[Union Army]] during the [[Battle of Mobile Bay]]. The phrase, "[[Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead]]," was supposedly spoken by U. S. Admiral [[David Farragut]] just a few hundred yards from Dauphin Island's shore.
[[File:FEMA - 1134 - Photograph by FEMA News Photo taken on 01-01-1900 in Alabama.jpg|thumb|Typical elevated house on Dauphin Island]]

The first [[Sand Island Light (Alabama)|Sand Island Light]], authorized in 1834, was replaced by a structure {{convert|150|ft|m}} high, at a cost of $35,000, that was destroyed by Confederate forces. The present lighthouse (1873; in use until 1970), has been placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Its ownership was recently transferred from the [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of Interior]] to the town of Dauphin Island.

In 2023, a large alligator was spotted riding waves and sunbathing on the beach of Dauphin Island. Onlookers posted photos of the alligator to social media, which subsequently went viral. While alligators traditionally live in freshwater, they are able to tolerate salt water as well according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/alabama-alligator-beach-swimming-video-468c5aa61224bf51da5823c19e391f0d |title=Surfing gator seen relaxing at Alabama beach amid the waves |date=May 16, 2023 |publisher=[[AP News]] |access-date=May 17, 2023 }}</ref>