The tranquility of the forested bluff near the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers has been interrupted by many fascinating figures throughout Alabama's history. Indian mound builders, Spanish explorers, French soldiers, English and Scottish traders and American settlers as well as modern archaeologists have left their mark at the site.
Competition among European nations in the New World for the "most valuable strategic position in the Southwest" set the stage for the rich history of the park. At this intersection of trade routes, troops mutinied, treaties were signed and great nations held each other at bay.
Archaeology tells us that the first inhabitants of the site camped here around 5000 B.C. and were nomadic bands of hunters. Later, Indians living in the area (around A.D. 400), established large hunting base camps between the two rivers. During the Mississippi stage, around A.D. 1000, inhabitants built several large mounds were topped with ceremonial temples. Only one mound remains today.
The Indians who constructed these mounds were similar to the people who built the mounds at Moundville, Alabama, and other places in the Southeast around A.D. 1000.
These Indians were the first farmers. Corn was their primary staple , but this was also supplemented by beans and squash. They lived in compact villages surrounded by a palisade with bastions and a dry moat. When DeSoto passed through here in 1540 this area was probably a part of the chiefdom of Talise.
DeSoto was the first to explore what is now Alabama and may have reached the future site of Fort Toulouse, a region previously untouched by Europeans. DeSoto and his men found thriving Indian communities in the area.
At the beginning of the 18th century--in order to check the growing influence of the British --the French decided to build a fort on the eastern flank of the Louisiana colony. At the invitation of and with the goodwill and of the Indians, the French from Mobile under Bienville constructed their fort in 1717 and named it for the Compte (Count) de Toulouse, a legitimized son of King Louis the XIV. The fort was primarily a trading post where Indians exchanged fur pelts for guns and household items. There were no battles at the post as French diplomacy forged allies with the natives. The surrounding Indians, commonly referred to as Creeks, wanted peace so they could trade with both the French and British.
The primary reasons for the forts' existence were:
A small garrison of 20 to 50 French Marines manned the fort. They cultivated the friendship of the Indians and traded extensively with them. In exchange for fur and deerskins, which were popular in Europe at the time, the Indians received European trade goods such as glass beads, guns, ribbons and household items.
About 1720, according to legend, Marchand the French commander of the fort married Sehoy, an Indian princess of the Clan of the Wind. Their descendants included Alexander McGillivray, the most noted of the Creek leaders and William Weatherford, known as "Red Eagle," Weatherford led the creeks in war against American settlers in the early 1800s.
A mutiny disrupted the peace at the fort in 1722. The solders' discontent stemmed from boredom, isolation, and shortages of food, suppliers and pay. The rebellious soldiers imprisoned the officers, who managed to escape. With the help of friendly Indians they captured the mutineers and sent them to Mobile, where harsh punishment was administered.
By 1740 the quality of life had improved somewhat at Fort Toulouse. Some soldiers had brought or obtained wives from Mobile, or married local Natives. Small farms were springing up around the fort, making the site a small colony. A Sargent Louie Fonteneau raised 12 children here, most of whom married children of other members of the garrison, and helped give a foundation for the cities of Wetumpka and Montgomery
By the late 1740s the Fort was in general disrepair -- the wall of the fort facing the Coosa River washed away in 1747 -- and plans were made for a new fort about 100 feet south of the original site. The French valued Fort Toulouse enough to spend half of their military budget for the whole Louisiana colony for its reconstruction. It was finished about 1751 under the direction of Francois Saucier, using a palisade of pointed logs.
The French soon lost possession of the fort. The 1763 treaty which ended the French and Indian War dictated the transfer of all French possessions east of the Mississippi to the British, and the change in ownership of Fort Toulouse took place peacefully. However, Indian loyalty to the French prevented the British from operating the fort. The English assigned a caretaker to the fort, but never manned it. The site was abandoned by the French and the lands reverted to native occupation.
By 1776, the year American colonist declared their independence from the British, the fort had fallen into ruins and was covered by undergrowth. During this period of neglect the fort area again was inhabited by Indians.
The same year William Bartram, a well-known naturalist and friend of Benjamin Franklin, traversed Alabama collecting specimens of plants and recording his observations. He visited the ruins of Fort Toulouse and wrote this impression:
"This is perhaps one of the most eligible situations for a city in the world, a level plain between the conflux of two majestic rivers..."
Andrew Jackson came to the area with the Tennessee militia, arriving during the Creek Indian War of 1813-1814, which was fought simultaneously with the War of 1812.
After defeating the hostile Creek faction at Horseshoe Bend on March 27, 1814, Jackson went to the site of Fort Toulouse and planned the construction of a new fort on the old French ruins. Few vestiges of the French post were visible when the new large earthen fort was erected. He left in April and construction of Fort Jackson was completed by the army from the Carolinas under the direction of General Joseph Graham.
General Jackson returned in June 1814 and signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson, marking the formal end of the bitter Creek war phase of the War of 1812. It was here that William Weatherford, the half-breed leader of the Creek Red Sticks, surrendered and signed the Treaty. This agreement opened 20 million acres of land to American settlers and isolated the Creeks from further influence from the British centered at Pensacola.
From Fort Jackson "Old Hickory" began a campaign against the British and Spanish which cumulated with the Battle of New Orleans. After the war elements of regular army remained to operate the fort and a small settlement called Jackson Town arose nearby.
This became the first county seat for Montgomery County with its courts held here for at least two years. The first Montgomery County jail was established in the Fort Jackson brig during this time.
By the end of 1819 the town was abandoned as residents moved down river to what later became Montgomery, the future state capital.
After Fort Jackson fell into ruins, the site became farmland. The Alabama Historical Commission gained possession of the site in 1971 and archaeologists began excavating the fort area.
To date the remains of three forts have been uncovered, two French forts and one American fort. The first French fort was built on the bank overlooking the Coosa River in 1717. By 1749 this fort was in a bad state of disrepair and had been partially washed away. Consequently it was moved 100 feet south and completely excavated, while only a small portion of the first sort has been destroyed by flooding.
History tells us that in 1814 Andrew Jackson built Fort Jackson on the original site of the earlier two French forts. Both the archaeology and the original drawings concur, revealing that Fort Jackson was much larger and more substantial than either of the earlier French structures.
Very little processional archaeology has been conducted on any of the Indian sites within the park. However, extensive digging was undertaken in the mound and the "Urn Field" by the mound from the 1920s through the 1950s by amateur archaeologists. Although a portion of the site was destroyed by this untrained digging, a large amount of this material is now housed in the Alabama Archives and History.
A great deal of archaeology remains to be done in the future.
Less than five percent of the site has been excavated by professionally trained archaeologists. An extensive amount of historical data is expected to be gleaned for future excavations.
The Alabama Historical Commission gained possession of the site in 1971 and professional archaeology was on going for almost 15 years. Archaeology was resumed in 2001 and continues annually at the site. More archaeology is needed to further define the forts and the associated farmsteads as well as gaining more insight into the prehistoric and historic Indian occupation at the site.
Today visitors can see an A.D. 1100 Mississippian Indian mound, a recreation of the 1751 French Fort Toulouse, and the partially restored 1814 American Fort Jackson.
TIME-LINE
5000 B.C. -- Archaic period bands of nomadic hunters and gatherers established temporary
camps.
A.D. 400 -- Woodland period bands established large seasonal base camps. This was the first
period of people to have ceramics.
A.D. 1000 -- Mississippian period inhabitants built large mounds here topped by temples and
lived in a palisaded village surrounding the mounds. These people were Alabama's first
civilization and were of the Talise Chiefdom. They were also Alabama's first farmers.
A.D. 1540 -- Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto explored what is now Alabama. According to
his records, DeSoto found thriving Indian communities in the area.
A.D. 1717 -- The French built Fort Toulouse on the eastern flank of Colonial Louisiana.
A.D. 1751 -- French complete Fort Toulouse II about 100 feet south of Toulouse I.
A.D. 1763 -- French lose the French and Indian War and Fort Toulouse.
A.D. 1776 -- William Bartram visits the site of the old French fort.
A.D. 1814 -- Fort Jackson is built as a staging area for War of 1812 actions
against the British and their Spanish allies.
A.D. 1815 -- Site of Fort Jackson town established as first county seat of Montgomery
County.
A.D. 1819 -- Fort Jackson and Fort Jackson Town abandoned.
A.D. 1971 -- Alabama Historical Commission gains ownership of the site.
Fort Toulouse, Old Mobile Archeology - Has links to other French forts in the South
Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings, Fort Toulouse (Fort Jackson)
Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson, Preserve Alabama
Elmore County/Fort Toulouse/Jackson
Satellite Photo, Fort Toulouse circa 1950