Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Maps: USGS Wetumpka, AL; DeLorme: Alabama Atlas & Gazetteer, page 45 C8
Trail contact: Fort Toulouse / Fort Jackson National Historic Park, 2521 W. Fort
Toulouse Rd., Wetumpka, AL 36093; (344) 567-3002; www.forttoulouse.com
Finding the trailhead: From Wetumpka at the intersection of AL 112 (W. Bridge
Street) and AL 111, take AL 111 south 0.2 mile and turn right onto S. Main Street.
Travel 0.8 mile and turn right onto AL 9 South. Travel 0.3 mile and turn left onto
Old Montgomery Highway. In 0.8 mile turn right onto Fort Toulouse Road. In 3.4
miles you will arrive at the park entrance. Pay your day-use fee at the entrance
kiosk or to the guard on duty and continue straight another 0.2 mile. The visitor
center parking and trailhead is on the left. GPS: N32 30.335' / W86 15.170'
The Hike
Of all the historic hikes I have included in this and the previous three editions,
Fort Toulouse / Fort Jackson has to be the one with the most diverse modern his-
tory crammed into one park.
The history of this plot of land begins around 5,000 BC, when bands of nomad-
ic hunters roamed the region. Native Americans settled the area permanently dur-
ing what is known as the Mississippian period (AD 1100-1400). Here on this fer-
tile land rich in wildlife at the confluence of three rivers they built a society.
Several mounds were constructed from mud, sticks, and branches that were used
for ceremonies and as temples. One of those mounds, which this trail will lead
you to, still exists and is dated as being built during this time.
The first European to arrive in the area was Hernando DeSoto in 1540. By the
1700s the French and British were making moves to control this new world. The
French, wanting to halt the advance of Britain, decided to build a fort on the east-
ern side of the Louisiana Colony and, by invitation of their trading partners in
good standing, the Creek Indians, built the first fort, Fort Toulouse (named after
the son of King Louis XIV), on this spot.
In 1763 when the French and Indian War came to an end, with the French end-
ing up on the losing side, France was forced to turn much of its territory over to
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