Weeks Bay Reserve, Alabama

Cultural History

Prior to the exploration and settlements of Spanish explorers in the early 16th Century (1519-1670), the Weeks Bay/Mobile Bay region was dominated by the Creek Indians, the most powerful tribe in present day Alabama. The Creeks had their own language, which was the official tongue of the region. The area was later fought over and settled by the French in the late 17th Century (1670-1763), followed by the British for a short time in the mid-18th Century (1763-1783), and briefly again by the Spanish (1780-1813). Alabama joined the Union and obtained statehood in 1816, and seceded in 1861 with 10 other states to form the Confederate States of America with its first capital at Montgomery, Ala. During the spring of 1865, Union forces moved through Weeks Bay and up the Fish River, beginning the Siege of Mobile. The battles of Spanish Fort and Blakeley were fought during the week before General Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va.