![]() ![]() In 1719 the first African slaves of Alabama arrived at Dauphin Island. Thus, smaller boats carried the cargo within Mobile Bay to and from Dauphin Island. Before a channel was dredged, Mobile Bay was too shallow and its sandbars too treacherous for ocean-going vessels to travel up the bay and Mobile River to Fort Louis de La Louisiane. The island served as a major trading depot where goods from Saint-Domingue (Haiti), Mexico, Cuba and France were unloaded and a short-lived fur trade was conducted. The settlement consisted of a fort, a chapel, government-owned warehouses, and residences. ĭ'Iberville later established a port for Fort Louis de La Louisiane on the island due to its abundant timber, reliable supply of fresh water, and deep-water harbor. 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. D'Iberville mistakenly named it Île du Massacre (Massacre Island) because of a large pile of human skeletons discovered there. The island's French history began on January 31, 1699, when the explorer Pierre Le Moyne, sieur d'Iberville, one of the founders of French Louisiana, arrived at Mobile Bay and anchored near the island on his way to explore the mouth of the Mississippi River. 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. View of the southeastern shore of the island ![]() This marked the second beach on the island to charge the public following the creation of the privately owned West End Beach. In May 2012, the central public beach began charging for access. Because Dauphin Island is the first land encountered by many birds as they migrate north from South America, many species can be found resting there before continuing their journey. The island is connected to the mainland by the Gordon Persons Bridge.Īlthough the island has several bird sanctuaries, the main one is the 164-acre (66 ha) Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Beaches attract tourism, and fishing is a popular activity in the waters around the island. The eastern, wider portion of the island is shaded by thick stands of pine trees and saw palmettos, but the narrow, western part of the island features scrub growth and few trees.ĭauphin Island is home to Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, the Estuarium public aquarium, the Dauphin Island Airport, boat ramps, a large public pier that sits on dry land, historic sites, several restaurants, new condominium developments, and numerous private homes. The island's eastern end helps define the mouth of Mobile Bay. The island is one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands, with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay to the north. ![]() The name of the island is often mistaken as Dolphin Island the word dauphin is French for dolphin, but historically, the term was used as the title of the heir apparent to the French monarch. The island (originally named Massacre Island) was renamed for Louis XIV of France's great-grandson and heir, the dauphin, the future Louis XV of France. The town is part of the Mobile metropolitan area. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. Dauphin Island is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico. ![]()
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