Fort Toulouse and Fort Jackson facts for kids
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Fort Toulouse Site-Fort Jackson
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A portion of the modern Fort Toulouse reconstruction, taken in 2007.
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 Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Wetumpka, Alabama |
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| Built | 1814 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000148 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | October 9, 1960 |
Fort Toulouse and Fort Jackson are two important historic forts. They were built on the same spot in Alabama, where the Coosa River and the Tallapoosa River meet. This area is close to the city of Wetumpka, Alabama.
Contents
Fort Toulouse: A French Outpost
Fort Toulouse was also known as Fort des Alibamons. The French built this fort in 1717. They named it after a French count, Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse. The main reason France built the fort was to stop the growing power of the British colonies, like Georgia and Carolina. It was on the eastern edge of French Louisiana territory.
The fort was sometimes called the Post of the Alabama. This name came from the Alabama tribe, who were part of the Upper Creek Native Americans. They lived near where the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers join to form the Alabama River.
Life at the French Fort
About 20 to 50 French Colonial Marines lived at Fort Toulouse. They traded a lot with the local Creek Native Americans. The French offered European goods like guns, ammunition, iron tools, knives, glass beads, copper pots, and wool blankets. In return, they received local food, furs, and deerskins.
An interesting story from the fort's early days involves Captain Jean Baptiste Louis DeCourtel Marchand, the French commander. Around 1720, he married a high-ranking Creek woman named Sehoy. Their descendants include famous Creek chiefs like Alexander McGillivray and William Weatherford. These chiefs gained their status from their mothers' families, which was common in the Creek tribe.
Challenges and Rebuilding
Life at the fort was not always easy. The French government didn't always send enough supplies. In 1722, some soldiers were very unhappy and rebelled. During this mutiny, Captain Marchand died, and the other officers were captured. However, the captured officers managed to escape. With help from the nearby Creek people, they caught the rebellious soldiers. The mutineers were then sent to Fort Conde in Mobile for punishment.
By the 1740s, things got better at the fort. Many soldiers married French women from Mobile or married local Creek women. They and other settlers started farms nearby, which meant more food was available.
The humid weather caused the fort to wear down by the late 1740s. So, the French decided to build a third fort. Captain Francois Saucier led the reconstruction, which finished around 1751. This new fort was very expensive, costing almost half of the entire military budget for the Louisiana colony!
The French Leave
In 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. France had lost the war to the British and had to give up its territory. So, the French soldiers at Fort Toulouse destroyed their cannons and left. They headed to New Orleans and eventually some returned to France. The British chose not to use the fort, and it slowly fell apart. In 1776, a naturalist named William Bartram visited the area while studying plants and animals.
Fort Jackson: An American Stronghold
During the War of 1812, a conflict broke out within the Creek Nation in 1813. This led to American forces from Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi Territory getting involved. In the Creek War of 1813–1814, General Andrew Jackson led the American soldiers, along with their Cherokee and Creek allies.
Jackson defeated a group of Creeks called the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. After this victory, he ordered a new fort to be built on the same site as the old French fort. This new fort was intentionally placed near a sacred Creek site called the Hickory Ground. General Jackson then left for a short time. While he was away, the fort was named "Jackson" in his honor.
When Jackson returned, he made a treaty called the Treaty of Fort Jackson. This treaty forced both the Creeks who fought against him and those who helped him to give up a huge amount of land—about 20 million acres—for white settlers.
Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson State Historic Site
The site of these forts was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1960. During the American Bicentennial in the mid-1970s, people tried to rebuild Fort Toulouse. However, the replica was built in the wrong place, on the outline of the much larger Fort Jackson.
In the 1980s, the Alabama Historical Commission took over the park. They took down the incorrect replica. Then, they built a new, more accurate replica of Fort Toulouse closer to its original spot. This allows for a future reconstruction of Fort Jackson on its actual site. Archeological digs are still happening at the site, led by Dr. Craig Sheldon from Auburn University at Montgomery.
The Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson State Historic Site offers special "living history" programs. These programs help visitors understand what life was like for the Creek people, the French colonists, and the U.S. military troops during the War of 1812. The fort is located southwest of Wetumpka, off of U.S. Highway 231.
The site also has the Taskigi Mound. This is a prehistoric village from the South Appalachian Mississippian culture. It had a fence around it, a central open area, and a rectangular mound. The mound is part of the University of Alabama Museums' "Alabama Indigenous Mound Trail."
The William Bartram Arboretum is also located at the site. It's a special garden with many different kinds of trees and plants.
