Alabama’s Dauphin Island has a long and fascinating history. The
French colonized this 14-mile long, semitropical island in 1699, and
the town there was built on an ancient burial site that lead to the
island originally being called Massacre Island. In 1707 the name was
changed to Dauphin Island, a more fitting name for what was at the time
the capital for the entire Louisiana Territory. The island went from
French to Spanish to British and eventually American control, and Fort
Gaines has been in use ever since; today it is a Coast Guard Base. Historical
tours are available for curious guests.
Visitors to Dauphine Island can camp in RV’s or tents at any of
150 campsites, most of which have complete utilities. Cadillac Square
even has bathhouses among the picnic areas and island spanning bike
trails.
There are a number of lakes and fishable beaches on Dauphin Island,
but most visitors use the Dauphin Island Pier. This 850-ft. long pier
has plenty of parking, is wheelchair accessible and is lit from below
for spec fishing as well as above for night fishing. Visitors to Dauphin
Island might catch Sheephead, Spanish Mackerel, Black Drum or Flounder,
among other fish.
One of the most impressive attractions on Dauphin Island is the Audubon
Bird Sanctuary on the eastern end of the island. Over 160 acres of maritime
forest, marshes, dunes, lakes, swamps and beaches are set aside for
the large numbers of birds that use this barrier island as a stopover
point for their seasonal migrations. Wild Bird Magazine has named Dauphin
Island as one of the top 4 places in North America to view spring migrations.
