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HISTORY OF DAUPHIN ISLAND
If you come to Dauphin Island, you’ll land right in the middle of THE party! We’ll have oysters, shrimp, mullet, soft-shell crabs and plenty of iced sweet tea along with other cold beverages. Why, we might even schedule a golf tournament and a parade, followed by a concert under the stars, complete with fireworks after the musical show! At some point during the party, you might get around to asking, “What are we celebrating?”
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Three hundred years ago, French explorer Pierre LeMoyne d’Iberville landed on the island’s shores, found a large pile of human skulls and named it Massacre Island. French, British and Spanish settlers followed him, but Americans were the winners in the end after gaining possession of the island as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Because of all that history, Dauphin Island has many reasons to host a year long party for its 300th birthday.
Luring first-time visitors and sustaining Dauphin Island residents in this village-like, not-so-sleepy, thriving South Mobile County community:
• Audubon Bird Sanctuary, this home to more than 200 species of migratory birds is a 164-acre wilderness preserve near the center of the island.
• Isle Dauphin Country Club, an 18-hole course overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. This public facility also offers tennis, swimming and dining.
• Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Estuarium, features a 10,000 square foot exhibition hall that includes marine life in natural environment and hands-on, interactive exhibits for the entire family.
• Fort Gaines, open daily for tours, this historic brick fortress played a pivotal role in the 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay.
• Prehistoric Indian Shell Mound, takes you back to where the shuckin’ began...oyster shells over 1,000 years old.
• Dauphin Island Fishing Pier, extending over 850 feet out into the Gulf of Mexico, is the place to find both regulars and first-timers with a story to tell about “the one that got away.”
• Dauphin Island Camp Ground accommodates the serious RV-er, as well as the weekend warrior, with 150 campsites that have water and power, along with a camp store, bathhouse and a picnic pavilion.
• Mobile Bay Auto Ferry, the over-the-water connection for those who want to leisurely travel to Baldwin County without worrying about traffic lights or the bumper-to-bumper at the outlet mall. |
...and the pièce de résistance -
CHATEAU BIENVILLE!
So, welcome to the party! It’s not every year we have a 300th birthday. We’ll leave the Dauphin Island light on for you ... and have some cocktail sauce for your freshly shucked oysters-on-the-half-shell and an iced beverage waiting for you! With an invitation like that, how could you say no?
Calendar of Events at Dauphin Island
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