Dauphin Island is an island town in

Mobile County Mobile County ( ) is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the second most-populous county in the state after Jefferson County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 414,809. Its county seat is Mobile, wh ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, United States, on a

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from ...

of the same name, in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

. It incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the

Mobile metropolitan area The Mobile Metropolitan Area comprises Mobile and Washington counties in the southwest corner of Alabama in the United States. As of the 2020 census the metropolitan area had a population of 430,197. The Mobile metropolitan area is the third-lar ...

. The island (originally named Massacre Island) was renamed for

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...

's great-grandson and heir, the dauphin, the future

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

. The name of the island is often mistaken as Dolphin Island; the word ''dauphin'' is French for

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

, but historically, the term was used as the title of the heir apparent to the French monarch. The island is one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands, with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and the

Mississippi Sound The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from Waveland, Mississippi, to the Dauphin Island Bridge, a distance of about . The sound is sepa ...

and

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...

to the north. The island's eastern end helps define the mouth of Mobile Bay. The eastern, wider portion of the island is shaded by thick stands of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

trees and saw palmettos, but the narrow, western part of the island features scrub growth and few trees. Dauphin 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. Beaches attract tourism, and fishing is a popular activity in the waters around the island. The island is connected to the mainland by the Gordon Persons Bridge. Although the island has several bird sanctuaries, the main one is the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. 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. In May 2012, the central public beach began charging for access. This marked the second beach on the island to charge the public following the creation of the privately owned West End Beach.

History

Serpentine shell middens, perhaps 1,500 years old, attest to at least seasonal occupation by the Native American Mississippian Mound Builder culture. Shell Mound Park, along the island's northern shore, is administered by the Alabama Marine Resources Division. Dauphin Island 06May2010 01

In 1519, the Spanish explorer

Alonso Álvarez de Pineda Alonso Álvarez de Piñeda (; 1494–1520) was a Spanish conquistador and cartographer who was the first to prove the insularity of the Gulf of Mexico by sailing around its coast. In doing so he created the first map to depict what is now Texas an ...

was the first documented European to visit, staying long enough to map the island with remarkable accuracy. 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 The term French Louisiana refers to two distinct regions: * first, to colonial French Louisiana, comprising the massive, middle section of North America claimed by France during the 17th and 18th centuries; and, * second, to modern French Louisi ...

, arrived at

and anchored near the island on his way to explore the mouth of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. D'Iberville mistakenly named it ''Île du Massacre'' (Massacre Island) because of a large pile of human skeletons discovered there. In reality, the site was a Mississippian burial mound which had been broken open by a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

, not a massacre site; however, the dramatic misnomer stuck. D'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. The settlement consisted of a fort, a chapel, government-owned warehouses, and residences. Indian Mound Park 06May2010 04

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. Before a channel was

dredged Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

, Mobile Bay was too shallow and its

sandbars In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...

too treacherous for ocean-going vessels to travel up the bay and Mobile River to Fort Louis de La Louisiane. Thus, smaller boats carried the cargo within Mobile Bay to and from Dauphin Island. In 1719 the first African slaves of Alabama arrived at Dauphin Island. After the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

(known in Europe as the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

) ended in 1763, the island was ceded to the British. After the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the territory again came under Spanish jurisdiction, being part of the Province of West Florida until 1812. In 1795 after the

Treaty of San Lorenzo Pinckney's Treaty, also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo or the Treaty of Madrid, was signed on October 27, 1795 by the United States and Spain. It defined the border between the United States and Spanish Florida, and guaranteed the United ...

was signed between Spain and the United States, new settlers began migrating to Alabama from Virginia, North & South Carolina and Georgia. In 1805, the

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classif ...

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

and Choctaw people were forced to cede their lands to the government. The Creek tribes aggressively fought to hold their lands, but eventually were forced to cede in 1813. Fort Gaines on the eastern tip of the island was built between 1821 and 1848. It was occupied by Confederate forces in 1861 and captured by the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

Battle of Mobile Bay The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...

. The phrase, "

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...

," was supposedly spoken by U. S. Admiral

David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. F ...

just a few hundred yards from Dauphin Island's shore. FEMA - 1134 - Photograph by FEMA News Photo taken on 01-01-1900 in Alabama

The first Sand Island Light, authorized in 1834, was replaced by a structure high, at a cost of $35,000, that was destroyed by Confederate forces. The present lighthouse (1873; in use until 1970), has been placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Its ownership was recently transferred from the U.S. Department of Interior to the town of Dauphin Island.

Geography

Dauphin Island is long from east to west, separating the

to the south from the

and

to the north. The island is less than wide for most of its length, except for the eastern quarter of the island, which is over wide. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the island has a land area of , while the town's total area is much greater: , with of it, or 96.2% of the town, in the water of the surrounding Gulf and bays. The Dauphin Island Bridge, officially the Gordon Persons Bridge, is the island's sole road connection to the Alabama mainland, carrying State Route 193, which leads north to Tillmans Corner in the southwest outskirts of

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

. Downtown Mobile is north of the island.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Dauphin Island has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 1,371 people (but falling in the 2010 census to 1238: see below) with 601 households and 418 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 221.2 people per square mile (85.4/km²). There were 1,691 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.43%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

(1,322 persons), 0.44%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

(6 persons), 1.60% Native American (22 persons), 0.58% Asian (8 persons), and 0.95% from two or more races (13 persons).

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.95% of the population. There were 601 households, out of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.66. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,219, and the median income for a family was $50,476. Males had a median income of $35,179 versus $24,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $22,552. About 6.0% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,238 people, 582 households, and 373 families residing in the town. The

was 199.7 people per square mile (77.4/km²). There were 1,818 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.3%

, 0.4%

, 1.0% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 1.0% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.7% of the population. There were 582 households, out of which 13.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.55. In the town, the population was spread out, with 12.8% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 18.0% from 25 to 44, 41.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $56,731, and the median income for a family was $54,844. Males had a median income of $47,308 versus $37,292 for females. The

for the town was $26,771. About 11.4% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the

, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 0% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 1,778 people, 585 households, and 424 families residing in the town.

Education

The town is served by the Mobile County Public School System. It has one public school, Dauphin Island Elementary School. Middle school students go on to Alba Middle School in Bayou La Batre and Alma Bryant High School in Bayou La Batre.Bryant High School Map
" Mobile County Public School System. Retrieved on November 26, 2018. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab is located on the east end of the island on grounds formerly occupied by the 693rd Radar Squadron, Dauphin Island Air Force Station,

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...

, and is home to the Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium.

Coat of arms

At the top of Dauphin Island's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

is the historic Fort Gaines with two

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s facing north and south, which represent Dauphin Island's role during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The boat is a shrimping vessel which represents the livelihood of many of the residents of the island. The

is a mammal seen quite often in the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay waters surrounding the island. The birds are pelicans, which are numerous around the island and the entire Gulf coast. The ''

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

'' represents the presence of France on the island from 1699 to 1764. The sailing ship is a

Spanish galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch Wa ...

to represent Spain's role in settling the area between 1781 and 1813.

Hurricanes

Over the centuries, many hurricanes have struck the island. Some recent storms include: * In 1969,

Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the United States, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The most intense storm of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season, Camille originated as a tropical depression ...

flooded 70% of the island and was the worst storm to strike the area until

Hurricane Frederic Hurricane Frederic was an intense and damaging tropical cyclone that carved a path of destruction from the Lesser Antilles to Quebec, in particular devastating areas of the United States Gulf Coast. Though only five were killed directly, the US ...

. * In 1979,

(September 12) destroyed the bridge to the mainland, which had been opened in 1955. * In 1985,

Hurricane Elena Hurricane Elena was a tropical cyclone that affected eastern and central portions of the United States Gulf Coast in late August and early September 1985. Threatening popular tourist destinations during Labor Day weekend, Elena repeatedly de ...

brought wind gusts of over to the island. * In 1997, Hurricane Danny caused extensive flooding on the east end of the island. * In 1998,

Hurricane Georges Hurricane Georges () was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde Category 4 hurricane which caused severe destruction as it traversed the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in September 1998, making eight landfalls along its path. Georges was the seve ...

destroyed 41 houses on the island. * In 2004,

Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlant ...

caused nearly one-fourth of the island to be covered with approximately two feet of water. * On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought damage to parts of Dauphin Island. Some homes on the west end of the island were destroyed, and the Katrina Cut was formed as a channel splitting off the western part. However, most areas of the central and east end of the island experienced little flooding from the storm surge. The approach road to the island fared better than expected. The damage to most East End beachfront homes was limited to decks, stairs and storage buildings. In DeSoto Landing, a gated Gulf-front subdivision on Dauphin Island, the main homes had no water entering the homes unless a window or roof system failed; many avoided surge waters entirely. Damage was limited due to Sand Island (Pelican Island), a large sandbar south of DeSoto Landing which broke the force of battering waves. An oil drilling platform grounded near the island as the hurricane passed by. It was identified by its owners, Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc., as the Ocean Warwick, pushed nearly from its original location by the hurricane. * On September 14, 2020, storm surge from offshore

Hurricane Sally Hurricane Sally was a destructive and slow-moving Atlantic hurricane, which was the first hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Alabama since Ivan in 2004, coincidentally on the same date in the same place. The eighteenth named storm, ...

flooded the island.

Tourist attractions

The old walled Fort Gaines is on the east end of Dauphin Island. A ferry from nearby Fort Morgan in

Gulf Shores Gulf Shores is a resort city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 9,741. Geography Gulf Shores is located on the Gulf of Mexico at 30°16'4.069" North, 87°42'5.285" West (30.267797, −87.70 ...

brings both vehicles and pedestrians to the island. One of the closest attractions to the ferry dock is The Estuarium, a fresh- and saltwater aquarium highlighting species native to Alabama. The Dauphin Island Heritage and Arts Council features works by local artists, as well as information on the history of Dauphin Island. It organizes the annual Dauphin Island Native American Festival.

References

External links

*
"Still in Harm's Way", ''NOW'' on PBS
video on Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board

Dauphin Island Foundation

{{authority control Barrier islands of Alabama Towns in Mobile County, Alabama Towns in Alabama Populated coastal places in Alabama Populated places established in 1702 French-American culture in Alabama Landforms of Mobile County, Alabama 1702 establishments in the French colonial empire

History

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2000 census

2010 census

2020 census

Education

Coat of arms

Hurricanes

Tourist attractions

See also

References

Further reading

External links