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Fort Jackson (Alabama)

 

 
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Fort Jackson (Alabama)
 
 
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Fort Toulouse and Fort Jackson are two forts that shared the same site at the fork of the Coosa River
Coosa River

The Coosa River is one of Alabama most developed rivers. It begins at the Confluence of the Oostanaula River and Etowah River Rivers in Rome, Georgia....
 and the Tallapoosa River
Tallapoosa River

The Tallapoosa River runs from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia , in the United States, southward and westward into Alabama....
, near Wetumpka, Alabama
Wetumpka, Alabama

Wetumpka is a city in Elmore County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,726. The city is the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, the third fastest growing county in the state....
.

Fort Toulouse was a stockade built by the French in 1717. It was replaced by a better-built fort of the same name in 1735, a bit further back from river erosion. Fort Toulouse served as a trading post with the Creek Indians until the end of the French & Indian War in 1763.






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Fort Toulouse and Fort Jackson are two forts that shared the same site at the fork of the Coosa River
Coosa River

The Coosa River is one of Alabama most developed rivers. It begins at the Confluence of the Oostanaula River and Etowah River Rivers in Rome, Georgia....
 and the Tallapoosa River
Tallapoosa River

The Tallapoosa River runs from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia , in the United States, southward and westward into Alabama....
, near Wetumpka, Alabama
Wetumpka, Alabama

Wetumpka is a city in Elmore County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,726. The city is the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, the third fastest growing county in the state....
.

Fort Toulouse was a stockade built by the French in 1717. It was replaced by a better-built fort of the same name in 1735, a bit further back from river erosion. Fort Toulouse served as a trading post with the Creek Indians until the end of the French & Indian War in 1763. With the French loss of that conflict, the French Garrison spiked their cannons and left for both New Orleans and a return to France. The British victors chose not to occupy the Fort, and it eventually collapsed into decay.

During the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
, "Red Stick" Creek Indians of northern Alabama and Georgia attacked white settlements and killed over 400 settlers at Fort Mims. In the resulting Creek War
Creek War

The Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek people nation. It is sometimes considered to be part of the War of 1812....
, General Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . He was List of governors of Florida of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy....
 commanded the combined American forces of Tennessee militia, U.S. regulars, and Cherokee and Southern Creek “White Stick” Indians. Jackson defeated the Red Stick Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Battle of Horseshoe Bend

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend was fought during the War of 1812 in central Alabama. On March 27, 1814, United States forces and Native Americans in the United States allies under General Andrew Jackson defeated the Red Sticks, a part of the Creek people Indian tribe inspired by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, effectively ending the Creek War....
 in 1814, and afterwards initiated construction of a Fort atop the site of the old French Fort at the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers. The fort was intentionally built near the sacred Creek site known as the Hickory Ground. Jackson then temporarily traveled to Washington and in his absence, the Fort was named “Jackson” in his honor. After Jackson’s return, he imposed the Treaty of Fort Jackson
Treaty of Fort Jackson

The Treaty of Fort Jackson was signed on August 9, 1814 at Fort Jackson near Wetumpka, Alabama following the defeat of the Red Stick resistance by United States forces at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on the banks of the Tallapoosa River near the present city of Alexander City, Alabama....
 upon both the Northern Creek enemies and the Southern Creek allies, wresting 20 million acres (81,000 km²) from all Creeks for white settlement.

The site was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, :wiktionary:site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States for its historical significance....
 in 1960.

During the American Bicentennial in the mid 1970's an attempt was made to reconstruct Ft. Toulouse, however the replica was incorrectly built upon the outline of the much larger Fort Jackson. In the 1980’s the park became a property of the Alabama Historical Commission and the incorrectly built Fort was dismantled and recycled to partially construct a "correct" replica of Ft. Toulouse adjacent to the original site, - allowing for a future reconstruction of Ft. Jackson on the actual site once occupied by both forts. The Fort Toulouse / Jackson Park has active “Living History” programs depicting the original Creek Indian inhabitants, the French Colonial Military presence, and the War of 1812 era US Military presence.

It is located southwest of Wetumpka off U.S. Highway 231 (Alabama).

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