Time Line: Dallas County Alabama History

Including pre-statehood and trivia

1501 - 1600 According to Indian lore the Alibamo Indian Nation was exiled from its homelands near the Red River by the warring Muskogee. After years of battling with the Choctaw and Chickasaw for territory in Mississippi they engaged Desoto on July 25, 1541 near the present county of Tallahatchie. Finally they found refuge by the River now called the Alabama near the present county of Autauga.
1540 Desoto met with the Choctaw Chief Tuscaloosa in a village along the Alabama River known than as Athahatchee. The described location of Athahatchee is generally accepted as the present location of Selma. However, some historians believe Athahatchee was actually by the Cahaba River near the present Sprott community in Perry county Alabama.
1699 Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d' Iberville erected a fort at the Bay of Biloxi with the purpose of colonizing the Mississippi and Alabama regions for France.
1702 Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, The Sieur de Bienville built Fort St. Louis by the mouth of the Dog River in the Mobile Bay. There he launched explorations up the Alabama River.
1704 Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, The Sieur de Bienville engaged the Alibamo and some English at a bluff along the river believed to be the present site of Selma.
1711 Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, The Sieur de Bienville founded the town of Mobile.
1713 French merchant Crozart established a military and trading post at the mouth of the Cahaba River. (Cahawba).
1714Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, The Sieur de Bienville made a friendly visit to the region.
1732 Under French control a map of the river systems officially recorded the site of Selma as Ecor Bienville.
1762 France surrendered all of her North American possessions. All lands east of the Mississippi came under control of the British.
1795 Spain ceded its claim of Mississippi and Alabama land with the treaty of Madrid (Pinckney's Treaty).
1798 What is now Alabama and Mississippi was organized as the Mississippi territory.
Circa.1810 Early pioneers knew the site of Selma as High Soap Stone Bluff
1813 - 1814 The Creek Indian wars
1814 The Creek Session. After defeating the Red Sticks, Jackson forced the entire Creek Nation to cede most of its land to the United States.
1815 The site of Selma was named Moors Bluff by Thomas Moore a Tennessee merchant who established a trading post.
1816 Cahaba was established as an election precinct of Montgomery County.
1817, December 10 The Alabama Territory was formed when Mississippi became the 20th state.
1818 Dallas County formed by the Territorial Legislature from Montgomery county. The county seat was Cahaba.
1819 The town of Cahaba incorporated.
1819, December 14 Alabama acquired Statehood with Cahaba as its capitol.
Circa.1820 The Cocheran house was erected in Cahaba.
1820, December 4 Selma incorporated as the Town of Selma by the Selma Land Company headed by William Rufus King.
1822 "Tensas" was the first steamboat to arrive in Selma.
1825 Cahaba and Selma visited as by General Lafayette. He remained in Cahaba for 3 days of pomp and ceremony.
1825 Kenan's mill Situated on Valley Creek at Summerfield Road was constructed by Zebulon Butler and purchased by the Kenan family.
1825 The first floor of the capitol building in Cahaba was flooded by an overflow of the Alabama and Cahaba rivers.
1826 The state capitol was moved from Cahaba to Tuscaloosa because of frequent flooding. Cahaba became mostly abandoned but rebounded as a major cultural and commerce center.
1827 The Selma Jockey Club was formed and The Selma Racecourse was constructed. Elmwood cemetery is presently located on part of the race course site.
1827 Selma’s first newspaper was published as the Selma Courier. A precursor of the Selma Times Journal.
1829 The West Selma Grave Yard (Now Live Oak Cemetery) was purchased by the township of Selma.
1831 The Selma Free Press debuted as Selma’s Premier weekly newspaper.
1833 Additional Lots were allocated by Selma for the West Selma Grave yard (now Live Oak Cemetery)
1833 Again Cahaba was undulated by floods from the Alabama and Cahaba Rivers.
1836, January 10 A tri weekly stage line was established to Greenville. By 1840 there were daily runs to Mobile.
1837 First opening of the St. James Hotel
1838 Selma organized a militia called the Selma Rangers for service in the Nicaragua rebellion.
1839 The cornerstone was laid for the Episcopal Church at Lauderdale and Alabama streets.
1840 Imported Lake Ice was for sale at a restaurant. Ice would not be manufactured in Selma until 1877
1841 The cornerstone was laid for the "Female Academy" by the Masonic lodge and the "Ladies Education Society".
1848 The Selma Free Press changed hands and became the Selma Reporter.
1851 The steam engine "Alabama" was placed into service on the "Alabama Tennessee Railroad"
1852 Sturtevant Hall was constructed at 713 Mabry Street in Selma.
1853 A yellow fever epidemic killed approximately 50 people and Selma was evacuated for most of the summer. The fever was contacted by steamboat from Mobile.
1853 The first telegraph office opened in Selma.
1853 The Daily Alabama State Sentinel started publication as Selma’s first daily newspaper.
1854 The first gaslight utility was in use as "The Selma Gaslight Company". The first customer was a three story building on Broad Street housing a saloon, billiards parlor and bowling alley.
1854 The "Alabama and Tennessee Railroad" was completed to Montevallo.
1854 The city of Selma purchased land for the "East Selma Cemetery" (Now Elmwood Cemetery).
1857 The Alabama Central Railroad completed to Woodville (Now Uniontown).
1858 The "Selma Reporter" Changed hands and became the "Selma Daily Times".
1859 A railroad is completed from Cahaba to Marion.
1861 The "Alabama and Tennessee Railroad" is completed from Selma through Talladega and on to Blue Mountain. (Near Anniston)
1861 - 1865 The American Civil War.
1861, April 16 The Cahaba Rifles were formed and joined the Confederate infantry.
1862 The " Alabama Mississippi Rivers Railroad" was complete to York Station and connected with the "Will's Valley Railroad" into Meridian.
1863 - 1864 A large Confederate prison was built in Cahaba.
1864 The Selma wharf was completed by the Confederate Government.
1864, April 2 The Union Army invades Selma.
1865 Just before the surrender Cahaba again is the victim of a large flood.
1865 The south surrendered.
1866 Two fire companies were organized in Selma each having a hand engine.
1866 The Dallas county seat was moved from Cahawba to Selma and Cahaba became a deserted village.
1867 A merger of the "Selma Dailey Times "and the ‘Messenger’ resulted in a newspaper called the ‘Times and Messenger".
1869 The "Selma Rome Dalton" Railroad (previously named the Alabama Tennessee Rivers Railroad) was completed to Dalton Georgia.
1870 The Selma Fire Department purchased a steam engine.
1870 The Selma YMCA was organized.
1872 Completion of the "Street Railroad" connected the "Selma Rome Dalton" and the "Alabama Central" (previously named "The Alabama Mississippi Rivers") And later "The Selma and Meridian
1877 Additional lots were purchased by the city for the "West Selma Grave Yard" (New Live Oak Cemetery)
1878, April 26 The Confederate Soldiers Memorial was dedicated at The West Selma Grave Yard (Now live oak cemetery)
1885 The rotating bridge opened for traffic as a toll bridge across the Alabama River at Selma.
1889 The Dallas Academy Erected on Selma Ave. at Church St.
1892, December 31 The Hotel Albert is opened. Construction was started before the Civil War.
1940 The Edmond Pettus Bridge was opened and the rotating bridge was removed.
1941 The 29th FTW (Flying Training Wing) graduated its first class of 39 cadets at Craig Field.
1965 The SCLC joined a voting rights protest march from Selma.
1977, September 30 The 29th FTW (Flying Training Wing) was inactivated at Craig field.
1996 The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail was created by Congress under the National Trails System Act of 1968.

Bibliography:

Selma: Her Institutions And Her Men by John Hardy 1879

Memories of old Cahaba by Anna M Gayle Fry 1908

Sons of Confederate Veterans

Battle For Selma by Sol H. Tepper



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