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1717

The French Arrive to Build Fort Toulouse Overlooking the Coosa and Tallapoosa
Early in the 17th Century the British established a practical monopoly of trade with the Indians. The French were desperate to compete with these savy English traders for control of the region. The French believed that the forks of the Coosa and Tallapoosa where they formed the Alabama River was the “key to the country.” At that time commerce depended upon control of waterways for the transport of goods. This critical juncture of the Coosa and Tallapoosa was the gateway to the port of Mobile Bay, which in turn connected the region to the European homeland.

Further encouraging the French, the Alabama Indians (part of the newly formed lower Creeks) travelled to Mobile and invited the French to build a fort in their territory. In 1717 the French arrived to build Fort Toulouse overlooking the Coosa and Tallapoosa. This marked the first significant European presence in the region.

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