This area was occupied for thousands of years by varying cultures of
indigenous peoples. At the time of Spanish expeditions in the early 16th century, it was part of the territory of the
Mississippian culture, which constructed major earthwork mounds. It was ruled by the paramount chief
Tuskaloosa. The historic
Choctaw emerged somewhat later, and are believed to be descendants of those earlier peoples. They occupied this area along what early
French traders and colonists called the Mobile River. They also founded the settlement of
Mobile on the river and bay in the early 18th century. The British took over the territory in 1763 (along with other French territories east of the Mississippi River) after defeating the French in the
Seven Years' War. During the
American Revolutionary War, it came under Spanish rule as part of
Spanish Florida. Spain ceded the territory to the United States after the
War of 1812. In the 1830s, the United States forced the
removal of most of the Native American tribes in the area under President
Andrew Jackson's policy and an
act of Congress to relocate them to
Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Since the late 20th century, several tribes have reorganized and gained state recognition. After more than a century of European settlement, beginning with French colonists, Mobile County was organized by the state legislature and the proclamation of Governor Holmes of the
Mississippi Territory on December 18, 1812. When Mississippi was separated and admitted as a state on December 10, 1817, after adopting its constitution on August 15, 1817, Mobile County became part of what was called the
Alabama Territory. Two years later, the county became part of the state of Alabama, granted
statehood on December 14, 1819. The city of Mobile, first settled by French colonists in the early 18th century as part of
La Louisiane, was designated as the county seat from the early days of the county. • October 2, 1906 — Roy Hoyle • October 2, 1906 — Willie Thompson • October 2, 1906 — Corneilius Robinson • September 22, 1907 — Mose Dossett • January 23, 1909 — Richard Robertson • July 31, 1910 — Bill Walker • June 6, 1919 — James E. Lewis • March 21, 1981 —
Michael Donald Courthouse fires occurred in the years 1823, 1840, and 1872. ==Geography==