Day 12 Alabama

From Florida, I drove up into Alabama to the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, about 40 miles northwest of Auburn, Alabama. The park is the site of one of the last battles in the Creek War in 1814. General Andrew Jackson’s Tennessee militia, aided by the 39th U.S. Infantry Regiment and Cherokee and Lower Creek allies, won a decisive victory against the Upper Creek Red Stick Nation during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. It was the largest loss of life for Native Americans in a single battle in the history of United States. Within weeks, the Creeks signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson, which ceded 23 million acres of land in Alabama and Georgia to the United States government. Not really a glorious event in our nation’s history.

The park is not very large, and some of the trails and sites are still not accessible following a severe tornado in 2023 which destroyed over 300 trees, but left the visitors center and some monuments intact. Still, the dogs and I were able to hike for two miles in the park and saw some of battle sites.

From there, I drove to the nearby Wind Creek State Prak to camp for the night. We got in another two mile hike and then ate dinner and settled in for the night.

I am 12 days in, and have seen nine states, with thirty-nine left to go!