Mound Builders Trail

Click here to view a full map showing the different trail locations across the state.

15. Noccalula Falls Park
Originally called Black Creek Falls, local legend holds that the falls was renamed by an Indian Chief in honor of his daughter, Noccalula, who jumped to her death into the canyon below the falls rather than being sold to a stranger in marriage. A statue at the park commemorates Noccalula's desperate plunge.
1500 Noccalula Rd., Gadsden
(256) 549-4663

16. Chief Ladiga Trail
The Rails to Trails conversion project covers 33 miles, with an additional eight miles still in the planning stage. The trail is named in honor of Chief Ladiga, an influential and powerful Creek leader of the area in the early 1800s. He was one of the signers of the Cusseta Treaty of 1832 in which the Creeks gave up most of their remaining land. Piedmont, Jacksonville, Weaver and Anniston
(256) 447-9007; (256) 447-3363

17. Ten Islands Area Historic Markers
Ten Islands was a shoal on the Coosa River called Otipalin by the Creek Indians. In Oct. of 1813, General Andrew Jackson and his Tennessee Militia established a supply base at Fort Deposit before marching south to attack Creek Red Sticks and avenge the massacre at Ft. Mims. On Oct. 29, Col. Dyer attacked and burned the Creek town of Littafatchee, capturing 29 prisoners. At Ten Islands, Gen. Jackson's troops constructed Fort Strother, which was used as Jackson's general headquarters throughout the remainder of the conflict with the Creek Indians from 1813-1814. Historic markers near Ragland and Ohatchee document events and sites in the area during the First Creek Indian War, including the Tallushatchee Battle (also spelled Tallasehatchee). On Nov. 3, 1813, General John Coffee and 1,000 Tennessee Militia attacked the 300 Creeks in the village. All 200 warriors were killed and 84 women and children were taken as POWs.
St. Clair County Tourism, Ashville
(205) 594-2116
Anniston/Calhoun Co. CVB, Anniston
(800) 489-1087

18. DeSoto Caverns Park
The 1939 Final Report of the DeSoto Commission on the 16th century Spanish expedition by Hernando de Soto placed the town of Coosa in nearby Childersburg. In the 1700s, European traders used a trail near the cave called the Charleston-Chickasaw trail. Two Indian Dance and Craft Festivals are held each year at DeSoto Caverns Park � one in the spring and another in the fall. Call for dates and times.
5181 DeSoto Caverns Pkwy., Childersburg
(800) 933-2283; (256) 378-7252

19. Birmingham Museum of Art
The Native American Gallery features a multi-level exhibit of artwork of tribes from throughout North America: Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Northwest Coast and Southwest. From finely woven Navajo textiles and intricate Plains beadwork to a late 19th-century killer whale fin totem, the gallery contains one of the finest collections of Native American art in Alabama. The Southeastern Woodlands cultural section includes Creek and Choctaw baskets and beadwork.
2000 8th Avenue N., Birmingham
(205) 254-2565

20. Moundville Archaeological Park NRHP
Eight hundred years ago, Moundville was one of the largest and most powerful prehistoric Native American societies in North America. Under the scrutiny of the University of Alabama, the University's Alabama Museum of Natural History and the scientific community, archaeological investigations continue today at Moundville. The park's Jones Archaeological Museum displays the finest examples of Mississippian artwork recovered from the site, including the Rattlesnake Disk (Alabama's official state artifact), beautiful pottery and rare copper artifacts. More than two dozen mounds, the highest nearly 60 feet, are found within the park's 320 acres. At the Indian village exhibit, life-sized models recreate dwellings and customs of the Mississippian people. The annual Moundville Native American Festival is held each fall. Call for dates and times.
http://moundville.ua.edu
1 Mound Pkwy., Moundville
(205) 371-2234; (205) 371-2572

Note:
NRHP - National Register of Historic Places
NRHS - National Register of Historic Sites