The word “Dauphin” is a French word for the “heir apparent” to the throne. It literally means Dolphin in French but, hey, we have all heard dolphins are pretty smart. It’s original name was “Massacre Island” as the first Europeans to see the island in the 16th century found a huge pile of human skeletons. Turns out the pile was just a rearranged cemetery of the Mississippian Tribe after one of the areas many hurricanes.
There was a really nice bicycle path from our campground on one end of the island to the public beach and pier on the other side. About a 7 mile ride each way. The live oaks make for a fabulous backdrop for a daily bike ride.
Attached to our campground was a 164 acre Audubon Bird Sanctuary. The many trails through the sanctuary made for a full day of hiking.
A short walk from our campground was Fort Gaines. This fort was completed in 1848 and occupied by Confederate forces for the first part of the Civil War. The Union troops captured it during the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864.
This would be an interesting way to “start your day” unless it’s high tide.
The original railway is still attached to the ceiling. It was used to move the ultra heavy ammo for the cannons to different cannon locations.
There was a smallish museum within the walls of the fort. Lots of cool relics as well as much war correspondence from Confederate soldiers.
Confederate (not counterfeit, or is it?) money was not worth too much as the war dragged on:
Below shows the public beach at the far end of the island. Many folks were spending this cool January day fishing and yes, even surfing. Our bike ride down the 7 mile path was very pleasant.
Below, find pictures of two other Lance travel trailers. They were both in spots next to ours. Awwwwh.
Boy! The Union troops were unbelievably old when they captured
the fort.