Bottle Creek Indian Mounds
Encyclopedia
Bottle Creek Indian Mounds is an archaeological site located on a low swampy island within the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta
near Mobile
, Alabama
, United States
. It was occupied by a Mississippian culture
and is important to understanding the history and culture of the Mobile-Tensaw delta in late prehistoric times.
. It is located on Mound Island in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta and includes 18 earthen mounds
, the tallest being roughly 45 feet high. Five of those eighteen mounds are arranged around the central plaza. It was the largest Mississippian chiefdom on the north-central Gulf Coast. It is difficult to reach by foot, however it would have been easily accessed by dugout canoes. It lies near the confluence of the Tombigbee
and Alabama
Rivers. The streams become a maze of branches and bayous at the head of Mobile Bay. The site was a ceremonial center for the Pensacola people, as well as a social, political, religious, and trade center for the Mobile Delta region and the central Gulf Coast.
Bottle Creek site was first mapped in the 1880s, but its location in the middle of the delta, completely surrounded by swamp, and hidden by immense cypress trees, made it inaccessible and protected it from most of the plunder experienced by similar sites in the Southeast. It was a ceremonial center for the Pensacola people. It served as a gateway to their society despite its seemingly remote location. It was first professionally investigated in 1932 when David L. DeJarnette, of the Alabama Museum of Natural History
, began his work there to determine if the site had a cultural relationship with Moundville
, connected to the north by a river system.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974. It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1994.
Mobile-Tensaw River Delta
The Mobile-Tensaw River Delta is the largest river delta and wetland in Alabama. It encompasses approximately in a 40 by area and is the second largest delta in the United States....
near Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was occupied by a Mississippian culture
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
and is important to understanding the history and culture of the Mobile-Tensaw delta in late prehistoric times.
History
The site was occupied between AD 1250 and 1550, and served as the focal point for interaction with other Mississippian culture areas along the coast and the interior of the Southeastern United StatesSoutheastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
. It is located on Mound Island in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta and includes 18 earthen mounds
Platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
, the tallest being roughly 45 feet high. Five of those eighteen mounds are arranged around the central plaza. It was the largest Mississippian chiefdom on the north-central Gulf Coast. It is difficult to reach by foot, however it would have been easily accessed by dugout canoes. It lies near the confluence of the Tombigbee
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...
and Alabama
Alabama River
The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery.The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it unites with the Tombigbee, forming the Mobile and Tensaw rivers, which discharge into...
Rivers. The streams become a maze of branches and bayous at the head of Mobile Bay. The site was a ceremonial center for the Pensacola people, as well as a social, political, religious, and trade center for the Mobile Delta region and the central Gulf Coast.
Bottle Creek site was first mapped in the 1880s, but its location in the middle of the delta, completely surrounded by swamp, and hidden by immense cypress trees, made it inaccessible and protected it from most of the plunder experienced by similar sites in the Southeast. It was a ceremonial center for the Pensacola people. It served as a gateway to their society despite its seemingly remote location. It was first professionally investigated in 1932 when David L. DeJarnette, of the Alabama Museum of Natural History
Alabama Museum of Natural History
The Alabama Museum of Natural History is the state's natural history museum, located in Smith Hall at the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. The oldest museum in the state, it was founded in 1831. The exhibits depict the natural diversity of Alabama from the Age of Dinosaurs, the Coal Age,...
, began his work there to determine if the site had a cultural relationship with Moundville
Moundville Archaeological Site
Moundville Archaeological Site, also known as the Moundville Archaeological Park, is a Mississippian site on the Black Warrior River in Hale County, near the town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama...
, connected to the north by a river system.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974. It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1994.