Mobile Bay

Coordinates: 30°26′34″N 88°00′33″W / 30.44278°N 88.00917°W / 30.44278; -88.00917
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the bay in Alabama. For the bay in Newfoundland, see Mobile Bay (Newfoundland and Labrador). For the Johnny Cash song, see Mobile Bay (song).
Landsat program photo with Mobile Bay in the center

Mobile Bay (

Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the bay, making it an estuary. Several smaller rivers also empty into the bay: Dog River, Deer River, and Fowl River on the western side of the bay, and Fish River on the eastern side. Mobile Bay is the fourth-largest estuary in the United States with a discharge of 62,000 cubic feet (1,800 m3) of water per second.[1] Annually, and often several times during the summer months, the fish and crustaceans will swarm the shallow coastline and shore of the bay. This event, appropriately named a jubilee
, draws a large crowd because of the abundance of fresh, easily caught seafood.

Mobile Bay is 413 square miles (1,070 km2) in area. It is 31 miles (50 km) long by a maximum width of 24 miles (39 km).[1] The deepest areas of the bay are located within the shipping channel, sometimes in excess of 75 feet (23 m) deep, but the average depth of the bay is 10 feet (3 m).[1]

History

Long occupied by cultures of indigenous peoples, this area was still under the chiefs of Mississippian culture at the time of Hernando de Soto's exploration.

The recorded history of Mobile Bay begins about 1500, when Spanish explorers were sailing into the area. On early maps, the bay was named as Bahía del Espíritu Santo (Bay of the Holy Spirit). The area was explored in more detail in 1516 by

Hernando de Soto, more than eleven years later.[2]

European exploration into the region

Mobile Bay during the American Civil War.

Hernando de Soto explored the area of Mobile Bay and beyond in 1540, finding the area inhabited by indigenous

Pensacola in 1559.[2]

Although Spain's presence in the area had been sporadic, in 1702

Dauphin Island and founded French Louisiana's capital at Mobile, a few miles north of Mobile Bay on the Mobile River. Following a series of floods, the original settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile was relocated in 1711 to the head of Mobile Bay.[4]

Role in wars

During the

USS Rodolph, USS Tecumseh, and CSS Tuscaloosa.[5]

Second World War
, Mobile's shipbuilding industry expanded, and the city's population surged as both black and white migrants moved there for work. Growth has been rapid since then.

Natural disasters in the area

The city has endured several devastating hurricanes in its history, the most recent being Hurricane Frederic in 1979 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Areas of low elevation, including the downtown business district, have been flooded repeatedly in hurricanes. However, much of the city is at an elevation exceeding 200 feet (61 m) above sea level, which is unusually high for the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

On September 13, 1979,

Bayou La Batre and Bon Secour
were severely damaged. Dozens of vessels of various sizes were left stranded inland.

Shoreline towns

The city of

Middle Bay Lighthouse
has been located in the center of the bay since 1885.

The head of the bay is crossed by two major thoroughfares,

US 98, known as the Battleship Parkway. These two bridges serve as the primary connections between the city of Mobile and the Eastern Shore.[7] On warm summer nights, the residents living around Mobile Bay sometimes enjoy the fruits of a mysterious natural phenomenon called a Jubilee
, when fish and crabs swarm toward shore and can be easily harvested by people wading in the shallows.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Estuarium Exhibits: Mobile Bay". Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Archived from the original on 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-8173-1065-7
  3. ^ "The Old Mobile Project Newsletter" (PDF). University of South Alabama Center for Archaeological Studies. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  4. ^ "Historic Fort Conde". MuseumOfMobile.com. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  5. ISBN 978-0-8071-3274-6
    .
  6. ^ Hyatt, Wendy. "Fort Morgan Historical Site Information". Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  7. ^ "History". Rivers of Alabama: Mobile Bay. Archived from the original on 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2008-02-05.

External links

American Cyclopædia article about Mobile Bay
.

30°26′34″N 88°00′33″W / 30.44278°N 88.00917°W / 30.44278; -88.00917

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