Tour Overview
Welcome to the Indian Mound Environmental Tour
The purpose of this tour is offer insight to the environment of thousands of years ago before present. The scope of the tour is local, focusing primarily on the Northwestern counties—this includes Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Marion, and Winston County. Follow along this tour to become immersed in the evolution of the environment from the Paleoindian Period to the Tuscumbia Landing. Journey through Northwest Alabama’s rapid environmental change from the Pleistocene period to the current Holocene period. Follow the region once ensconced in glacial sheets succumb to warm temperatures, which supported a flourishing environment rich and varied in its fauna and plants. Learn that, much like animals and the first peoples, plant communities also migrated in order to survive. And most importantly, observe how people changing the environment can cause significant changes to the climate.
This tour was researched, written, and prepared by University of North Alabama History student Tequila Cohen in 2019.
Stops
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Welcome!
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The Physiographic Regions of Alabama
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The PaleoIndian Environment
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From Pleistocene to Early Holocene
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Floral Migration and Death of Megafauna in the Archaic Period
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Exploitation of the Woodland Period Environment
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The Significance of Mound Building in The Mississippian Period
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From Late Holocene to The Little Ice Age
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Alabama Fever and The Booming Cotton Industry
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The Native American Removal and Tuscumbia Landing
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The Tennessee Valley Authority
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